The Individual, Auto/biography and History in South Africa

unifier and a liberator of the mind”. 20 For Manaka, Biko was not only the “father of black
consciousness”. He was
an academic, intellectual, politician and a friend to all South
Africans ... father to a beloved family and a father to the common
people of his beloved country, South Africa. 21
Screened around the time of the TRC hearings into the cause of his death, as well as the
unveiling of a new Biko monument in East London, 22 these documentaries were part of a
fortnight of intense biographic attention accorded to Biko to mark the anniversary of his
death. 23 In casting the “revered South African democrat” 24 as father to the country and as
a figure through whom people were able to discover themselves, these documentaries
accorded Biko the status of martyred patriarch, whose legacy served to protect the new
nation and ensure the unity of its people.
Indeed, much of biographical documentary were vehicles for transition narratives of
reconciliation, healing and nation‐building. The life history of Archbishop Desmond Tutu,
Chairperson of the TRC, was deemed to be this narrative’s embodiment. 25 Arnold Stofile’s
biography, located within a genealogy of ANC political leaders in the Eastern Cape, came
to stand for the efforts at “building a nation” in the Eastern Cape. 26 The life stories of
activists and middle‐level leaders were presented as stories of survival and endurance in
the face of torture, terror and imprisonment by the state. While he had been the Chief
Land Claims Commissioner, Joe Seremane told of his commitment to PAC politics, which
led to his imprisonment on Robben Island for six years. He faced death while being
tortured during solitary confinement in the 1970s. During this time, he shifted from
20 Steve Biko: Journey of the Spirit, Written and Directed by Matsamela Manaka. Produced by Peter
Trehaeven. An Ekhaya/Tent Production for SABC 1, 1997.
21 Steve Biko: Journey of the Spirit.
22 See discussion below.
23 The anniversary of Steve Biko’s death was also commemorated in 1997 at the District Six Museum in
Cape Town in an art exhibition, The Legacy of Steve Biko: Twenty Years On, organised by Agency Afrika
and artists organised into a structure called ‘The Twenty Years Later Arts Collective’.
24 Friday, Supplement to the Mail and Guardian, September 12‐18, 1997, p 12.
25 Desmond Tutu: Man Without Fear (Produced and Directed by Hennie Serfontein, 1996). This
programme was available for purchase on video from SABC Broadcast Enterprises.
26 Building a Nation: the Eastern Cape Province (SABC, 1998).
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