I Am Prepared to Die

The ANC is the acronym for the African National Congress, founded in 1912 to advocate for the rights of Black South Africans. The party believed in democracy and established itself as the apartheid government’s most successful African opposition in the freedom struggle. The ANC was banned, from 1960 to 1990, by the apartheid government. This meant it was declared as an illegal organization. Involvement in the ANC could get one arrested. Still, party members remained active and many of the leading members operated from outside of the country, in exile. In 1994, the majority of South Africans democratically elected the ANC to represent them as their government, with Nelson Mandela as president. Today, the ANC is still the ruling party in the country.

Umkhonto we Sizwe (often referred to simply as Umkhonto, in the speech) was the paramilitary wing of the ANC, created in 1961 to oppose the increasing violence of the apartheid government. Mandela was one of the founding members. Umkhonto implemented strategic attacks to destabilize the government and discourage foreign investment and support. The Xhosa phrase Umkhonto we Sizwe means “Spear of the Nation.” Like the ANC itself, Umkhonto was banned by the apartheid government and declared a terrorist organization. Despite this, it remained operational and only disbanded in 1993 as a symbolic gesture in support of the peaceful transition toward a democratic South Africa.

Sharpeville refers to the Sharpeville massacre that took place on March 21, 1960. Sharpeville was located in what was then called Transvaal province, which is now a part of Gauteng. Protesters from the Sharpeville township marched to the newly constructed local police station to protest the intense surveillance and harassment that resulted from increased pass-checks. The protesters were met with force, and 69 unarmed protesters were killed by the police. Sharpeville indicated a turning point for apartheid on the world stage, as it made international news. However, it would still be 34 years before the oppression would end. Today, 21 March is a public holiday in South Africa, commemorated as Human Rights Day.