In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

Reviewed by:
  • Biko Lives! Contesting the Legacies of Steve Biko
  • Mueni wa Muiu
Andile Mngxitama, Amanda Alexander, and Nigel C. Gibson, eds. Biko Lives! Contesting the Legacies of Steve Biko. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008. x + 283 pp. Notes. Bibliography. Index. $27.95. Paper

"From my point of view it's good BC [the Black Consciousness Movement] has been written out of the struggle. Because if it was written in then we're part of the problem. Now we're still part of the solution" (274). Just when some thought that neoliberalism had triumphed as an ideology in South Africa here comes a Trojan horse—a volume on the continuing relevance of the Black Consciousness Movement and Steve Biko! The contributors to this volume provide insight into the BC movement by discussing its philosophy, contested history, and intellectual trajectories, as well as assessing the movement as a form of cultural critique and as a commentary on the politics of gender. In so doing they demonstrate how the ANC has taken over the term "black" without providing for the needs of the people. The contributors also show how Biko's name has been used by capital (tee shirts that cost as much as 300 Rand, almost $37).They also reveal the attacks leveled against BC by the state and by corporations, using all means possible. In spite of the onslaught BC continues to thrive, though on the margins.

This volume also reveals some "rare gems," as the reader is exposed to Biko's last words in his interview with Gail Gerhart. The interview by Amanda Alexander and Andile Mngxitama with Deborah Matshoba demonstrates how BC incorporated women into the struggle, illustrates BC's attempt to decolonize African culture by teaching women to be proud of who they are, and chronicles the struggle to present "blacks" as a shared category rather than as a collection of diverse ethnic groups. Naomi Klein, Ashwin Desai, and Avi Lewis's interview with Strini Moodley—who refused to join the neoliberalism train—provides insight into his thoughts and principled beliefs. These interviews reveal the conditions and challenges that confronted the BC movement, as well as its triumphs. [End Page 214]

In general this is a welcome volume which will contribute to a further understanding of BC and Steve Biko. In addition to the remarkable interviews mentioned above, part 3 ("Cultural Critique and the Politics of Gender") as a whole makes this volume worth reading. Mphutlane wa Bofelo gives us an excellent analysis of the influences of BC in poetry. He also shows how poetry has been used in postapartheid South Africa to serve the goals of capitalism, and he outlines the misuse of Biko's name—by those who claim him but not his message. Andries Oliphant also provides insight into Biko's conception of African culture—and how Biko believed that in spite of the colonial encounter there were basic values in African culture that centered on the community. Yet culture was never fixed; it changed to reflect the different influences. Throughout, these interviews show that one of the strengths of the BC movement was the way it encouraged people to reject everyday dehumanization through silent acts of rebellion, therefore challenging apartheid.

By all standards this is an excellent volume that makes students of South Africa (and the rest of Africa) aware of how much more work needs to be done before the majority of the people have access to basic needs such as health, food, and shelter. It helps remind us that it is not "normal" to be poor. After all, as Biko said, "in the beginning is the scream. We scream. When we write or when we read, it is easy to forget that the beginning is not the word, but the scream. Faced with the mutilation of human lives by capitalism, a scream of sadness, a scream of horror, a scream of anger, a scream of refusal: NO" (242). [End Page 215]

Mueni wa Muiu
Winston Salem State University
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
...

pdf

Share