What does democracy name in South African politics?

by Michael Neocosmos, Church Land Programme

A living politics is the movement out of the places where oppression has assigned those who do not count (S’bu Zikode, Talk at CLP Fanomenal Event)

Democracy: what does it name?

I wish to begin by discussing the term democracy as deployed in public discourse in SA. My discussion is founded on and inspired by the ways AbM have questioned the term democracy as applied to the SA state. This questioning has not been picked up and debated by commentators, academic or otherwise. It has not been taken seriously, but I think it should be taken very seriously. Remarks by AbM have included at various times: ‘democracy is for the rich not the poor’, ‘we do not count’ (i.e. we are excluded from democracy) and ‘elections are only for politicians’ as well as the idea of ‘unfreedom’ (there is no freedom for the poor) and that of ‘dignity for all’. These are very important innovations in political thinking in a context where ‘democracy’ has become a fetish which is never questioned, and therefore they must be taken seriously. ‘Seriously’ here for me means thinking about them both theoretically and politically. Lets start by examining the term democracy.

Dark corners of the state we're in

Church Land Programme, Padkos

Just after the attacks on Kennedy Road in 2009, S'bu Zikode, then President of the shack-dwellers' movement, Abahlali baseMjondolo said: "This attack is an attempt to suppress the voice that has emerged from the dark corners of our country. That voice is the voice of ordinary poor people. This attack is an attempt to terrorise that voice back into the dark corners. It is an attempt to turn the frustration and anger of the poor onto the poor so that we will miss the real enemy. ... "Our crime is a simple one. We are guilty of giving the poor the courage to organise the poor. We are guilty of trying to give ourselves human values. We are guilty of expressing our views. Those in power are determined not to take instruction from the poor. They are determined that the people shall not govern. What prospects are there for the rest of the country if the invasion of Kennedy Road is overlooked? ... Our message to the movements, the academics, the churches and the human rights groups is this: We are calling for close and careful scrutiny into the nature of democracy in South Africa" (29th September 2009).

Mark Butler introduces: Richard Pithouse, "Fidelity to Fanon"

Pithouse crisply extracts key features of Fanon's philosophy to illuminate aspects of our contemporary situation. Fanon's commitment to the struggle of his day against colonialism didn't blind him to the insight that "while revolutionary nationalism defeated colonialism it has failed to create a human prospect". Fanon saw "the moment when the 'liberating lava' of the great anti-colonial struggles was diverted as the people were expelled from history, 'sent back to their caves' by leaders who 'instead of welcoming the expression of popular discontentment' and the 'free flow of ideas' proclaim that the vocation of their people is to obey".

Graham Philpott introduces S'bu Zikode's Foreword to Nigel Gibson's 'Fanonian Practices in South Africa'

Zikode's powerful contribution is the Foreword to Nigel Gibson's Fanonian Practices in South Africa (2011). Reflecting on the relationship between Fanon and the 'living politics' of the South African shack-dweller movement, Abahlali baseMjondolo, Zikode reckons that "Fanon discovered what we [in the Abahlali] have discovered ...: if you are serious about victory, about succeeding to humanise the world, even a little bit, then your struggle ... must be owned and shaped in thought and in action by ordinary men and women".

David Ntseng introduces: Peter Hallward, "Fanon and political will'

Engaging the life and work of Fanon is in itself a reverberation of the struggle for a more equal and just society. It is also a call to embark on a radical process to reflect on the shifting sands that make our society lose balance as it wiggles its way towards freedom. Helping us to frame the lenses, we are introduced to the first two articles by Peter Hallward and Michael Neocosmos.

David Ntseng introduces: Michael Neocosmos, "The Nation and its Politics: Fanon, emancipatory nationalism and political sequences"

Engaging the life and work of Fanon is in itself a reverberation of the struggle for a more equal and just society. It is also a call to embark on a radical process to reflect on the shifting sands that make our society lose balance as it wiggles its way towards freedom. Helping us to frame the lenses, we are introduced to the first two articles by Peter Hallward and Michael Neocosmos.

Thulani Ndlazi Introduces Mabogo More's 'Without Land There is No True Liberation'

Mabogo P. More's recent paper on Fanon and land question in South Africa is online here. It is introduced, below, by the Reverend Thulani Ndlazi from the Church Land Programme.