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I Write What I Like: Selected Writings

by Steve Biko

Steve Biko’s writings on Black Consciousness and liberation

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Paperback New English

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AlbakiReads Editorial

Steve Biko’s writings on Black Consciousness and liberation

This collection brings together writings Steve Biko published between 1969 and 1972, spanning his leadership of the South African Students’ Organization and the period before he was prohibited from publishing. Across the selections, Biko argues for Black unity and liberation from apartheid, setting out ideas associated with the Black Consciousness movement he helped found. The volume also includes contextual material: a preface by Desmond Tutu, an introduction by Malusi and Thoko Mpumlwana, a memoir by Father Aelred Stubbs, and a foreword by Lewis Gordon. Together, the writings and accompanying pieces place Biko’s political thought within the South African struggle against apartheid.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Readers studying South African history and resistance to apartheid.
  • Those interested in Black Consciousness, black nationalism, or postcolonialism.
  • Readers seeking a primary-source collection of Biko’s political writings with contextual essays and memoir.

Themes

Apartheid and liberationBlack ConsciousnessPolitical unityRacism and black nationalism

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

"The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed." Like all of Steve Biko's writings, those words testify to the passion, courage, and keen insight that made him one of the most powerful figures in South Africa's struggle against apartheid. They also reflect his conviction that black people in South Africa could not be liberated until they united to break their chains of servitude, a key tenet of the Black Consciousness movement that he helped found.

I Write What I Like contains a selection of Biko's writings from 1969, when he became the president of the South African Students' Organization, to 1972, when he was prohibited from publishing. The collection also includes a preface by Archbishop Desmond Tutu; an introduction by Malusi and Thoko Mpumlwana, who were both involved with Biko in the Black Consciousness movement; a memoir of Biko by Father Aelred Stubbs, his longtime pastor and friend; and a new foreword by Professor Lewis Gordon.

Biko's writings will inspire and educate anyone concerned with issues of racism, postcolonialism, and black nationalism.

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Customer reviews

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Malaika Taylor

I highly recommend to for anyone looking for inner clarity

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