Читать книгу Oliver Tambo Speaks - Oliver Tambo - Страница 4

NELSON MANDELA

I am a member of the African National Congress. I have always been a member of the African National Congress and I will remain a member of the African National Congress until the day I die. Oliver Tambo is much more than a brother to me. He is my greatest friend, and comrade for nearly 50 years. If there is any one amongst you who cherishes my freedom, Oliver Tambo cherishes it more, and I know that he would give his life to see me free. There is no difference between his views and mine.

It is an extraordinary exercise for a man to write an introduction to a book he has not seen, an exercise which may degenerate into inaccurate generalisations. All that I know is that the book is a collection of Oliver’s speeches and, at the moment of writing, I have not even the barest information as to exactly where and when the speeches were made, the actual issues discussed and the title of the book. He is a banned person, and in terms of South African law what he says may not be published. For this reason it has not been possible to keep track of his speeches during the 26 years in which he has been in exile.

But we live in abnormal times and our own actions must inevitably be influenced by the circumstances in which we have to carry out our political tasks. There are many areas of activity in which our responses must depart from the accepted norms and usual practice, and this introduction is one of them.

Fortunately the task is made relatively easy by the fact that the theme and quality of Oliver’s speeches are fairly predictable. As a student, school teacher and lawyer, he established a solid reputation as a clear thinker and accomplished speaker, a reputation which became a valuable asset when he turned politician.

His speeches and writings will in all probability include a detailed review of the current political situation in South Africa, the kind of society for which the people are fighting, the unity of the people, the preservation of an alliance between the African National Congress (ANC) and the South African Communist Party (SACP), the combination of legal and illegal struggle, the mapping out of the short- and long-term goals of the ANC, the strength and weaknesses of the organisation and enemy, the prosecution of the armed struggle, tribute to the brave heroes who have fallen in the battlefield and who have been captured by the enemy and those who are operating inside the country against heavy odds, the importance of sanctions against South Africa, mass mobilisation, violence amongst the people, negotiation with the government, the significance of the successive South African delegations to Lusaka, relations with our neighbouring states and the rest of the world.

Although Oliver may not be quoted in South Africa, the government has been unable to silence either comment on his leadership qualities or the warm praise he is receiving from a wide variety of sources. Here we can only mention but a few of these. Tom Lodge, one of South Africa’s leading political commentators, writing in the October 1985 issue of South Africa International, describes Oliver’s political style as low key, and adds that the success the ANC has had in maintaining its unity and purposes in 25 years of exile is attributable in no small part to his personal qualities. Johan Battersby writes from London: “Mr Tambo is on an international mission to win friends and influence people on behalf of the ANC, and is having considerable success.” The rousing reception he received at the Bournemouth Labour Party Conference in 1985 illustrates the formidable impact his speeches have made on the British people.

All these tributes occurred in just one year and from part of the countless compliments which have been and which continue to be showered on him. In the early sixties when he addressed a session of the United Nations, he even received praise from quite an unexpected corner. In reply to that speech, Mr Eric Louw, then South African Minister of Foreign Affairs, sought to defend the policy of his government by pointing out that it was the very South Africa which was under attack which had produced a man of Oliver’s calibre. The wide-ranging interview published by the Cape Times in November 1985, in which he gave a brilliant exposition of the policy of the ANC on several important issues, was widely welcomed in the country and considerably fuelled the demand for the lifting of his ban so that South Africans of all political persuasions could become acquainted with his views on the critical questions confronting the country.

The ANC is enjoying unprecedented public exposure; Oliver has become one of the best-known freedom fighters in the world, and his speeches will be read with interest in almost all these countries, bringing the message of the ANC to fighters for human rights in those distant lands, and winning powerful friends for the struggle. In South Africa, the collection, in spite of the difficulties that will inevitably accompany its distribution, will constitute another milestone in the development of the ANC. It will not only serve to refute the wild and sinister government propaganda against the organisation, but it will also help to mould the thinking of the youth and to galvanise the masses of the people behind the anti-apartheid struggle.

His speeches, even though they reach us through comments by others, have been of particular significance to political prisoners, especially those serving long terms of imprisonment. Our confidence in him as an individual, in the dynamic and committed men and women around him, their immense commitment to the principle of collective action, and unfailing sensitivity to the needs of their fellow men, has inspired us beyond words, and put the entire freedom struggle firmly on a new dimension.

Cape Town, 1986