Talk:Black Consciousness Movement/Archive 1

Organization, sections, format
So what's the plan for expanding this to featured article? What areas are missing, need to be expanded, referenced, etc.? --Dvyost 06:22, 18 November 2005 (UTC)


 * It would be nice to have more infomation on the early days of the BCM. Anybody have that?  Ban e  s  09:56, 18 November 2005 (UTC)


 * This article needs a lot, here are some suggestions of major parts/sections:
 * Inspirations - Frantz Fanon, dialectics, humanism (espiecially Marxian humanism, others?
 * Formation <- goes with Inspirations, we should talk about the student movements, Frantz Fanon, Aime Cesare, Negritude, etc.
 * Before Soweto <- meetings and stuff, what actions, protests, arrests, etc happened?
 * Soweto <- this (non-existant) section would probably belong more in Soweto Riots
 * Legacy After Soweto <- was BCM a "passing stage", an inspiration for later movements, or did it continue to exist into the 1980s or later?
 * Legacy (ANC, PAC, etc), <- this and the section above are nearly the same
 * Literature and Arts
 * What about the Biko's internationalism? Smmurphy 15:44, 18 November 2005 (UTC)


 * I just split the history into two (poorly named) sections. The section on BCM before Soweto is, I  believe, fairly complete in that it discusses most of the major activities that the bcm was involved in.  It could include more play-by-play tupe stuff, which could be gleaned from the sahistory.org chronology.  The section on BCM after Soweto is very brief.
 * I see two points of view: one is that BCM largely died with Biko, and these groups such as AZAPO are political ancestors but not really BCM, the other (which I would tend to believe) is that the BCM joined the greater black national (Fanonian?) struggle, which manifested itself in SA as groups such as AZAPO as well as influencing the politics of mainstream groups like the ANC. There may be a third road which follows the lives of the most important collegues of Biko, and saying that the BCM ideology lived on in them and their exploits.  This road would mean ultimately passing the torch to the articles involving groups they joined, such as the ANC and AZAPO, and giving only cursorory mention of the "greater struggle".  For our purposes, I think this third road is the right way to write an encyclopedia article.   Does this sound about right? I will probably be inclined to be overly bombastic, as it is the "greater struggle" which interests me, but I will try to be restrained. Smmurphy 17:51, 2 December 2005 (UTC)


 * Can anyone think of a better, more concise title for Steve Biko and the formation of black consciousness? I was too lazy to try to come up with something, and I assumed it would be quickly fixed to something better.  Or maybe it is ok?  By the way, only the first letter should be capitalized in section titles per Manual of Style (headings).  Also, special thanks to Joe and Banes for cleaning up all my typos and vagarities. Smmurphy 17:45, 3 December 2005 (UTC)


 * Oops, I had made a mental note that the section title should be changed, but I didn't notice that it had. This title is better, and Black Consciousness can be capitalized since it is a proper name of a movement, I think. Smmurphy 17:48, 3 December 2005 (UTC)

I added some new categories to the article. I know it's a small detail, but we should ensure we correctly group the article. Should it be in Category:Social movements or Category:Nonviolent resistance movements? Seeing as American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968) is in there, should this be in Category:Social justice? Harro5 21:17, 3 December 2005 (UTC)
 * Biko was definitely not non-violent on a personal level. This can be seen in his essay On Death in I Write what I Like here.  Non-violence and violence were both acceptable tactics.  Social movements would be appropriate (it would be a kick if there could be a Category:Existetial movements, eh). Smmurphy 21:32, 3 December 2005 (UTC)

Inspirations
As far as I know, there were no major outside inspirations (look, I may be wrong) behind BCM. I dont think Biko was that into Marxian humanism, but rather just resisting apartheid. Again, my knowledge is somewhat limited so if there are any experts out there who can help clear these things up that would be great. And keep up the great work on this article Smmurphy.  Ban e  s  07:23, 1 December 2005 (UTC)
 * The American Black Power Movement radical left put out a pamphlet called Frantz Fanon, Soweto and American Black Thought in 1978, which traces the influence of Fanon on Biko, and Biko/BCM/Soweto on the BPM American black thought, and is discussed (same citation as above) by Nigel Gibson. (Gibson has writen extensively on Fanon, and thus sees the world through Fanon colored glasses.) This is the revolutionary humanism influence I was talking about. Smmurphy 07:31, 1 December 2005 (UTC)


 * Oh, then can you think of a way to put that in? So, Biko influenced BPM rather than the other way around? Or did they both influence each other?  Ban e  s  07:43, 1 December 2005 (UTC)


 * Umm, I have it all mixed up. Soweto influenced a lot of people, but the BPM was pretty dried up by 1977.  I've tried to strike and rewrite some of my earlier messages.  I guess I'm really sloppy on talk pages. Smmurphy 07:57, 1 December 2005 (UTC)


 * Ok, no worries. I dont think Biko was that heavily influenced by the rest of the world. Still, you seem to have done alot of research, this article is starting to look good!  Ban e  s  19:26, 1 December 2005 (UTC)


 * Ok, so there was much cross-influencing going on. I hope the new section on Biko's philosophy explains it somewhat.  To me, if this were to become a long article, that section would fit, but if it remains a fairly short article, that section would mostly have to be moved to the page on Biko.  Either way, I'll try to add some of it to his article as well. Smmurphy 20:04, 1 December 2005 (UTC)


 * to get a handle on the legacy, we need to start with putting info on AZAPO and BCM-Azania. Does anyone know anything about them? Smmurphy 20:34, 1 December 2005 (UTC)

Images

 * Speaking of AZAPO, we need some images, I think I'll add the one of Biko and of Soweto. Also, the AZAPO logo is based on a theme shared by all groups influenced by the BCM, and we could use it.  I would love to use this image, but I don't think we can. Smmurphy 20:50, 1 December 2005 (UTC)


 * I would love to see some images in here, I think I will e-mail sahistory and see if they are willing to give us that pic... Ban e  s  20:56, 1 December 2005 (UTC)


 * Hang on, does this say you can take the pic? ''Permission to use web site material: Publishers are free to use material from this site, as long as:

• Credit is given to South African History Online; • A link is provided to www.sahistory.org.za • The webmaster is informed of how and where the material is used.''  Ban e  s  20:59, 1 December 2005 (UTC)


 * oops, but the soweto and shapeville images are marked to be deleted. Smmurphy 21:03, 1 December 2005 (UTC)

Which ones in particular? On the subject of length, this is such a huge subject, BCM, which I believe should be better covered. So, IMHO, it could be longer. For instance, the influence of BCM on literature is covered, but what about art? I have a bunch of political cartoons and paintings critical of apartheid which were made in that era, in front of me.  Ban e  s  21:09, 1 December 2005 (UTC)


 * Oh, I know which ones, should have looked at the article first. The others look good in there though.... Ban e  s  21:11, 1 December 2005 (UTC)

Sections
I think that the Biko section that comes before History should be merged with the latter. In fact, it talks about the formation of the movement which is part of history. Cheers -- Svest 22:13, 4 December 2005 (UTC) Wiki me up&#153;

Readability
First off, a big pat on the back for you guys for making this article so good! Now, I was wondering of the final 2 paragraphs of the Soweto riots section could be cleaned up a little. I know there is an "Edit this page" button but I dont understand most of what is in the paragraph. I was wondering if there is any way we can make it have less acronyms, and be more readable to the lay peasant?  Ban e  s  19:19, 5 December 2005 (UTC)

Excellent point. Earlier today, I attempted to clean this up and also to explain the significance of the proliferation of various smaller groupings in the bigger picture. Hope that it begins to clarify things enough to allow further editing. Joewright 22:16, 5 December 2005 (UTC)

Tutu and AZAPO
I think I probably stuck that in there, but it isn't really accurate of what Brewer says. Tutu was at the meetings in Soweto in 1978 when the AZAPO was formed, and the people at the meetings were supportive of the different goings on, but it not every atendee was defacto in every group that formed. I expanded that bit so we can show the conection between Tutu and the movement, but without having this inaccuracy, which I am astonished has not created any problems already. Sorry. Smmurphy(Talk) 01:12, 6 December 2005 (UTC)

Peer Review
Since the collaboration is running down, and the article isn't quite featured article quality, what do you guys think about putting it up for peer review. Smmurphy (Talk) 18:09, 4 December 2005 (UTC)


 * Sounds like a good idea.  Ban e  s  18:20, 4 December 2005 (UTC)


 * The obvious fixes that they always complain about over there include: red links (at least stub everything if you can), bulletted lists (they like prose, but I think that our lists are ok, as they help navigate the who's and whats quickly), and the opening paragraph (about 250(?) words summarising article well). Lets begin addressing at least the first and last of these, and we can submit it tomorrow-ish. Smmurphy (Talk) 19:03, 4 December 2005 (UTC)


 * On the red links, it seems there are only a few left. The lists are good. I want to look into BCM in art though and add a new section on that before peer review if possible.  Ban e  s  19:50, 4 December 2005 (UTC)

I think peer review is the obvious next step. This article wouldn't get enough votes on WP:AID, and needs some more input from other editors to really polish what we have. Well done guys, look at how the article has improved ! Harro5 21:57, 4 December 2005 (UTC)


 * Along with the art section, my additions to literature are skimpy on theatre, so I'll try to put in some stuff about that. Also, I think the opening section should mention that the term "black" is in reference to a reflection of an attitude rather than skin pigmentation? Smmurphy(Talk) 23:59, 6 December 2005 (UTC)

suggested Edits
Dear Joewright and others. I will not directly edit the piece initially, but will work my way sequentially through it and try to correct some of the misunderstandings, as I see it, and add the bibliography as we go. There is a lot of info on the BCM, and some of it is long. So there is a lot of reading to get up to speed. I suggest we leave the links on the article page even if they are not used. We can clean them out when we arrive at an acceptable article, and agree on the source material we will use for each point. I have not read all the material nor even the bulk of it; so in many respects I will be remembering and relearning as I go. Do not make the assumption that everything I say is gospel, but BCM was/is a pretty simple movement to understand, so the main thread will become apparent to all. There is remarkably little disagreement between the various players about the ideology of the BCM, so this should not be controversial, except when we deal with criticism of it.JohD 14:52, 3 January 2006 (UTC)

Introduction
Unfortunately the introduction as it stands is pap. We should not confuse temporary means to an end with ideology and goals. The BCM was not a non-violent movement. It did not spring up as an alternative to the ANC. To characterize it as a loose grouping of intellectuals, artist, and activists is misleading – it is arguably, ideologically, and structurally, the most successful Black organization to emerge in the history of South African political resistance at the time.

I suggest we start with the most basic information about the BCM:

 “The Black Consciousness Movement is a grassroots anti-Apartheid activist movement that emerged in South Africa in the mid-1960’s out of the political vacuum created by the decimation of the African National Congress and Pan-African National Congress leadership, by jailing and banning, after the Sharpeville Massacre in 1960.” –(My note: David M. Sibeko was a Member of the Three person Presidential Council of the exiled PAC. Assassinated in Dar es Salaam in June 1979. Ideologically, the BCM was closer to the PAC than the ANC, and its leaders adopted the commemoration of the Sharpeville Massacre as its pivotal annual activity; the demonstration being a PAC organized event, and adopted the PAC practice of referring to South Africa as ‘Azania’, the Africanized name of South Africa.)

We should then briefly mention the pivotal Institution out of which the BCM emerged – The Church and the emergence of Black Theology:

“Black Consciousness had a great impact on South African society and the churches were no exception. Its origins were deeply rooted in Christianity. In 1966, the Anglican Church under the incumbent, Archbishop Robert Selby Taylor, convened a meeting which later on led to the foundation of the University Christian Movement (UCM). This was to become the vehicle for Black Consciousness.” 

It’s Spread

From its outset, the BCM aggressively launched an attack on traditional White values, especially the ‘condescending’ values of Whites of liberal opinion. They refused to engage White Liberal opinion on the pros and cons of Black Consciousness, and emphasized the rejection of White monopoly on truth as a central tenet of their movement. While this philosophy at first generated some heat amongst Black anti-Apartheid activist within South Africa, it was in short order adopted by most as a positive development. As a result, there emerged a greater cohesiveness and solidarity amongst black groups in general, which in turned propelled Black Consciousness into the forefront of the anti-Apartheid struggle within South Africa. – Pages 47-48. (My note: Lots of background here regarding artists, Musicians, Sportsmen, Workers Unions, Church Groups, students Movements etc – within the BCM – almost all of it Primary source).

It’s pivotal role in the Students rebellion of 1976. Just a mention will do for now.

Then it’s demise.

This should comprise of five neat paragraphs that will give a concise and accurate overview of the BCM. I will work on the last two categories over the next couple of days. Feel free to edit for style, relevance, spelling and punctuation. You may wish to shorten the entries, and expand on them in the body. I will leave that decision to the group.JohD 14:52, 3 January 2006 (UTC)


 * I have taken the bold step of replacing the Introduction. The BCM was a 'big tent' movement and embraced anyone that complied with their definition of 'Black'. This means that there are many varied elements that needs to be covered. The intro might be too long. Feel free to pare it down, especially if you have intentions of covering aspects of it in more detail in later sections. More importantly, it was not a movement of 'leaders' in the sense that it had ideological gurus. Some individuals were extremely important for their tactical and strategic leadership. eg. Steve Biko, but many BCM members, particularly the younger generation, new little of him because of his banning. The key leaders should be dealt with in a separate section.JohD 14:46, 4 January 2006 (UTC)

Some Important Stuff Missing
Hi Guys,

As an 18 year old, I became involved with the Black Consciousness movement as a student at the University of Witwatersrand. I was particularly active until 1978, when the movement became an absolutely grassroots movement after being decimated by the jailings and banning of its leaders. From time to time I was the beneficiary of direct communication from middle ranking leaders; many of whom today occupy positions with the various provincial and national legislative bodies in South Africa. I wish to make a few comments on your efforts here.

Missing is an inkling of the environment in South Africa between 1960 and 1984, when the ANC again emerged as the primary force directing the conflict in South Africa. The ANC was MIA. Not because of any fault of their own, but many of the young that would spearhead the uprisings of 1976 had never had occasion to speak to, read, or hear as much as a syllable from the ANC. They had never seen pictures of the Leaders of the ANC, nor had they recieved any communication from them due to the almost absolute embargo put in place by the Apartheid regime. Often, it seemed that the sole surving document that survived the Sharpeville massacre an the subsequent banishment of the ANC and PAC was the 'Freedom Charter', - itself a banned document, possession of which could land you an extended stint in solitary confinement, to be followed by a trail and jail sentence.

The BCM was the bridge between the PAC (black nationalist) and ANC. It started life in the Eastern Cape, home of Robert Sobukwe, and Fort Hare campus. Fort Hare Campus is the Apartheid institution that most contributed the BCM. It is not once mentioned in this article. This is a shortcoming. Also missing is that the BCM largely grew out of Liberation Christian Theology, and the Anglican Christian Shools greatly influenced a large percentage of BCM leaders.

The BCM was always an activist organization, and Steve Biko's strength was his ability to organize: Medical Clinics, self-help start-up businesses, conciousness classes, adult education literacy classes. He was brilliant and built the BCM into a large self-sustaining organization that was able to reject funds offerred from large corporations like Anglo-American Corporation and Sanlam. Even while he was handicapped by bann9ing restriction that prevented him from travelling and communicating with more than one person at a time.

An excellent primary source is State Biko's own writing, alas too little of it survives. But it does seem that you lack this basic source material. I won't interfere, but if you have specific questions, I have a copy of "I write what I like' and will be glad to do some basic research for you.

Also important are the views of the SASO Nine, executive members of SASO and BPC, primarily from Durban Wentville's campus, who stood trail for plotting a a mass rally in support of FRELIMO, Mozambiques liberation army that took over after the Portugeuse Revolution in 1975. Incidently, the Portuguese Revolutiopn was another milestone for the BCM, since there is nothing like a war to conscientize a people. It was the catalyst for the 1976 uprisings.

I will lend a hand with basic research. Even though it is quite awhile ago, I know where to look, and who to search. This is basic piece that is an excellent primer on the basic ideological difference between the BCM and the ANC. While it is obvious that a great deal of effort has been spent on the current article, it needs a lot of work regarding basic and relevant information.JohD 14:45, 2 January 2006 (UTC)

Fanon & UCM

 * It would be great if you got involved. I just wanted to ask about the relationship between BCM and Liberation Theology.  In my understanding, Liberation Theology was a parallell movement, which brought earlier post-colonial theorists (such as Frantz Fanon) together with Christian socialism and the Vatican II.  It seems that the actions of the black South African church were more influencial to this movement and to Black theology than the other way around, although you are right that Chriatian values and the Christian education of many of the leaders is sorely missing from the article. Smmurphy(Talk) 19:56, 3 January 2006 (UTC)

I think it is of vital importance. The BCM is of interest to activist revolutionary movements. Marxists in particular are perplexed by it, since it seemed to be an anti-intellectual movement. I guess it was the KISS principle at work. I don't remember that it was particularly intellectual in its approach, a lot of stuff was done, and it was a full program full of church conferences, but it was simple, the message was simple, communicated via popular culture. I had never heard of Fanon until much later, and seriously doubt whether all but a small segment of the BCM, probably the clergy, were aware of him. His ideas were not discussed, if they were used, it was not attributed to him.

By 1988, Black consciousness was waning as a political force. Its message was internalized by the ANC, which had re-entered domestic politics in a big way via organizations like the UDF, which incorporated many of BCM's leadership.Nigel Gibson published a comprehensive study of the phenonmenon that looked at it from the Marxist perspective and examined the influence of Fanon in detail.

A pdf document dealing with this was published by the Centre of Civil Society in 2002. It can be found here:

Black theology and liberation theology is extremely important, perhaps the most important development in the rise, spread and success of the BCM. I think a whole section should be devoted to it.JohD 00:08, 4 January 2006 (UTC)


 * I agree that it is an oversight that Biko's writings are not in our sources, and I've added a bit from his work to substantiate the discussion of Negritude authors, as well as fleshing out that paragraph to draw a more complete picture of the philisophical basis for BCM. I'm still not sure about the relationship between liberation theology and BCM.  For instance, looking at Chapter 10 of I Write what I Like, Biko reads like a secular existentialist more than a liberation theologist.  To my understanding, Sabelo Stanley Ntwasa and the University Christian Movement were pioneers in Black Theology.  James Cone's landmark book, Black Theology and Black Power, was not released until 1969, at which time Ntwasa had been preaching for some years.  So, although I would say that Ntwasa and other Liberation/Black Theologists were instrumental in helping BCM grow, I disagree that this line of thinking was foundational in BCM's initialization. Smmurphy(Talk) 07:51, 4 January 2006 (UTC)


 * I don't mean to minimize UCM. It should be noted, that Barney Pityana was regional director of the UCM in 1968, and the UCM was able to garner a good deal of funding through Anglican and Methodist sources (notably Nordic, as JohD knows).  I should say that I really don't know much about how far these connections went, nor about Pityana.  I'll keep looking though.  Hopefully my edits on this matter make sence so far.  Smmurphy(Talk) 08:20, 4 January 2006 (UTC)

I don't know that you wrong about this Smmurphy, you are most probably right, but only in the sense of a post BCM ideological analysis. There is a whole lot of material that analyzes the ideological influences on the BCM. But if you went to a BCM meeting then, and someone stood up to discuss 'existentialism' or 'Humanism'; you could be certain of two things:
 * 1. You had no idea what they were talking about.
 * 2. They had no idea what they were talking about.

I think this is important to understand. It was a 'Mass Movement'. There were many important leaders whose most significant speeches consisted entirely of the word 'Amandla!'. The BCM, was communicating with the masses. They did not think of, or relate to, the struggle in terms of Hegelian social theories. Pamphleteering and sloganeering were the preferred tools of communication; poetry, music, and popular plays the refined version of the same.

So when I say that the UCM was the incubator, it is in the sense that they provided the facilities and proved to be the primary early vehicle for growing the movement into a mass movement. If VaticanII is important, it is because it led directly to a situation where young black students were given the run of Church institution facilities. They could utilize Church dormitories to house delegates, use Churches for meetings, and utilize (often European) Church Ministers as cover, as communication conduits, and more frequently as the came under attack from the 'system', as runners. After Vatican II, the churches were amongst the first institutions to adopt a stance of open resistance, and a policy of facilitating it at every opportunity. The Church had developed a new social conscience; the BCM needed a hand - a marriage of convenience. No doubt individuals held to a sincere faith, but the revolution did not Christianize the masses, or the leadership, for that matter. It was co-incidental that many leaders went to Anglican Schools; which were often the only reasonable schooling facilities available. As I remember, Black theology was as good a way as any, to refuse to attend 'Euro centric' church services while at these facilities.

As I said, it is a simple story, and we should not make of it what it was not - an Intellectual strain of some or other great social philosophy. It was a means to an end - to politicize the masses, and a remarkably successful one at that.JohD 11:27, 4 January 2006 (UTC)
 * While I agree that terms such as 'existentialism' and 'humanism' and 'Hegelian social theories' were not genearlly discussed by proponents of the movement, those are terms that people today use to discuss the actions and thoughts of 1960s and 1970s social movements such as the American Indian Movement and the Black Panther Party in America, FRELIMO, PAIGC, the BCM, and the FLN in Africa, Ali Shariati's Islamic utopianism (?) in Iran, etc, etc. Fanon and Cesaire were widely read and hugely influential in all of these circles.  Consider page 55 of Ramphele's 'Accross Boundaries' where she describes Biko's speaking (in the late 1960s), talking completely in secular terms of psychological oppression and where she says "He drew on the expiriences and approaches of the Black Power Movement of the United States for inspiration, as well as Négritude writers such as Frantz Fanon and Aimé Césaire whom he quoted extensively in his speeches and later in his writings".  This is exactly what is discussed in the philosophical sections of the article, and those involved did know what they were talking about.  As I said before, I am not sure about the UCM (or Student Christian Movement (SCM) as mentioned in Ramphele's book) involvement. Smmurphy(Talk) 18:52, 4 January 2006 (UTC)

I agree that Fanon & Cesaire were enormously influential with the Black Elite in Africa during the 1960's & 1970's. I just wanted to point out that this was not an intellectual movement. Steve Biko himself was not an intellectual, although ernormously intelligent and a brilliant leader. I believe this became apparent later, when they failed to capitalize on their popularity after the Soweto riots. They had achieved their primary goal, but forfeited their rightfull place in the post Apartheid political structure. Ramphele herself was an action Gal, and results orientated. I think this subject deserves to be dealt with in a separate section that analyzes the movement and its ideological underpinnings. Clearly Steve drew on the work of Fanon to formulate his strategies, and his work undoubtedly was discussed, particularly during the formative period, but homegrown experience, the Sharepeville massacres, the experience of the early student body in the Pan Africanist Congress were overwhelmingly more influential. In order words, practical experience. It is my opinion that the BCM would have emerged if Fanon had not written a syllable. His work was not widely available in South Africa at the time, and Black Nationalist literature was banned. In order to find out what was happening elsewhere in Africa, you had to read between the lines of news reports, and there was not a lot of that. People sometimes forget this important fact. There was not a healthy exchange of ideas with the rest of the world as the government was for all practical purposes totalitarian.

Don't get upset with my imagery, it was only intended to convey a sense of the environment existing at the time. Some people may have been aware of Black philosophers and might also have drawn on their work extensively, but it was isolated and restricted to a few individuals. In many respects Steve and his colleagues only lit the fuse, and stood back as people took the initiative. The movement itself was led by grasroots activists, working with rudimentary ideological tools. The movement as a whole was extremely decentralized, with a simple objective, to break the chains around the minds of the Black man. The message was simple and had as its basis a constructed truism; "I am as good as you are, in many respects better. You have no right to treat me this way." That this is pure Fanon is undeniable, but nevertheless incidental. I am sure you can find material that emphasizes the influence of Fanon, but it is overstated IMV.

I was a decade too late to be privy to the early utilization of the UCM as a vehicle for propagating Black Consciousness. But even in the mid-1970's, they were providing the bulk of the financial muscle; printing facilities and conference facilities through the Raven Press. Many of the banned leaders were receiving financial assistance directly from the South African Council of Churches via the UCM. The Black Peoples convention was an affiliate of the Christian Institute of South Africa. I am happy to defer to your research on this matter, as I don't have a lot of time to confirm everything.(Search 'The Chrustian Institute' & BCM - it should provide material that discusses the relationship and UCM)JohD 00:28, 5 January 2006 (UTC)

Bigger than South Africa
Black consciousness has to include more than just AZAPO and allied movements, important though they are to the history of SA. You have to go back to the 1940's and talk about Aime Cesaire, Leopold Sedar Senghor, Jean Price Mars, Marcus Garvey, and a host of other folks who were building black consciousness around the world. Their ideas attracted Biko and his comrades to the movement in the 1960's. Maybe there could be two articles, one on AZAPO and the BCM in SA and another on Black Consciousness internationally. I notice that there's no entry for "noirisme" -- though to use this would implicitly ignore the Garveyites.

Stewart King —Preceding unsigned comment added by Stewart king (talk • contribs) 00:17, 20 February 2008 (UTC)

Progressing the article
It appears there have been longstanding issues with this page that have not been addressed. Certainly there are a couple of paragraphs in the lead that aren't sourced and need to be. I am proposing that this article be stripped back to verified facts, and then developed over time. Is there anyone interested in working on this with me, if so please leave a message on my talk page. ''' Flat Out   let's discuss it   00:24, 27 May 2013 (UTC)

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The nature of black consciousness
The aims of black conscious movement 41.115.11.135 (talk) 12:49, 9 April 2022 (UTC)

History p2
May you please help me with the essay of black consiousness movement. 41.13.176.181 (talk) 19:21, 18 November 2021 (UTC)


 * essay 102.249.2.68 (talk) 22:04, 6 April 2023 (UTC)
 * May you please help me with the essay of BCM 41.150.212.189 (talk) 15:33, 16 May 2023 (UTC)

Township political violence in the 1980s
The article seems to gloss over or skip the violent rivalries that existed between the UDF and Azapo. For example, Abu Asvat and Albertina Sisulu were notable for working together to treat victims of this violence, despite their own differing political philosophies. Park3r (talk) 02:15, 13 September 2023 (UTC)


 * I added a sentence about this violence. Park3r (talk) 02:27, 13 September 2023 (UTC)