Who was Steve Biko? monopoly on truth and power held by the Afrikaan minority.
die for an idea that will live, than to live for an idea that will die.”
The Black Consciousness Movement supported the Soweto uprising of 1976. The uprising was caused by the passing of new legislation which forced all black schools to use Afrikaans and English as languages of instruction. An estimated 200 protesters, mainly school children, were killed by South African security forces as they crushed the uprising.
Born in 1946, Steve Biko was a black anti-apartheid campaigner who died in police custody in 1977. Biko established himself as a student leader in the 1960’s. His belief in the need for black South Africans to organise and liberate themselves free from liberal white influence led him to establish the Black Consciousness Movement in 1969. The BCM aimed to promote black culture and challenge the
On the 18th August 1977 Biko was arrested under anti-terrorism legislation. Taken into police custody he was interrogated, tortured and beaten until he fell into a coma. Biko died of his injuries in a prison hospital on the 11th of September that year, the outcry at his death led to an inquest which was nothing more than a cover up by the state. However, anti-apartheid journalists were able to Police brutality and intimidation was reveal the real cause of his death to the a constant threat to Steve Biko and his world. Over 10,000 people attended supporters. He was expelled from the Biko’s funeral and he is regarded as University of Natal a national hero for “It is better to die for an idea in 1972, banned black South Africans. from speaking in that will live, than to live for The University of public, banned an idea that will die.” Manchester’s Steve from writing and Biko Building, known his movement was restricted to his to most as the Students’ Union, was hometown. Despite the threats he named in his honour. faced Biko continued to challenge Afrikaan rule, he said “It is better to William Jones
The Stephen Joseph studio
Joseph was born in 1921 and his life, whilst relatively short, encompassed a lot. He was the youngest student to attend the prestigious Central School of Speech and Drama. He was also something of a war hero, twice decorated for his bravery. Yet it was on the stage where his heart truly lay.
Stephen Joseph is a name ingrained in the minds of Manchester’s drama students. The Stephen Joseph studio, named in his honour, is one of the Drama departments most frequented rehearsal spots. The studio itself was originally built as a German Protestant church, before being occupied by the university in 1949 and eventually taken over by the Drama department. However, about the man himself, students generally know very little.
Determined not to be in the shadows of his famous parents, actress Hermione Gingold and publisher Michael Joseph, he set out to make a name for himself in the theatrical world. Joseph was very successful, being often considered the pioneer of the exciting style of performance known as ‘theatre-in-the-round’ in Britain. Having been inspired by what he saw in Broadway, he was determined to establish it across the pond. In Scarborough in 1955 he established the country’s first theatre-in-theround company on the first floor of the Public Library. Joseph died young, at only 46, yet was able to achieve much in his relatively short lifetime.
He was something of a maverick and was consistently passionate about innovation and experimentation in theatre. Joseph sourced new and controversial material and encouraged up-and-coming playwrights such as Alan Ayckbourn and Harold Pinter. As a lecturer at Manchester, the University Drama department owes a lot to Stephen Joseph for its establishment and its original and exciting style that makes it so successful. He left us with this optimistic philosophy: “If, when mankind finally disintegrates, whoever created him has been stimulated and amused, mankind will have accomplished something.” These words speak of Joseph’s legacy, in rainy Manchester, as wit and optimist. Just as winter truly kicks in and deadlines loom, Joseph’s words, much like his theatre, provide a cheerful respite from the cold. Rosie Webster
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