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Steven Biko Biography

Bantu Stephen Biko (18 December 1946 – 12 September 1977) was a South African anti-apartheid activist. Ideologically an African nationalist and African socialist, he was at the forefront of a grassroots anti-apartheid campaign known as the Black Consciousness Movement during the late 1960s and 1970s. His ideas were articulated in a series of articles published under the pseudonym Frank Talk.

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Steven Biko Quotes

Black Consciousness is an attitude of the mind and a way of life, the most positive call to emanate from the black world for a long time. Its essence is the realisation by the black man of the need to rally together with his brothers around the cause of their oppression - the blackness of their skin - and to operate as a group to rid themselves of the shackles that bind them to perpetual servitude.

Attitude, Brother, Emanate, Men, Perpetual, Time

Merely by describing yourself as black you have started on a road towards emancipation, you have committed yourself to fight against all forces that seek to use your blackness as a stamp that marks you out as a subservient being.

Black, Blackness, Fighting, Forces, Towards, Use

We believe in the inherent goodness of man.

Believe, Goodness, Man, Men

The basic tenet of black consciousness is that the black man must reject all value systems that seek to make him a foreigner in the country of his birth and reduce his basic human dignity.

Basic, Birth, Black, Country, Men, Seek

At the time of his death, Biko had a wife and three children for which he left a letter that stated in one part: “I've devoted my life to see equality for blacks, and at the same time, I've denied the needs of my family. Please understand that I take these actions, not out of selfishness or arrogance, but to preserve a South Africa worth living in for blacks and whites.

Arrogance, Children, Devoted, Please, See, Wife

If one is free at heart, no man-made chains can bind one to servitude.

Bind, Free, Heart, Made, Men, Servitude

The most potent weapon of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed.

Historical, Mind, Oppressor, Potent, Weapon, Weapons

In all fields black consciousness seeks to talk to the black man in a language that is his own

Black, Consciousness, Fields, Man, Men, Seeks

A people without a positive history is like a vehicle without an engine.

Engine, Engines, People, Positive, Vehicle

Black Consciousness therefore takes cognizance of the deliberateness of God's plan in creating Black people black.

Black, Creating, Deliberateness, People, Plan

I am against the fact that a settler minority should impose an entire system of values on an indigenous people.

Facts, Impose, Minorities, Minority, People, System

Black Consciousness is in essence the realization by the black man of the need to rally together with his brothers around the cause of their oppression.

Brother, Brothers, Essence, Man, Men

We regard our living together not as an unfortunate mishap warranting endless competition among us but as a deliberate act of God to make us a community of brothers and sisters jointly involved in the quest for a composite answer to the varied problems of life. Hence in all we do we always place man first and hence all our action is usually joint community oriented action rather than the individualism.

Action, Brother, Community, Men, Problems, Quest

We have set out on a quest for true humanity, and somewhere on the distant horizon we can see the glittering prize. Let us march forth with courage and determination, drawing strength from our common plight and our brotherhood [and sisterhood]. In time we shall be in a position to bestow upon South Africa the greatest gift possible--a more human face

Determination, Drawing, Gift, Horizon, Sisterhood

The essence of politics is to direct oneself to the group which wields power

Essence, Groups, Oneself, Power, Wields

Sure there are a few good whites just as much as there are a few bad Blacks. However what we are concerned here with is group attitudes and group politics. The exception does not make a lie or the rule - it merely substantiates it.

Attitude, Groups, Lie, Lying, Make, Whites

Tradition has it that whenever a group of people has tasted the lovely fruits of wealth, security and prestige it begins to find it more comfortable to believe in the obvious lie and accept that it alone is entitled to privilege.

Believe, Comfortable, Lying, People, Prestige

The logic behind white domination is to prepare the black man for the subservient role in this country.

Country, Domination, Men, Prepare, White

We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our birth. These are concepts which the Black Consciousness approach wishes to eradicate from the black man's mind before our society is driven to chaos by irresponsible people from Coca-cola and hamburger cultural backgrounds.

Approach, Hamburger, Land, Men, People

Change the way people think and things will never be the same

People, Same, Things, Think, Thinking, Way

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