The Canonisation of Steve Biko

Sanya Osha

As we all know Steve Biko waged a very important struggle; a struggle for liberation, identity, representation and dignity. He embarked upon a grim struggle in equally grim times. Yet, Biko was not an entirely humourless individual.

He was a hero who ended up being celebrated in films and countless volumes in virtually all parts of the world. He has become an uncontested icon of freedom and resistance with an added touch of romance. Ultimately, Biko’s standing in the long history of black civil rights struggles and black empowerment is situated along the line that begins with W.E.B. Dubois, Marcus Garvey, Kwame Nkrumah and runs down to the heroes of the Black Panthers’ Party of the United States. Biko’s political legacy shares antecedents with those of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X. In other words, Biko’s significance is not limited to the shores of his native South Africa. Indeed, it is intimately linked to the global story of black emancipation everywhere both on the continent of Africa and in the diaspora. It is also linked to the history of the enslavement of the black race. Furthermore, his significance exceeds the limits of race and its bitterly divisive politics. His accomplishment- does it need to be said again- is a re-affirmation of the universality of humankind. In this sense, Biko’s importance is not limited to the great feat of the South African liberation. Indeed, Biko is even more interesting for the incredible range of possibilities we can draw for what he stood for. Under his guiding light, we can find new meaning for terms such as religion, sisterhood and brotherhood, sacrifice, universalism and so on.

In a way, Steve Biko stands closer to Martin Luther King Jr. than to Malcolm X. Indeed Biko was every bit as radical as the latter, every bit as vehement in his condemnation of racial inequality and injustice. Nonetheless, he possesses the saintliness of the former. Biko’s persona is a complex amalgamation of the qualities of both Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. The fact that he died young- about thirty years of age- obviously adds more to his ever-growing allure. Jesus Christ we would recall died at thirty-three and Bob Marley died at the age thirty-six. The aura of saintliness among humankind is very rare especially in these most unheroic of times. It appears it is not enough to possess a special endowment of saintliness, it is also necessary to have the breath of humanity at large showered upon a potential saint. Just as a saint anoints us with his/her special gifts, we must also be prepared to return the blessings. Biko anointed us his presence and generosity and we in return are acknowledging them with mass acceptance.

The quality of saintliness is hard to find as one must stress repeatedly. There are many heroes of the hard and long war against apartheid. Many fought hard and honestly. Many died gallantly and yet it is Biko that humanity has chosen as the ultimate symbol of resistance to racial injustice in apartheid South Africa. Biko paid the ultimate price for his commitment to social justice. Unquestionably, Nelson Mandela too has a whiff of saintliness about his person. The fact he voluntarily relinquished political power unlike his power-hungry brothers all over the continent of Africa has moved him even closer to the pantheon of the saints. However, he has been robbed of the final seal of deification by his longevity. The beauty of a young dead body is usually a gift from the gods. Mandela, through the stubborn persistence of his genes and good fortune might not be the foremost saint of the South African liberation struggle. Instead he has become the world’s best loved elder statesman. Biko on the other hand, joins Che Guevera as one of the global icons of struggle and resistance. He has been bestowed by humanity with the quality of saintliness.

Once we descend from that elevated plane of perception, we have to return to the murk, drabness and violence of the world Biko left behind. As I mentioned, Biko’s struggle looked beyond merely overcoming the evil of racial injustice and segregation. There was also a broader quest for universal togetherness, there was a continuation of Martin Luther King’s dream through a similar set of values.

And how have we the products of Biko dream fared since the political miracle of 1994? The difference between those who are anointed and those who are not could not be clearer. It is clear that many have equated Biko’s dream of emancipation with the dividends to be received from policies of black economic empowerment. The party has begun and we are enjoined to wriggle our waists until the end of time. It is obvious that Biko’s vision travels far more than we can see or understand. True, we cannot all be saints or possess the searing far-sightedness of Biko. Biko’s dream requires a tremendous amount of work to be realised. The paths to the dream are littered with thick forests and innumerable obstacles. And we do not all have to be visionary to reach the limits of the dream. What is simply required is consistent back-breaking work. We require quiet ceaseless toil to enter the ambience of Biko’s rainbow. Some see the necessity of the task required and work silently towards attaining the desired goal. Many others are blinded by the distractions along the paths and simply do not have the foresight to see beyond immediate concerns. Steve Biko has offered us a dream of universal significance. It is now up to us to work towards the fulfilment of that dream. It is also a gift we cannot afford to throw away.

In many ways, Biko is unique among African icons. He appears to be the least sullied. Kwame Nkrumah was ousted from power and got muddied by the grime of everyday politics. Amilcar Cabral, although saintly, appears a trifle distant. Thomas Sankara, cut quite a revolutionary figure but it is difficult to pin him down to an enduring virtue. He ran a military junta and this is not compatible with universal democratic ideals. What can we say he was up against? Militarism? Social and economic injustice? Dictatorship? It is not quite clear. True, he is a romantic figure but his appeal is limited to Africans dispossessed by dictatorial regimes and irregular modes of modern governance of which he himself was a product. And then there is Biko, unsullied by the murk of partisan politics as he proclaimed his vision human unity out of the very heart of generalised strife and violence. Fortunately, his hope for a truly democratic republic of South Africa was realised in 1994. And with that political miracle, the canonisation of Steve Biko was attained.