It seems that we humans are hotwired for conflict and the merciless killing of each other – and the evidence is overwhelming. From the violent collapse of the Songhai Empire in the early 17th century, to Zimbabwe’s Operation Murambatsvina in 2005, to ...
There is a question that almost always pops up in discussions about the black consciousness movement. Presented in various permutations, it has to do with the almost saintly reverence people hold for Steve Biko – not without good reason – and whether he would be a revered figure were he alive in 2022. Of course, we don’t know. The same may be said about any thinker, great or small, decades or even centuries after their death.
Actually, Marx’s old buddy Friedrich Engels reminded us , and philosophical contention are usually met with vitriol and that reverence. Let us set that aside. Since then, and since Muntu’s death, we have seen an enormous amount of suffering and misery, warlordism, persecution and at least one case of genocide across Africa – among black people. I should add, in haste, that this does not set Africa apart; Europeans, Asians, Latin Americans, and just about every group of people have been at war with “their own” kind across history.