Mamphela Ramphele
A SECOND LOOK
The question I want to ask today is whether South Africans deserve democracy, whether they deserve the benefits of the sacrifices of those who fought for democracy.
Douglas MacArthur once said: “No man [woman] is entitled to the blessings of freedom unless he be vigilant in its preservation.”
This quote is of specific relevance to South Africa today if not a damning indictment of the apathy that is slowly creeping into our society. I would like to suggest a derivative from this quote that reads: “Those who are not prepared to defend democracy should not be entitled to its benefits.”
Democracy is a system that has yet to sink its roots in most African states because of the failure of most of Africa’s people to move beyond liberation politics.
Attainment of independence was seen as an end in itself. There was failure to see that while the colour of those in power had changed, those who took over the reins were still human like their predecessors. The new ruling elite, left to their whims, concentrating absolute powers, had the potential to be just as bad as their colonial masters.
It is tragic that when eventually people realised the folly of their silence and misplaced loyalty, the damage had already been done. While they, the good people, did nothing, evil prevailed.
This accounts for one of Africa’s most tragic and recurring tales: the revered heroes of the liberation struggles mutating into villains. But can you blame them when the people decided to be tacitly acquiescent and let them do as they wished with unfettered powers? Can you blame them when the “masses” themselves vilified early opposition parties in independent states and dismissed them as enemies of unity?
South Africa’s case is not so much about the intolerance of multiparty democracy but of taking democracy for granted. There is a disturbing culture of silence in this country that, if not dealt with, will negate the gains of our infant democracy.
There were a lot of academics who spoke out fearlessly about the evils of apartheid. Where have they disappeared to? Their conspicuous silence since the advent of democracy has been disturbing.
White academics do not speak out on issues of national concern any more because they are afraid that they will be labelled racist. Black academics do not criticise the government because of misplaced loyalty born out of a comradeship with its roots in the struggle against apartheid – they can’t be seen to be criticising their own. These misguided loyalties and a culture of silence is putting South Africa’s democracy at risk.
There is evidence to suggest that we are sliding towards apathy. Many South African young people are taking their freedom for granted and forgetting their role in its preservation. It is important for you as young people to remember that the vote you enjoy exercising today was bought with the blood of many young people who have gone before you. You owe it to them and to the future to acknowledge, protect and preserve the gains made in the attainment of our democracy.
It is sad to note that for a significant number of young people the June election came and went unnoticed. Are we already forgetting the lessons of apartheid, that many were apathetic, the good people who minded their own business, who did nothing while evil was becoming entrenched into the country’s social and political fabric? Were we not very critical and unforgiving of their indifference to apartheid, accusing them of upholding the status quo by their inactivity?
If we are not careful and vigilant in our preservation of democracy, future generations will also be very unforgiving of the dereliction of our obligations as citizens.
Responsible citizenship is not just about the observance of laws, it is about protecting the foundations of democratic society. There must be a culture of robust open and public debate, tolerance of different viewpoints and people with the courage of their convictions to express their views, even if these might not be popular.
I believe that courage is the most important virtue, the foundation that underlies and gives reality to all other virtues and personal values. Without courage we become conformists. Conformity is not what good and courageous leaders are made of.
Psychologist Nathaniel Branden said: “Innovators and creators are persons who can to a higher degree than average accept the condition of aloneness. They are more willing to follow their own vision, even when it takes them far from the mainland of the human community. Unexplored places do not frighten them – or not, at any rate, as much as they frighten those around them.
“This is one of the secrets of their power. That which we call ‘genius’ has a great deal to do with courage and daring, a great deal to do with nerve.”
Many South Africans despair in the face of the magnitude of the social ills we encounter. Some are calling for the return of authoritarianism, including the death penalty. We need to learn from other societies that have also had to negotiate difficult transitions.
William Damon, director of adolescent research at Stanford University had this to say of his own troubled society: “Ideas are a far more reliable source of motivation for higher human behaviour and civic virtue than are sticks, carrots or social controls.”
We need to shed our dependence on authority figures and begin to exercise our agency as humans who have the power to shape history. Ideas are at the heart of shaping the course of history. But such ideas must be based on sound intellectual foundations, otherwise they degenerate into the realm of ideology and propaganda – the hallmarks of authoritarian systems.
As you enter the next phase in your lives, remember the good things you learned here, but above all remember to continue to learn how to be innovators in your society.
South Africa has enough conformists. What the country sorely needs are people who have the courage to follow their vision of a better society even if it takes them into unexplored places. Do not be frightened by the aloneness that may come with your holding unpopular positions. It is in that aloneness that wisdom will visit you and smile upon you.
Dr Mamphela Ramphele is vice-chancellor of the University of Cape Town. This is an edited version of her address at the graduating ceremony at the faculty of humanities this week