Book Revi4W6 89
Intensify the Struggle to AboIL<ihApartheid. Nelson Mandela's Speeches 1990, Greg
McCartan (ed), Pathimder Press, London, 1990 (74pp, £2,95 pbk).
This short publication includes a letter written from prison by Nelson Mandel. to Preside.nt
PWBotha in July 1989, five speeches made at rallies in South Africa after his release from
prison in February 1990, one speech at a rally in Luanda, Angola, aJXlanoth« speech to
South African Business Executives. The book also includes the Freedom Charter of the
African National Congress (ANC).
In all the speeches, Mandela stresses the central issue of the need to abolish racism Il1d
apartheid, and all that it stands for. Even in his address to the business executives he sfleJse.s
the need to support the struggle, to ensure that all the people ultimately enjoy a decent
standard ofliving in conditions of freedom. The speeches aim to mobilise, educate Il1dhelp
the masses to understand the need to "intensify the struggle to abolish apartheid".
The book marks a new stage in the struggle for a non racial democratic South Africa,
Mandela urges the people to strive for peace, democracy aJXlfreedom for all South Africans,
intensifying the struggle, evenifitmeans promoting sanctions against South Africa. He also
stresses the need for committed mass action to bring peace aJXlsecurity. He defends the
armed struggle as a "defensive action against the violence of apartheid" aJXlstress the need
for the struggle to continue while the factors leading to its beginnings still exist.
Mandela calls for mass action which is disciplined, with no violence, but intensified on
all fronts, including schools, factories, mines and communities everywhere. The unbanning
of the ANC is a vital step in the intensification of the struggle since it saves as a vital mouth
piece for the people. Mandela's speeches too provide this mouth piece. MaJXlela attacks
the apartheid education system as interior aJXllabels it "a crime against humanity" which
needs to be attended to by all concerned with it, ie students, parents, teachers, wOIkers, and
all organised sectors of the community. He appeals to the youth to struggle for a just
education, and commends them for their leading role in the army Umkhonto we Sizwe , but
he also calls on them to demonstrate a high degree of political maturity.
While encouraging the activities of Umkhonto we Sizwe, Mandela stresses the sanctity
of life and abhors violence for the sake of violence. He says people, especially youth, need
to respect each other's point of view aJXlshould not resort to violence as a way of settling
differences amongst them. There is need to unite as brothet"s in the fight against apartheid,
not each other. He urges women to join hands in supporting eachothet" and, especially, their
menfolk to take action against deprivation ..
For justice and equality, Mandela stresses the need for the redistribution (sharing) of the
wealth of South Africa, to replace the situation in which a racist minority monopolises
economic wealth at the expense of the majority of the oppressed and povt'l'ty stricken black
people. All talks, therefore. between the government and the ANC have to be genuine
negotiations seeking strategies to resolve conflict, based on the acceptanceofthe basic rights
of evet"Yhuman being. WhiIe the Pretoria regime should be commended for taking steps to
negotiate with the ANC and unban it, this is not enough without the end of apartheid.
Mandela makes a pointed attack on some of the homeland leaders for siding with Il1d
supporting an oppressive South Africangovernmentrather than siding with the majority aJXl
promoting equality and justice.
90 Book Reviews
In all his speeches, Mandelacomrnends and thanks groups of individuals throughout the
world whose support led to the unbanning of the ANC and his release from goal.
Romanticism and emotiveness is apparent in Mandela's speeches and makes his references
to past history and personalities, and his use of comparisons, emotionally striking. These
are the speeches of a politician seeking to sway people to his cause. For those interested in
the politics of the South African situation, and the story of the ANC, this book will be useful.
Reviewed by Eulita Nyatito, Social Work Diploma student, Harare.
Agroforestry in SubSaharan Africa. A Farmer's Perspecdve, Cynthia Cook andMibel
Grot, World Bank Technical Paper No 112, mRD/World Bank, Washington DC, 1989
(94pp, US$7,95).
"lbe ecological problem of our time lies in modern science's uncontrollable desire to break
everything down into parts which can be neatly analysed." I cannot remember whose
quotation this was, probably an obscure farmer or gardener. But it is one that I am forced
to recall almost daily. This was especially so reading this World Bank Technical Paper.
There is no doubt it is a good paper, well researched, well planned and carefully put together.
And it will be useful to students of agroforestry, providing an overview of pertinent points
in the dynamic development of agroforestry as a discipline. But, like the discipline of
agroforestry itself, the paper insists on separating out an aspect on the land (ie the use of
woody perennials in agriculture) which perhaps should not be seen as a separate entity.
Reading numerous agroforestry papers one senses this struggle going on: the struggle
between the rational scientist of the twentieth century, trained to specialise and present
specific data, and the very nature of agroforestry which is a frrst step in seeing the landscape
as an interconnected web. Perhaps, however, because of its integrating characteristic.
agroforestry can lead the way to seeing the land and the people on the land as a whole. But
the worrying question is: will the scientists drink when still tethered to a methodology of
division into parts?
Agroforestry in SubSaharan Africa is divided into five chapters:
I. Introduction: which explains how the study was carried out.
n. Agroforestry in Africa: which divides existing agroforestry practices into 10
different categories ranging thern in an order which starts with the more passive and
ends with those which involve much more active planting and management of trees.
Their categories are as follows: savanna, grazing, farmer parklands, tree crops and
shade trees, forested fallow, planted farm trees, homegardens, farm woodlots, forest
plantation farming (taungya), fodder trees, alley cropping. m. Seven case studies: which is the main part of the paper and looks at seven situations
in which agroforestry is being practised. The case studies are from East and West
Africa, cover new and indigenous practices, and are drawn from three different
environments: humid lowlands, semi arid lowlands and cool highlands. Research
for the case studies included spending a week at each place conducting interviews
with across section of the communities concerned, the point being made that "most
of the time was spent in the field with villagers", presumably justifying the subtitle
of the paper: "A Farmer's Perspective"! The seven case studies are: