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Soweto: 16th June 1976
On June 1976 in Johannesburg, South Africa thousands of students and adults marched in protest that their education would have to be in Afrikaans, rather than English. At one point police opened fire into a march of students and in the events that followed 566 people lost their lives - (many figures have been given from about 90 (SA police figures) to over 500 people killed). The Archive has, of course, no film from 1976, but there are many news items from throughout the century about the events leading up to apartheid in South Africa.
Apartheid, which literally means "apart-hood" in Afrikaans, was a system of racial segregation that was enforced in South Africa from 1948 to 1991.
The South African Government decided to enforce Afrikaans as the language of education which caused widespread concern and led to peaceful protests. On 16th June older school students from two schools set out to join up with those from a third, Orlando High. It was at this point that they were confronted by armed South African police. They began singing and then tear gas and bullets were fired by the police.
View video
The original news report is on streamed video in BBC on this day, 16th June 1976 .
Read background
What led to the Soweto "riots"? BBC background article.
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Hector Peterson
This famous photograph was taken by a black photographer, Sam Nzima at the height of the Soweto "riots". It shows a young boy Hector Peterson (sometimes spelled 'Pieterson') being carried to hospital by Mbuyisa Makhubo, with his sister Antoinette Peterson running alongside. Hector Peterson died of his wounds and there is now a musuem in his honour where his sister works as a tour guide. Both the photographer and the man carrying the boy had to hide/leave the country to avoid harrassment from the police. The black newspaper Sam Nzima worked for, The World, which was closed down by the police shortly after the Soweto incidents.
"I SAW a child fall down. Under a shower of bullets I rushed forward and went for the picture. It had been a peaceful march, the children were told to disperse, they started singing Nkosi Sikelele. The police were ordered to shoot." Sam Nzima
"To me and my family, Hector did not die in vain," Read Antoinette's and other witness accounts of the events.
The copyright for the photographs resides with Sam Nzima. It is used here in a low resolution format to illustrate this article for education, non-commercial use. More details at Wikipedia; and a discussion about the image.
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Antoinette Sithole interview: the Guardian podcast
:: PODCAST... Listen to the Antoinette Sithole Guardian podcast. (this is a download stream so it may take a minute of more before you see/hear anything...be patient...one click is enough...it's really well worth the wait...)
Listen to Antionette Sithole's account of the events that brought about "the ending of apartheid". She discusses how she responds to the famous photograph today and how she copes with the event it depicts. The podcast is a 24 minute interview with the photo-journalist Gideon Mendel.
:: Read the original Guardian article 'The Long March to Freedom' by Gideon Mendel
:: Read about South Africa; Guardian Special Report on South Africa
:: See other photographs by Gideon Mendel
:: Gideon Mendel's essay about reporting on HIV and AIDS The Digital Journalist
photo: Gideon Mendel, Guardian, 14th June 2006. Antionette Sithole beside her own image in Nizima's photograph. This enlarged version of the photograph stands alongside Hector's memorial.
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Remembering 16th June...
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US senator visits Soweto museum: 24th August 2006
Barack Obama, a senator for Chicago, USA, whose father came from Kenya, talks about the influence of South Africa and Soweto on his life. He tours the Hector Peterson musuem and meets Antoinette, Hector's sister. We see them visit the memorial to Hector. This is a video report from NBC5 Chicago Listen and watch the video. Takes a few seconds to download into your viewer...be patient! ...it's worth the wait...
:: US embassy News Story
:: Associated Press article in Examiner
:: Sun Times report Obama's tour of South Africa including slide show of Soweto images.
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Soweto: the name.
William Carr, chair of non-European affairs, initiated the naming of Soweto in 1959. He called for a competition to give a collective name to townships dotted around the South-west of Johannesburg. The people responded to this competition with great enthusiasm. Among the names suggested to the City Council was KwaMpanza, meaning Mpanza's place, revoking the name of Mpanza and his role in bringing the plight of Orlando sub tenants to the attention of the City Council.
The City Council settled for the acronym SOWETO meaning South West Townships. The name Soweto was first used in 1963 and within a short period of time, following the 1976 uprising of students in the township, the name became internationally known. It increasingly came to be associated with resistance against apartheid and the unimaginable depth of police brutality.
From South African History Online: http://www.sahistory.org.za/ The text from SA History Online is usable for education; but not the images which are from a variety of sources.
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Listen to 'Nkosi Sikelele'
Sikelel' iAfrika (God Bless Africa) is a hymn, originally, in the Xhosa language. Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika
Since 1997 Nkosi Sikelele has been the South African national anthem, and uses 5 of the 12 languages of South Africa in it's lyrics. S.A. National Anthem
Best page on the history and development of the song is the ANC Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika article with link to streamed audio file...which is OK to download - just "save target as".
Listen on the web...
MP3. Good acapella version of the song; Russian site, downloadable MP3 BUT copyright not clear.
Wav. Quick loading streamed version on wav file from Polity Org
Flash. Interesting page of Flash sound clips of various South African languages and animal sounds.
Listen here.
Click the go arrowhead twice...
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What's in the Archive?
British Pathe finished in 1970 so there is no footage of the "Soweto riots" of 1976. There are a considerable number of films about South Africa and Johannesburg that provide background to life in South Africa and some of the events leading up to Soweto - the issue of aparthied, the attempted assasination of the South African president Dr Verwoed and South Africa leaving the Commonwealth in 1961.
We have selected about 20 film items; though there are many more about sporting events and royal vists and the South African region.
NB: The descriptions of the news films are taken from the Archive records and often record the attitudes and language of the time they were written and/or the film was made.
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'Black Sash' protestors demonstrating in South Africa in 1960.
The Black Sash Society, formerly the Women's Defense of the Constitution League, was organized in 1955 to "maintain a bridge of sympathy and understanding between the various racial groups in the country, ... to mitigate the inhuman effects of the implementation of Apartheid" and "to keep alive a spirit of dissent."
Black Sash website
See Archive films 2850.03 (1957) and 3020.04 (1961)]
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Hear 1955 report on "race problems"...
A 1955 British Pathe news film commentary describes the issue of race in South Africa and a protest by a mixed race organsiation. See the film: Race Problem Film ID 555.12.
Click the go arrowhead twice.
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The Freedom Charter
The Freedom Charter was adopted at the Congress of the People, Kliptown, on 26 June 1955.
:: Read The Freedom Charter which begins with the words:
"We, the People of South Africa, declare for all our country and the world to know..."
:: Excellent set of resources about the Freedom Charter - its history and meaning today - in the form of three newspaper-style pdf files - just right for school use. Download from the Gauteng Regional Government website. Choose 'Publications' and then 'Freedom Charter'.
:: Read a witness's memory of the event on the ANC website, I was there
:: Kliptown is one of the townships that make up Soweto. Map and list of the Soweto townships at Wikipedia
:: Gauteng is the region of South Africa which includes Soweto and Johannesburg. Choose 'About Gauteng' from the GPG website
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Archive films
To see the films go to www.britishpathe.com and enter the Film ID number given in bold below into the box top right of the Advanced search page.
:: Historical overview
50 YEARS OF UNION 06/06/1960 1682.09
A look back at 50 years of the Union of South Africa
:: 1922, Industrial unrest
RIOTS ON THE RAND 16/03/1922 260.22
Shots of industrial unrest in Johannesburg - police on horses ride into a crowd
:: 1926, Progress
CELEBRATION (JOHANNESBURG) 21/10/1926 646.13
Historical pageant to celebrate 40 years of progress in South Africa
:: 1926/7, Cultures meet
NATIVE WAR DANCE (long version) 18/03/1926 458.24
Anna Pavlova - very, famous ballet dancer - visits South Africa and is entertained with a traditional dance display
WOOP WOW ZONG ZOO 18/04/1927 676.35
Zulu dance and display in Johannesburg
:: 1937, Slum Clearance and Soap Box Derby
SLUM CLEARANCE IN JOHANNESBURG 14/10/1937 939.30
Impoverished black township - Prospect Town - cleared to make way for railway goods yard
:: SOAP BOX DERBY (aka SOUTH AFRICA) 09/12/1937 945.05
Boys' soapbox car Derby in South Africa with separate race for black competitors.
:: 1939/40, Dancing and Policing
JITTERBUGS 07/09/1939 1278.15
Very good item showing young couples jitterbugging on stage in Johannesburg, South Africa
BLACK POLICE (aka NATIVE TRAFFIC COPS) (issue title is BELIEVE IT OR NOT) 04/04/1940 1288.05
Black policemen trained to control traffic in all-black areas of Johannesburg.
POLICE! 04/12/1939 1194.27
A look at the new emergency telephone boxes with a direct line to the police in South Africa.
::BLACK POLICE (aka NATIVE TRAFFIC COPS) (issue title is BELIEVE IT OR NOT) 04/04/1940 1288.05
Black policemen trained to control traffic in all-black areas of Johannesburg.
:: 1940, Johannesburg market
SA MARKET (aka BANTU MARKET) (issue title - PEEP SHOW) 29/02/1940 1286.07
A look at the traditional Bantu market in Johannesburg, South Africa.
:: 1940 Boxing
UNDER QUEENSBERRY RULES! 08/02/1940 1035.14
Boxing bout in segregated South Africa
:: 1943 Indian quarter in Durban
INDIANS IN DURBAN (issue title is COME THE THREE CORNERS) 22/02/1943 1558.18 Travelogue item showing Indian quarter of Durban where Asian South Africans live.
:: Mining
MINING AT JOHANNESBURG FOR GOLD AND URANIUM 2570.19
Miners at work drilling, gold bar being weighed, machinery which drains the ore.
:: 1955, Trevor Huddleston
STAY WITH US, FATHER 21/11/1955 551.09
Father Huddleston, fierce opponent of South Africa's apartheid policy is recalled to England. Footage includes 'his' swimming pool in Orlando, the only opportunity for black people. The film ends with him walking alongside Alan Paton, author of "Cry, the Beloved Country".
:: 1955, Issues
RACE PROBLEM 03/11/1955 555.12
South African Apartheid enrages both black and white - but not much is done about it.
:: 1957, Black sash
BLACK SASH IN ACTION AGAIN 1957 2850.03
Black Sash women rally in Johannesburg, South Africa.
:: 1960, Attempted Assiasination of Verwoed
ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION OF DR. VERWOERD 1960 2952.06
Dr. Verwoerd on floor holding his head with blood pouring down his face
:: 1960,South Africa votes.
SOUTH AFRICA VOTES REPUBLICAN 13/10/1960 1720.26
South Africans vote yes to becoming a Republic. Who voted?
:: Huddleston Returns
HUDDLESTON GOES BACK 12/09/1960 1706.22 SOUND
Footage of Father Huddleston boarding a liner to return him to Africa.
:: 1961, Shrapeville Massacre.
NEWS OF THE DAY "REVIEW OF THE YEAR" 01/09/1961,3002.09
Includes report of Sharpeville massacre.
:: 1961, Sectretary General of UN flies to South Africa.
PRETORIA - DAG SEES VERWOERD 12/01/1961 706.02
Dag Hammerskjold arrives in Pretoria to see Verwoerd. South Africa. Crowds hold upprotest notices.
:: 1961, South Africa withdraws from the Commonwealth
DR. VERWOERD ARRIVES HOME & ANTI-APARTHEID DEMONSTRATIONS 1961 3020.04
Anti-apartheid protest before Verwoerd announces S. Africa's withdrawal from Commonwealth
:: 1962,Commonwealth discusses South Africa in London
MINISTERS ARRIVE AT LANCASTER HOUSE 1962 2657.07
Commonwealth Ministers arriving to Lancaster House, London, for the talks...protestors with sashes.
:: 1962, visitors to Africa
MAPOCH VILLAGE (aka MADOCK VILLAGE) 11/06/1962 185.06
Disturbing piece of film depicting three air hostesses visiting a native village in South Africa.
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Hear 1960 news report...
Audio clip of commentary from British Pathe news item 50 Years of Union made in 1960 about economics and apartheid in South Africa. It mentions reactions to the pass laws and the clip finishes with the voice of the South African Prime Minister Dr Verwoerd speaking just before he was shot...see Film ID 1682.09
Click the go arrowhead twice...
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Soweto today and tomorrow...
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Soweto Rising!
Soweto Rising! is a short documentary about the heritage and development of Soweto. It was made by Hanson Hosein with music by Hyshi Kantarxhiu in 2006 through the video collective Turn Here
In response to our questions Hanson Hosein explains, "Soweto Rising was a quick flash of inspiration while we were in southern Africa shooting ... working on a completely unrelated project. There was little time for sightseeing, but I knew that if I were to take one day off to visit one place in the region, it had to be Soweto. To me, it's not just a symbol of resistance to Apartheid. Its growing prosperity is also testimony to how the black majority has navigated the transition from repression to reconciliation. It was great that we had the chance to shoot this short, point-of-view film for Turnhere.com's worldwide audience."
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'Soweto Rising!'
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To download a copy of Soweto Rising! for personal, non-commercial and non-editing use in the classroom as an MP4 file go to the TurnHere website - Soweto Rising! ....digital magic...
Hanson Hosein is a well-known broadcaster working out of the USA with coverage of major events including The Middle East. His website Hanson Hosein and Heather Hughes Media: has info on his work, video clips of reports and an interesting take on the Digital Revolution under a Creative Commons 'Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0' licence.
There is also a second film by Hosein about the big five animals of the safari parks - elephant, rhino, leopard, lion and buffalo; Safari Park Animals- direct link on Turn Here.
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New developments...
Source:"Gilo Maguma, 40, was also involved in the protests, and is now unemployed. "We are not liberated yet - we are still confined to 13% of the country," he said in reference to the fact that white people still own most of South Africa's land. Black people earn peanuts. 16 June was important because it opened many doors - we do feel liberated spiritually but physically we are not liberated yet."
See BBC news report
Source: Government development plans: Hector Peterson Square
Source: A visitor reports. a personnal view
Source: detailed discussion on development in Johnannesburg - interesting repsonses at the end...start there...
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Tsotsi: the film, UK, March 2004
Tsotsi is an award winning feature film set "amidst the sprawling Johannesburg township of Soweto", it traces six days in the life of "a ruthless young gang leader, Tsotsi, who ends up caring for a baby accidentally kidnapped during a car-jacking". Read the director's acceptance speech at the Oscars; "We [ the English speaking film industry] may have foreign language films, but our stories are the same as your stories. They're about the human heart and emotion"
Tsotsi, the official film website http://www.tsotsi.com/english/index.php?m1=film
View the trailer from i-film at www.ifilm.com
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Tstosi: view the trailer
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Soweto gospel choir: January 2006
Check out the latest sensation in gospel music: The Soweto Gospel Choir performing native South African songs from their new CD, 'Blessed'. Listen and Look: video link It's an MSN link so there'll be a few seconds of annoying adverts before the news item - well worth the wait though!
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Movin' on: the thirty year anniversary: June 2006.
It is 30 years since the Soweto uprising, when black children rebelled against the white government's education policy. News item by BBC reporter Orla Guerin contrasts the new middle classes of Soweto with their "brothers in poverty, suffering from violence and aids. Duration: 03:17 mins BBC News item It will take 10 plus seconds to download to your viewer.
See also BBC report.
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Buhle goes to school: 21st August 2006
Bhule Zulu lives in Soweto. Today she found out that she is one of the 73 girls who have been selected to attend the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in Meyerton, south of Johannesburg. It's like I am day dreaming." (the school) "is my tomorrow." The £15 million pound school will eventually have 450 students.
See
:: Oprah's website story.
:: Pretoria News.
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David Cameron on Soweto: 27th August 2006
"In Soweto, one of the most visible symbols of apartheid's cruelty is the power station. It was built in the centre of the black township to protect the white population of Johannesburg from pollution, but the people of Soweto were not allowed to use the electricity that it generated. (You can see the power station's cooling towers, now decorated with huge murals, at the beginning of the 'Soweto Rising!' film).
"Despite such an injustice, the remarkable thing about South Africa is how the move black majority rule has been achieved with such stability. Mu overwhelming impression from visiting the Hector Pieterson museum in Soweto is not how violent the armed struggle or Soweto uprisings were, but how restrained."
From an article written by David Cameron, leader of the opposition in the UK, for 'The Observer'; 27th August 2006. Cameron had visited South Africa and in this statement repudiated earlier Conservative party attitudes and policy to the 'anti-apartheid' movements in South Africa and Great Britain.
See
:: SFGATE article
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Tupac ashes for Soweto: September 2006
The ashes of the American rapper Tupac Shakur are to be buried in Soweto next week on the 10th anniversary of his murder at the height of the US "rap wars". Read Guardian news item His mother said "Events that happened (in Soweto) are so much a part of our history and it will be an honour for my son to rest in this special place."
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... people called Soweto
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Links to sources about Soweto...
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Links to sources about the Sharpeville Massacre: 1960
The Sharpeville Massacre took place on 21st March 1960 in the town of Sharpeville (in the Gauteng province, the same as Soweto) when police fired on demonstrators killing 67 people and injuring 180 more. The people were demonstrating against the pass laws pass laws, which required all blacks to carry pass books or "dompas" at all times. See Film 3002.09
Start here at the Sharpeville website or the Wikipedia summary.
From ANC two longer texts... ANC Reeves text and ANC Sibeko text.
Rebirth South African art http://www.rebirth.co.za/apartheid_sharpeville_massacre.htm,Sharpeville
People after the shootings in Sharpville, 1966. Film 3002.09.
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Update info on Mandela film clips from BBC Creative Archive..
The links to the Mandela Released! embedded videos from the BBC were disabled when their Creative Archive database was closed at the end of the year long pilot pending the Public Value Test of the service. This just effects the BBC's part of the Creative Archive...not the BFI, TTV and OU bits.] Let's hope the PVT is successful and they return soon. posted 12th October 2006
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Looking at the Hector Peterson photograph
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