anarchism
Double Issue 5/6 of Tokologo, the Newsletter of the TAAC, now available
Click above picture to download combined Issue #5/6 of Tokologo,
the Newsletter of the Tokologo African Anarchist Collective
Editorial:
- Anarchism and the Continuing Struggle for Women’s Freedom by Bongani Maponyane (TAAC, ZACF)
- No Illusions: 2016 Elections no Solution for the Masses by Warren McGregor (ZACF, TAAC)
- Attacks on Foreigners: Only the Ruling Class Benefits by Siyabulela Hulu-Hulu (TAAC, ZACF)
- Dear Mama: Poetry against the Anti-Foreigner Attacks in Grahamstown, 2015 by Leroy Maisiri (ZACF)
For a New Africa: Special Section:
- Yini i-Anarcho-Syndicalism?
- To Cure Africa’s Heart-Rending Misery, we Need Working Class/Peasant Counter-Power, Anarchism. Contributors: Bongani, Dikeledi, Khayalethu, Lucky, Mzee, Nkululeko, Nonzwakazi, Nonzukiso, Siya, Warren
- “Seek Ye First the Political Kingdom”? Learning from Kwame Nkrumah’s Failures in Ghana. Contributors: Lucky, Mthambeki, Nkululeko, Nonzukiso, Pitso, Sixoka, Warren
- How Imperialism and Postcolonial Elites have Plundered Africa: And the Class Struggle, Anarchist-Communist Solution by Lucien van der Walt
TAAC Statements:
- The Struggle of the Working Class Can’t Be Ended Unless We Radically Change Society
- Umzabalazo wenqanaba labantu ayina kususwa ngaphandle kokunyanzela endlela yenqcinga zenguquko kompakathi
- Bill Andrews and South Africa’s Revolutionary Syndicalists by Lucien van der Walt
The Anarchist Road To Revolution
by Bongani Maponyane (ZACF)
We, anarchists, are committed to building a society based on self-management and equality. We identify with the analyses and experiences of Mikhail Bakunin, who stated the need for freedom beyond the limited confines of “democracy” – where you are only free to vote on who is next to govern you. Bakunin argued that freedom comes responsibility: this included responsibility to others in the maintenance of this freedom. We need a society based on these principles; an anarchist society which expects from each according to their ability, and provides to each according to their needs.
Zabalaza #14 (August 2015)
Zabalaza #14
[Download the PDF here]
Contents:
Southern Africa
- South Africa and the DRC: Has Rhodes passed on the baton? by Shawn Hattingh (ZACF)
- Class Rule Must Fall! More Statues, More Working Class by Leroy Maisiri
- For How Long can South African Elites Keep Misleading the People? by Philip Nyalungu
- SPEECH: Working Class Struggle, Blazing a Path to Freedom by Lucien van der Walt
- The General Approach of Anarchists/Syndicalists to the United Front and NUMSA by Jakes Factoria and Tina Sizovuka
International
- In the Rubble of US Imperialism: The PKK, YPG and the Islamic State by Shawn Hattingh (ZACF)
- The State of Climate Change by Bongani Maponyane (ZACF)
- Building a Mass Anarchist Movement: The Example of Spain’s CNT by Thabang Sefalafala and Lucien van der Walt
- Imperial Wars, Imperialism and the Losers: A Critique of Certain ‘Labour Aristocracy’ Theories by Lucien van der Walt
Black Stars of Anarchism
- Domingos Passos: The Brazilian Bakunin by Renato Ramos and Alexandre Samis
Book Review
- Review: Spanish Revolution Remembered: Peirats’ “The CNT in the Spanish Revolution” by Jakes Factoria
Theory
- The Anarchist Road to Revolution by Bongani Maponyane (ZACF)
- Putting Politics into Practice: The Importance of Democracy and Education in Unions by Pitso Mompe (ZACF)
Counter-Culture
- Anarchism and Counter-Culture: The Centrality of Ideas by Warren McGregor (ZACF)
Regular:
Building a mass anarchist movement: the example of Spain’s CNT
Thabang Sefalala* and Lucien van der Walt (ZACF)
The ideas of anarchism have often been misunderstood, or sidelined. A proliferation of studies, such as Knowles’ Political Economy from Below, Peirats’ Anarchists in the Spanish Revolution, and others, have aimed to address this problem – and also to show that anarchism can never be limited to an ideology merely to keep professors and students busy in debating societies.
Anarchists have been labeled “utopians” or regarded as catalysts of chaos and violence, as at the protests in Seattle, 1999, against the World Trade Organization. However, anarchism has a constructive core and an important history as a mass movement – including in its syndicalist (trade union) form. It rejects the authoritarianism and totalitarianism often associated with Marxist regimes, and seeks to present a living alternative to classical Marxism, social democracy and the current neo-liberal hegemonic order. It rejects both the versions of Marxism that have justified massive repression, and the more cautious versions, like that of Desai in his book Marx’s Revenge, which claim that a prolonged capitalist stage – with all its horrors – remains essential before socialism can be attempted. It rejects the ideas that exploitation and oppression are “historical necessities” for historical progress.
Zabalaza #14 Editorial: Where to, South Africa? Anarchist-Communist Reflections
by Tina Zisovuka (ZACF)
In 2013, Zabalaza/ ZACF took a decision to redirect our energies into certain aspects of our work that we felt were more urgent and immediately important at the time, given the challenges and conditions we were facing. The bad news is that this decision took its toll on our publishing work, which partly explains the long gap (over two years) between issues of our journal. The good news is that this reorientation has paid off elsewhere: hiccups notwithstanding, over the past two years our militants have participated in various new initiatives in and around Johannesburg, where we have witnessed a renewed and growing interest in anarchism. The inclusion of several new names in this issue is a much-welcomed reflection of these changes.
Over the past two years, there have been many important developments that deserve special consideration. We have tried to include our own, anarchist, appraisals of these where possible, although in some respects we have fallen unavoidably short. It is precisely because South Africa’s burning social and national issues remain unresolved (in fact they cannot be resolved within the existing capitalist and political party systems established in 1910 and 1994), that the country continues to undergo social turbulence, seen in strikes, union splits, struggles over symbols, and sadly, anti-immigrant attacks.
The party is haunting us again
by Shawn Hattingh (ZACF)
Karl Marx once said that history repeats itself, first as a tragedy then as a farce. A case in point is that in South Africa sections of the left are once again calling for a mass workers’ party (MWP) to be formed to contest elections – this they believe will bring us closer to revolution. History says otherwise.
Of course the new calls for a MWP stem from the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) breaking from the African National Congress (ANC). As an outcome NUMSA is exploring the possibility of setting up a MWP to contest elections. Many Marxist and leftist influenced organisations, but also cadres within NUMSA, are therefore providing reasons why activists should be interested in such a party.
Build a Strong People: Latin American Lessons in Leadership
by Jonathan Payn (ZACF)
As working class activists, we should share experiences with – and learn from – working class struggles in other places. The ruling class organises worldwide to exploit and dominate our class. So we need to organise resistance to defend our interests everywhere. And we can only benefit from arming ourselves with lessons from different working class movements.
An important example of working class resistance from which we, in South Africa, can draw inspiration is the Brazilian Resistência Popular (Popular Resistance). This organises with unions, student and neighbourhood movements, and it promotes mobilisation and organisation based on grassroots democracy, direct struggle, and solidarity across the broad working class. It exists in various cities, and stresses the importance of people organising themselves, from the bottom up, outside of the parliamentary system, and against the economic and political elites.
Anarchists in Egypt, will the real Black Bloc please stand up?
Core members of Egypt’s Black Bloc hardly ever give interviews, adding to the mystery and confusion that surrounds the group. Your Middle East’s Goos Hofstee was able to get one such rare talk.
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