Preserving and Advocating Umkhonto’s Captivating Heritage
Introduction
In a statement on the state of organisation of Umkhonto we Sizwe, delivered by the then Umkhonto we Sizwe Army Chief of Staff, Comrade Chris Thembisile Hani, at the University of Venda, Thohoyandou, on 9 – 11 August 1991[i], he stated that:
“The significance of our achievements revolves around not so much on victorious battles and liberated zones but more on armed propaganda actions which anchored and inspired our people’s determination to resist the tyranny of white rule. At a time when the enemy seemed to have emasculated the people’s resistance, it was MK which held up the torch of struggle and served an unparalleled example of a spirit of no surrender.”
This is one of the most formidable characterisations of liberation heritage that cuts across all generations and detachments of the People’s Army, Umkhonto we Sizwe. It spans from the first Sabotage Campaign Units, the Luthuli Detachment of the Wankie and Sipolilo Campaigns, the June 16 and Moncada, the Madinoga, Isandlwana Detachments of the 1970s, and to the Young Lions of the 1980s ending with the Barney Molokoane Detachment of the 1990s, as well as the Internal Detachments that became prevalent during Operation Zikomo, and the Self-Defence Units and Amabutho that defended the various communities throughout the country from Third-Force and vigilante’s cold-hearted violence.
Scope
The presentation begins with attempting to define heritage broadly as a global concept, and this is viewed against Umkhonto revolutionary cultural heritage, which is examined within the context of the African National Congress’ (ANC) national liberation heritage. The emphasis here is on efforts towards preserving, documenting and advocating this revolutionary heritage and legacy of Umkhonto, largely within a legislated institutional arrangement, such as the Department of Military Veterans and its related sister department, the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture, and its various agencies, such as Freedom Park.
Defining Heritage
Heritage is the full range of our inherited traditions, monuments, objects, identity and culture. Most important, it is the range of contemporary activities, meanings, and behaviours that we draw from them.[ii] Heritage includes, but is much more than preserving, excavating, displaying, or restoring a collection of old things. It is both tangible and intangible, in the sense that ideas and memories – of songs, recipes, language, dances, and many other elements of who we are and how we identify ourselves – are as important as historical objects, mountains, rivers, buildings and archaeological sites.
Heritage is, or should be, the subject of active public reflection, debate and discussion. What is worth saving? What can we, or should we, forget? What memories can we enjoy, regret, or learn from? Who owns “The Past” and who is entitled to speak for past generations? Active public discussion about material and intangible heritage – of individuals, groups, communities, and nations – is a valuable facet of public life in our multicultural world. Heritage is a contemporary activity with far-reaching effects.[iii]. It is simultaneously local and particular, global and shared.[iv] Heritage is an essential part of the present we live in – and of the future we will build – fundamentally a Brand that we gladly associate with.
Heritage is important because in helping shape our identity, our heritage becomes part of what we are. Our expression of this identity shows others what we value; it highlights our values and priorities. Our heritage provides clues to our past and how our society has evolved. It helps us examine our history and traditions and enables us to develop an awareness about ourselves. It helps us understand and explain why we are the way we are.[v]
Umkhonto We Sizwe’s Revolutionary Cultural Heritage
Accordingly, the form that the ANC assumed with the blessing of the entire Congress Movement was that of a militant organisation, a “Spear of the Nation” (“Umkhonto we Sizwe”), that would sustain its existence to its supporters, to the world and to its enemies through controlled military operations. Hence the introduction of the Sabotage Campaign that was aimed at specified infrastructural targets and symbols of the apartheid colonial economy. The military nature of this newly formed non-racial organisation was largely based on the Second World War experiences of its members, especially those who came from the Congress of Democrats, who had served in the fight against Fascism.
It is however important to note that the sagacious decision of the Congress Alliance at the time was that Umkhonto we Sizwe should exist as an independent organisation, as the ANC was still maintaining itself as a peaceful movement, despite the banning order. This was only changed after the Lobatse Conference, in October 1962, where the ANC’s External Mission assumed full control and responsibility of Umkhonto we Sizwe becoming an official armed wing of the national liberation movement. Based on this short rendition of how Umkhonto emerged from the ranks of the Congress Movement, it remained at the cutting edge of the ANC’s revolutionary struggle for three decades, until its unbanning in 1990.
Although most of the history of the struggle is largely centred on the ANC, Umkhonto’s role in influencing its evolution, is not well articulated. However, for the formerly oppressed South Africans, the primary role of the ANC in the struggle, the importance of its armed wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), and the heroism of its leaders, are emphasised.
What is important to note is that the arts, culture and heritage, as well as history, of MK are inseparable from that of ANC, as the two, including the South African Communist Party (SACP), are the intertwined primary protagonists in the revolutionary history of South Africa, especially from the 1960s towards the negotiated settlement in the 1990s. Nevertheless, Umkhonto derives its revolutionary nature and character from that of the ANC, and its alliance partner, the SACP, which was channelled through its emphatic political education programme.
It was therefore difficult to speak of Umkhonto without the ANC or vice-versa during the difficult years of the liberation struggle. Although these two were different entities, especially in civilian environments such as Lusaka, Zambia, Morogoro or Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, or in London and other places in Africa and Europe, in most frontline states, and particularly in Angola, the two were inseparable.
Umkhonto became the backbone of the ANC in terms of revolutionary theory and practice, and the messaging of ANC’s communication with the people of South Africa and the world. It was transmitted through Umkhonto’s assertiveness in its operations inside the country, through Radio Freedom, the Medu Arts Ensemble and Amandla Cultural Ensemble. Hence even now, the songs and spirit of the ANC are rooted in a solid legacy of Umkhonto we Sizwe. This legacy of Umkhonto was based on its vigorous political, military and cultural development that ultimately defined its revolutionary character.
The goal of the ANC had always been unity, not uniformity, meaning national unity, seeing the country as a whole, not just in its geographic extension, but in its human dimension. The ANC strived for full equal rights for every South African, without reference to race, language, ethnic origin or creed, which was typical of life in exile. There was a strong belief in a single South Africa with a single set of governmental institutions, working towards a common loyalty and patriotism. The ANC in exile had the virtue of resilience, and it is remarkable that it survived and grew stronger in conditions of great difficulty.[vi]
One of the weapons to promote this call for national unity was the utilisation of cultural outreach to unite the exile community and music, together with cultural forms such as poetry, art, theatre and dance, were used to garner international support for the struggle against apartheid and made valuable contributions to the movement’s work and successfully brought the anti-apartheid struggle to international audiences.[vii]
Freedom songs that were shared with the population at large through Radio Freedom were also accompanied by other cultural aspects, such as the “toyi-toyi” dance, which was used for training and a cultural chant for Umkhonto cadres, became emulated by the youth in their revolutionary engagements during funerals and rallies in the townships. The toyi-toyi dance, in particular, was often used for intimidating the South African police and security forces during anti-apartheid demonstrations. This was a military march dance and song style, which became commonplace in massive street demonstrations. As one activist puts it, “The toyi-toyi was our weapon. We did not have the technology of warfare, the tear gas and tanks, but we had this weapon.”[viii]
According to Jocelyn Alexander and JoAnn McGregor[ix], “The toyi-toyi is commonly described as a high-stepping ‘dance’ and associated above all with the anti-Apartheid protests of the mid-1980s in South Africa’s townships. Its origins are, however, some two decades earlier and nearly 5,000 miles to the north, in the military training given to cadres of the Zimbabwe African People’s Union (ZAPU) – the Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA) – in Algeria.”
Alexander and JMcGregor[x] maintain that “veterans of ZAPU’s armed wing traced the toyi-toyi’s travels from north to south, in training regimes in the military camps of Algeria, Tanzania and Zambia. They remembered it as a defining feature of their army, able to create powerful bonds of loyalty and the physical toughness necessary to survival on the battlefield. Veterans of Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), the African National Congress’ armed wing, learned the toyi-toyi from ZAPU cadres in shared camps.”
Preserving the Heritage of Umkhonto
Based on the Preamble of the South African Constitution, which emphasises that, “We, the people of South Africa, Recognise the injustices of our past; Honour those who suffered for justice and freedom in our land; Respect those who have worked to build and develop our country,”[xi] Umkhonto we Sizwe and its cadres, who were members of the national liberation movement, the African National Congress, are among those referred to in the Preamble. They were the ones that “confronted the injustices of the past, suffered for justice and freedom, and worked to build and develop the country”.[xii]
During the Unity Conference of ex-MK Cadres in East London, in April-May 2022[xiii], it was agreed that the newly formed Umkhonto we Sizwe Liberation War Veterans (MKLWV) association should establish a dedicated desk towards the championing of MK Heritage, the Memorialisation of its History, Legacy, Culture and Traditions. The principal idea was to establish conditions that facilitated poverty reduction, socio-economic development, and community development by leveraging one of the county untapped resources, its cultural assets, to create culture-based industries, while improving the management of cultural assets at National and especially at Provincial and Local levels.
This was envisaged to be done along the lines of the country’s Heritage and Preservation Programme[xiv], meaning the identification, collection, safeguarding and promotion of MK’s heritage, which included: The development of MK Archives, heraldry and libraries in conjunction with institutions of higher learning, such as, amongst others, the Mayibuye Centre at the University of the Western Cape, the Liberation Centre at the University of Fort Hare, the Africana Centre at the University of Cape Town and especially the School for Africa and Security Studies at the SA Military Academy, which is a Faculty of Military Science of Stellenbosch University.
To successfully implement this objective, there was a clear requirement to create a legislated institutional arrangement through the transformation of the Department of Military Veterans (DMV) to establish a Branch on Military Veterans Heritage Promotion and Preservation. This is in line with the mandate of DMV to facilitate delivery and co-ordinate all activities that recognise and entrench the restoration of dignity and appreciation of the contribution of Military Veterans to our freedom and nation building.[xv] This includes the establishment of a military veterans heroes’ acre for national heroes in collaboration with local municipalities for each province for all military veterans’ heroes acres through the South Africa Local Government Association (SALGA) and Department of Sports, Arts and Culture.
There are several principles that should guide the project of preserving and promoting MK’s glorious heritage, particularly instilling Professionalism and Accountability in the handling of the Heritage, Memorialisation, History and Legacy of the Liberation Struggle. These include: Ensuring a Protective Brand Management Attitude to secure and champion the MK and associated Brands, such as the Guevara Brand in Cuba; Adopting a Patriotic Front Approach with other former Liberation Forces within the auspices of the Liberation War Veterans in the Development and Promotion of the South African War of Liberation, including the Wars of Resistance; Developing a Robust Research and Development Capability for the advancement of the liberation war heritage; and Expanding Fraternal Relations with other Liberation War and Military Veterans structures of formerly colonised, especially in Southern Africa, as well as in progressive countries for the purposes of sharing cultural and historical experiences, socio-economic challenges, trade and development.
Summary
Heritage of the national liberation struggle, both in exile and of the mass movement internally, is that culture was viewed as “a weapon of struggle” against apartheid. MK cadres and the masses had developed a perspective that “Culture is us, it is who we are, how we see ourselves and the vision we have of the world”. Consequently, this cultural heritage of the liberation struggle should be preserved in an institutional arrangement, a dedicated branch in the Department of Military Veterans, working hand-in-hand with the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture and its various agencies, such as Freedom Park.
Castro Khwela
Good evening fellow Compatriots!
[i] Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) Conferenceheld at the University of Venda in Thohoyandou on August 9–11, 1991, African National Congress (ANC) Archives.
[ii] A poem written and performed by students at the Lupani Primary School, near Kazungula, Zambia.
[iii] What is heritage? – http://www.umass.edu/chs/about/whatisheritage.html
[iv] SA Government (2009). NATIONAL POLICY ON SOUTH AFRICAN LIVING HERITAGE: FIRST DRAFT, MARCH 2009.
[v] Ibid.
[vi] Ibid.
[vii] Shirli Gilbert, “Singing Against Apartheid: ANC Cultural Groups and the International Anti-Apartheid Struggle”, Journal of Southern African Studies, Vol. 33, No. 2, June 2007, pp. 421-441.
[viii] Wikipedia.
[ix] Jocelyn Alexander and JoAnn McGregor, “The Travelling Toyi-Toyi: Soldiers and the Politics of Drill”, Journal of Southern African Studies, Vol. 46, No. 5, September 2020, pp. 1 – 18.
[x] Ibid.
[xi] Constitution of the Republic Of South Africa, Act No. 108 of 1996.
[xii] Address by President Jacob Zuma on the Occasion of Marking the Day of National Reconciliation, Port Elizabeth, Wednesday, 16 December 2015.
[xiii] Michelle Banda, “MK Liberation War Veterans Bury Hatchet and Commit to Unity, Renewal and Welfare of Former Combatants”, Daily Maverick, 23 May 2022.
[xiv] Department of Sports, Arts and Culture, “Heritage and Preservation Programme”, https://www.dsac.gov.za/heritageprogramme
[xv] Department of Military Veterans, “Military Veterans Heritage Promotion and Preservation”, http://www.dmv.gov.za/documents/Heritage%20&%20Memorialisation%20Brochure.pdf
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