Abstract

This paper discusses and explores the concept of Black Consciousness and Gender Empowerment, and links the two concepts by looking at the example of Dr. Nkosana Dlamini-Zuma who was nominated as the first woman in history to chair the African Commission. The paper begins by looking at the historical significance/meaning of the concept Black consciousness and gender and how does it relate to the current gender discourse.  The role that Black consciousness played in influencing black/African women in the liberation struggle in South Africa is discussed here. The paper then explores what would be the likely significance of Black consciousness and gender empowerment in the 21st century, its impact and how it should influence Black/African women at this point of time in Africa’s development. Dr .Nkosazana Zuma’s nomination as the first woman in history to chair the African Commission is used as an example to showcase this. The paper concludes by looking at the current relevance of Black consciousness and gender in relation to the African continent and ideas such as the African Renaissance and the way forward is also discussed in the paper.

Introduction

The African Union (AU) celebrates 50 years since its formation in 2013.This of course covers the period that the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), was formed between 1963-2002 and the AU from 2002, onwards. In this time they have been many successes and equally many challenges on the African continent. One of the recent successes with regards to gender or women empowerment was the recent elevation of Southern African Development Community (SADC) candidate, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma who made history in the hotly contested AU Commission chairmanship by being voted in as the new African Commission chair. Dr Zuma was not only made history in that, she was the first woman in the history of the AU to be elected to the AU Commission chairmanship, but it was also a triumph for the SADC bloc as a whole in that it was the first time in the history of the AU that a person from the SADC region had held the AU Commission chairmanship. Dr Zuma won the battle after getting the backing of 37 countries and in doing so ousting incumbent Jean Ping of Gabon. It is a pity that a great leader and visionary like Steve Biko is not alive today to witness such a momentous occasion, in the history of the African continent and more saw, in that the candidate who won (Dr. Dlamini Zuma) was from his land of birth, South Africa, where he had made a profound impact on the African agenda through his works on Black consciousness. So as one delves into the topic of Black consciousness and gender, it is fitting that in some ways Steve Biko’s vision in line with Black consciousness and gender is somewhat beginning to be realised.

What is Black Consciousness and how does it relate to the Gender Discourse?

According to Steve Biko Black consciousness, which developed in the early 1960s-1970s, in essence is the philosophy or rationale that black people should rally behind their fellow brothers and sisters in the quest to rid them from oppression, by the whites and in doing so emancipate themselves.  It is basically a philosophy or rationale of thinking that seeks to create a sense of awareness, pride and fighting spirit amongst black people. It was used mainly during the apartheid era in South Africa as a way of rallying black people to fight against oppression by the whites those who had politically, economically and socially discriminated against blacks as a  group in the South African society, however, the ideas and concept largely still apply in today’s society.  Black consciousness relates to the gender discourse in that it is a rationale or philosophy that seeks the participation of women, in the fight against racism, an increased level of race consciousness, gender awareness, and a radical element that seeks to redress the status-quo of male dominance in society and encourages women’s emancipation whilst redressing issues around patriarchal societies.  During the colonial era in South Africa and many parts of Africa, Black consciousness was used as a rallying call amongst black women in their fight with the black men to overcome oppression by the white colonisers. One can for example remember the role played by women in South Africa like Winnie Mandela, Dr.Dlamini Zuma, and the late Albertina Sisulu affectionately known as MaSisulu. These women contributed to the fight in South Africa against apartheid, with the climax one would argue being the Soweto uprisings on June 16, 1976 and during the height of apartheid formed organisations such as the Black Women’s Federation in 1975 which were heavily influenced greatly, by the Black consciousness concept.

Black Consciousness and Gender in the 21st Century

Black consciousness and gender in the 21st century, one could argue takes a shift from the struggle by black people and women in particular against forces of oppression, to now encompass issues around the African Renaissance and  African/ black women and their contribution to knowledge production and research. I think the following are key points of recommendation in Black consciousness and gender in the 21st century, which is now increasingly based on the knowledge economy:

• Black/African women have an important role to play in society today and their views are important in knowledge production, mores so the views of women from Africa are very important in a new shift towards enhancing African Knowledge production as opposed to western forms of knowledge production which have dominated the academia for many centuries. In this regard Women should begin contributing more to knowledge production through research and innovation, the writing and  publication of books, journal articles, newspaper features, policy briefs or through seminars or conferences were women are talking as speakers at events on issues related not only that affect women but even important national issues.
• Black/African women should begin to be more visible and   participate more in or engage more in issues of national importance. For example, in South Africa, the black/African women should have more of a say in the Nationalisation debate, or succession debate.
• Black/African women should participate more and critically engage in academia so that they can begin to form new paradigms of knowledge, based on African knowledge and gender as opposed to the western and often male dominated paradigms of knowledge currently in academia.  It is important to always have a gender perspective on knowledge production because males and females think differently and thus the views of women are crucial in creating a balance in knowledge production which has and continues to be dominated by male orientated  ideas or monopoly of knowledge.
• The time for women to play a bigger and more prominent role in domestic and international affairs, has certainly come. For most black South African women and many other African women the works of Steve Biko on Black consciousness have certainly provided inspiration for them and if they can begin to play a more prominent role in the issues highlighted above, then the sky is the limit in terms of what they can achieve.

Impact of Black Consciousness on the Gender Discourse

There can be no doubt that Steve Biko’s works on Black consciousness made a profound impact to the gender discourse, during the liberation struggle, not just in South Africa but elsewhere in Africa and continue to have a profound impact in society today. Dr. Dlamini Zuma’s ascendancy to power as the first woman to hold the AU Commission chairmanship is testimony to the influence that Black consciousness had on the gender discourse and in empowering women and creating a shift in power relations between men and women on the African continent. When one looks back at history, they will be able to bear testimony to the fact that Black Consciousness was not just an academic movement: “It was the premier black intellectual movement of twentieth- century South Africa”.  The impact that Black consciousness has had on the gender discourse and on the fabric of South Africa society cannot be underestimated.  Black consciousness played an important role in changing the rationale and psyche of not only black/African women but also in general both the black and white population in less than a decade since its conception.  In this 21st century based on the knowledge economy, one begins to recognise the importance of Steve Biko’s work on Black Consciousness and its relevance, as it feeds into the ideas of the African Renaissance and also into the issues of how we as African’s can cope with some of the developmental challenges that affect the African continent.

Concluding Thoughts

In concluding this paper one is reminded of the words of wisdom by two of South Africa’s former Presidents: Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki. On the occasion of the 2004 Biko Memorial Lecture Nelson Mandela uttered these words on the continued relevance of Black consciousness:

“And as we now increasingly speak of and work for an African renaissance, the life, work, words, thoughts and example of Steve Biko assume a relevance and resonance as strong today as when he lived. His revolution had a simple but overwhelmingly powerful dimension in which it played itself out – that of radically changing the consciousness of people. The African renaissance calls for and is situated in exactly such a fundamental change of consciousness: consciousness of ourselves, our place in the world, our capacity to shape history, and our relationship with each other and the rest of humanity.”

Former President Thabo Mbeki during his tenure as President of South Africa at one of the forums uttered these words on the influence of Black consciousness and how it should influence future thinking by Africans.

“Whoever we may be, whatever our immediate interest, however much we carry baggage
from our past, however much we have been caught by the fashion of cynicism and loss of
faith in the capacity of the people, let us err today and say: nothing can stop us now.”

The words of former Presidents Mandela and Mbeki certainly point to the fact that as Africans we should be proud of what we are doing as Africans and that we should try to find home grown solutions to our own developmental challenges. When one looks at the core of the message in Black consciousness, it indeed finds resonance in the African continent at this point of time when the idea of the African Renaissance is being revived and at a time when Africa is emerging as a key player in the global world economy. Going forward I think  it would be important for black/African women to not only adopt the ideas of black consciousness, but also to inspire generations of women by realising their dreams/goals as they try and make a contribution to not only African affairs, but global affairs to and ensure the sustainable development of the African continent.

Written by Thabani Mdlongwa
Africa Institute of South Africa (AISA) Research Division: Sustainable Development Programme at AISA in Knowledge Skills and Transfer Development
Contact Details: Tel No: (012) 304 9781. Fax No: (012) 326 1785
E-Mail Address:   TMdlongwa@ai.org.za    or mdlongwathabani@yahoo.com

Notes and References

1. Thabani Mdlongwa.Research Intern Knowledge Skills and Transfer Development. Sustainable Development Programme at the Africa Institute of South Africa (AISA). http://www.ai.org.za
2. Mbulelo Vizikhungo Mzamane, Bavusile Maaba and Nkosinathi Biko. 2004. The Black Consciousness Movement. Available at: http://www.petercjones.org/.../The_Black_Consciousness_Movement.pdf [Accessed 24 June 2012].
3. Ibid.
4. Pasely, V. 2001.The Black Power Movement in Trinidad: An Exploration of Gender and Cultural Changes and the Development of a Feminist Consciousness. Available at: http://www.bridgew.edu/Soas/jiws/fall01/pasley.pdf  [Accessed 24 June 2012].

5. Ibid.
6. Ngugi wa Thiong’o. 2003. Consciousness and African Renaissance: South Africa in the Black Imagination 1 2. Steve Biko’s Memorial Lecture by:  The Fourth Steve Biko Annual Lecture given, at University of Cape Town, South Africa, 12th September 2003.Available at: http://www.ccs.ukzn.ac.za/files/ngugi-biko.pdf  [Accessed 24 June 2012].
7. Shefer T. 2001.Ordering Gender: Revisiting the role ofPsychology. In PINS (Psychology in society).Vol. 27, pp.34-45.Available at: http://www.pins.org.za/pins27/pins27_article05_Shefer.pdf [Accessed 24 June 2012].
8. Vukani M. 2002. “Effulgent in the firmament”: The Politics of Representation and the Politics of Reception in South Africa’s ‘Poetry of Commitment’, 1968-1983.Master Thesis Master of Arts in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Port Elizabeth. Available at: http://www.nmmu.ac.za/documents/theses/MdeV.PDF [Accessed 24 June 2012].
9. Ibid.
10. Ibid.
11. Ibid.
12. Ibid.
13. Ibid.