The Individual, Auto/biography and History in South Africa

“appreciated as they should”, he argued, “unless the readers have a grasp of our
policy”. To fulfil this need, Sihlali proposed the writing and distribution of
“pamphletettes”, which would be circulated free of charge. He suggested that it be
named “‘Iincwadana zeAll‐African Convention’, (Eyokuqala)” and mentioned that as
AAC president, Tsotsi’s approval was needed. Sihlali enclosed a rough, incomplete draft
of a sample ‘pamphletette’ and asked for Tabata’s counsel on whether it satisfied the
requirement. As it was in Xhosa, he also forwarded a copy to A.C. Jordan for his advice,
as Jordan was the AAC’s main translator of political materials for distribution in
Xhosa. 34
Tabata’s response, however, was not encouraging. Both he and Jordan had seen value in
Sihlali’s text, and that from the sample he saw, he could gather “the scope of those to
follow”. In a supportive vein, Tabata agreed with the principle of “sending out as much
literature as possible”, saying that, in general, there certainly was “room for
pamphletettes”. However, in his assessment of “the times”, he felt that it would be
inadvisable to “follow the course” Sihlali proposed. Tabata expressed his “grave doubts
as to the advisability of sending out forerunners” before “we are ready with our big
stuff”. In these times, he argued, it was important to ensure that “literature of lasting
value” be placed “in the hands of the people”. He urged that “nothing [be done] to
jeopardise” the appearance of ‘The Boycott’. On the issues of language level and reading
capacity, Tabata urged Sihlali to go back to ‘The Rehabilitation Scheme’ and think about
its impact on the minds of the people. 35 He argued to Sihlali that
if you brush aside language for the moment, you will find
that the ideas are easily assimilable. In fact they would speak
a great deal to the average African, especially in the rural
areas. That is the language they know. I personally believe
that the peasant will understand these ideas far better than
the intellectual and the townsman. 36
34 Leo Sihlali to I.B. Tabata, 16 April 1953, I.B. Tabata Collection, BC 925.
35 I.B. Tabata to Leo Sihlali, 2 May 1953, I.B. Tabata Collection, BC 925.
36 I.B. Tabata to Leo Sihlali, 2 May 1953, I.B. Tabata Collection, BC 925.
450