Cry Freedom

The story based on real events begins with two individuals living on the same land yet who lived in two different worlds. The first being Donald Woods a white liberal and editor who gets the best out of the Apartheid regime. This was an almost perfect world with clean streets, beautiful beaches and luxury cars to name a few, but this is just a face that disguises the true nature of South Africa and the separation, discrimination and prejudices. Donald sees these imperfections yet believes that the liberals are actually doing good towards the blacks as they are somewhat integrated into their society as opposed to living in squalor on the outskirts of town, where few whites other than enforcement venture. However obvious the situation may be to South Africans let alone the world, Donald Woods and many white South Africans within that time justified that any stand against the integration of blacks was seen as a racist notion of not wanting to be part of society. This contradiction in belief and fact is known a cognitive dissonance, this is where individuals will change beliefs, attitudes or actions to relieve tension between two contradicting ideas. This leads to such justifications that much of the history of South Africa was created by the whites and the belief they are the saviours of the land as they prevent such things as tribal wars and have now created a society in which they thrive.

This brings us to Steve Biko’s world. He is part of the Black Consciousness which stands against the regime as it does not truly support a free South Africa. These worlds are not just separated by beliefs but the laws and regulations that support the “white man’s world”, a world where blacks are made to feel inferior. The inferiority comes through working cheap labour then leaving the “white man’s streets” at designated times and forced back out to the crime infested shanty towns where they linger in hopes of a chance to survive. Some face the same sort of dissonance as Biko put it “the genius of it is that you started convince most of us of it to”, referring to the white man’s South Africa. Everything taught is done through the white curriculum with lack of emphasis on many important black figures that were considered federal offenders such as Nelson Mandela. Even the language taught was that of the white population. This is why many feel inferior as they had to grow up in this world that contradicts the freedom it portrays.

It is not all black and white however, as many individuals such as Donald Woods came to realize that this should indeed not be tolerated, even to the extent of putting his and his family’s lives in danger. Steve Biko showed Donald the way he saw South Africa, not just with all the poverty and atrocities but also the people and the drive they had against the system that so clearly puts them down, the love they hold for one another and respect to those who want to better South Africa not just for one race but for everyone, even with all the resentment. After Biko’s murder Donald comes to the consensus that he must do whatever is in his power to do what he can to put a stop to apartheid, this is when Donald truly understands what it is like to be in Biko’s situation. Although Donald was able to publish his book, it took a lot more than just their words to open the world’s eyes to this travesty that happened in such recent years.

Tagged: apartheid regime, steve biko