by Rah Motaung
Whenever a group of people come together to agree or become convinced they form a power group; with their power vested in their leadership, their philosophies and their numbers that make up their membership. The power of the group lies in its ability to normalise each individual’s behaviour and activity, which transforms the group’s ideas and philosophies, into norms, into practices and finally into rigid traditions. The ultimate aim of the power group is to standardise behaviour and activities so as to be able to accurately predict and direct the actions of the group in order to constantly increase the group’s power, and defeat other groups in the competition for power. The leadership comes up with the ideas, and a practical way to integrate them into everyday life so that they become norms, in time common practices and finally into an unquestionable/unquestioned traditions. The leadership also decides on the hierarchy and the roles that members will play in the group, according to the hierarchy some members, those higher up, are valued contributors while the only contribution of those at the lower end is adding to the numbers of the group, these members are treated with little value and are often exploited for their membership. The groups power increases with its numbers, as more and more people become convinced or adapt to the ways of the group, the more normal and instinctive their actions become as they become more and more widely accepted, so that each individual’s belief in the group’s activities is strengthened as they seem to be the universal standard. Smaller power groups also form entities of larger power groups. There are many different power groups in human society, some social, some political, some philosophical, economic, emotional, physical, spiritual, religious, cultural etc. Some power groups represent a combination of the above-mentioned groups. As individuals who are convinced by different ideas and ways of living each one of us forms a part of different power groups at the same time. Sometimes these power groups complement each other, but sometimes they clash and compete for power and we give one power over the other by being convinced by one’s ideas or philosophies over the other’s. A practical example; the first power group we become a part of is the family, which has its power in the parents as the leadership, their philosophies on maximising the quality of life and in us as the family members who uphold it. When a child becomes convinced that he must go to school, he forms a part of the school-going power group, led by the teaching staff with their syllabus and school system dependent on the children learning and applying it for its existence and relevance. So when a child for instance is taught (teachers attempting to convince) to only speak in English at school since the teachers’ philosophy is that this is a supreme language that is the best for the child to know, while at home the parents teach (try to convince) him to speak Sesotho since this is his mother tongue and will solidify his identity and essence within the family power group. When the child becomes convinced that he must only speak English he has given the school-going (“educated”) power group power over the family power group in that respect. At times a compromise can be reached, in this example if the child only speaks English at school and around those of the school-going power group, and only speaks Sesotho at home. However to reach a compromise between two competing power groups one has to be fully aware of the ultimate aim as well as the true underlying motives behind each power groups attempt to convince, lest one becomes the exploited member of a power group. In the example above, the teachers aim can be said to be; to disassociate the child with an “inferior” language and make him adopt a supreme one, approaching this idea scientifically can help to prove the true motive.
To scientifically prove the supremacy of one thing over another, one would have get supporting evidence through subjecting the two to the same tests to see which fairs better. In this case language as a tool of communication for instance needs to be tested according to how effectively people using the language can communicate, how often are there misunderstandings and miscommunications? How well do the people speaking the language relate to each other? How effective is the language in explaining complex issues and ideas in order to create a peaceful understanding amongst its speakers? Without conducting such tests then the teachers aim is totally subjective and the motive becomes clear, and that is to add strength to the teacher’s school-going English-speaking power group by adding another member, who’ll most likely be at the bottom of the hierarchy as an adoptee of the group. The parents aim can be said to be: including the child in a way of life that has benefited them and raised them into adulthood, their motives are backed up by their lifestyle. As I said the first power group one belongs to is the family power group, which as a smaller power group, belongs to larger power groups, i.e the clan which is an entity of the tribe which is an entity of the nation which is an entity of the race. In the beginning this chain of power groups catered to every need of and defined every aspect of the human condition. It was also the most powerful chain of power groups, because if one lost or was exiled from his family he could find refuge and support from his clansmen, if he lost or was exiled from his clan he could find refuge and support from his tribe, the same applying for the nation and the race. To clarify I the individual Rearabetsoe Motaung, belonging to the Motaung family, belonging to the Bataung ba ha Hlalele clan, belonging to the Bataung tribe belonging to the Basotho nation, belonging to the Batho/Bantu/African/Black race, defined my social, political, philosophical, economic, emotional, physical, spiritual, religious, cultural .etc power group. As a result of “globalisation”(global de-culturisation), through invasion, colonisation and oppression by Europeans and Asians in Africa, we find this chain broken. When you study our history you realise that, Africans being a very communal people, a large part of our power lay in this natural chain of power groups, so the destruction of our power followed this chain. Starting with the destruction of the race power group, moving through the nations, the tribes, the clans, right down to the family power group.
We now find our society organised according to foreign standards and systems, and we’ve adapted the chain from the family, the clan is now the block/street where we find ourselves living, with the township/town/neighbourhood replacing the tribe and countries replacing the nation. There are benefits to this re-organisation and we can compromise with it, but knowing that the ultimate aim of re-organising our society by the invaders was to train and condition us in preparation to be nothing more than cheap manual labour, which we still see in every ghetto and slum today. Where our people’s lives are reduced to a cycle of hard labour, minimal rest in hostile conditions, and intoxication to deal with such a life. As much as we need unity and power groups to secure prosperity in family, the street/block, the township/town/neighbourhood and the country, we must remember that since we did not design these power groups, since we are still grappling for leadership positions within them, since we are not the authors of their guiding and controlling principles all we ever essentially make up is the low level membership. This means the rebuilding of our power needs to focus on this chain, starting with the race power group. By virtue of their method of entry (invasion) into Africa, their method of settlement (war and colonisation) in Africa, and their method of securing prosperity for themselves in Africa(oppression and exploitation) the European/White race power group have developed an antagonistic relationship with the African/Black race power group, so that what’s good for or benefits the Europeans/Whites is usually bad for or comes at the expense of Africans/Blacks.
The same applies in some parts of the continent for the Asian particularly the Arabic race power group in relation to the African/Black race power group. Meaning that individuals in Africa are born into a world where their natural power groups are dismembered and they’re forced to survive through choosing foreign-led power groups who’s motives are always less than clear, resulting in many relatively powerless, confused and disorientated individuals who form ineffective or become the exploited members of other power groups. For instance the educational power group that was chosen for me was that of western education, which has its benefits, but has all of its most prestigious and leading institutions in Europe or European invaded parts of the world, which means it’s leadership is European, it’s philosophies and ideas endorse Europeanism and as an adoptee of its ways I will most likely make up the bottom part of its hierarchy of membership. Making it an ineffective power group for me to belong to since even the most educated Africans cannot secure prosperity for their families, their clans, their tribes, their nations and their race. Since it currently has no equally powerful opposing educational power group, I’m forced to compromise with western education, but since I know that its motive is not to secure prosperity for Africans or truly empower them, I have to remain alert for or build a power group that does so for me and mine, since this one does so for the Europeans/Whites.
Another example; the political power group chosen for the continent is democracy, which is also has its benefit, but unfortunately our democracies here in Africa are validated and regulated by the United States Of America, Britain and its other European allies. All of which are former imperialist states whose treatment of Africans proves their connection to the antagonistic relationship that exists between Africans and Europeans and therefore nullifies them as a standard of a democratic state that can advise us on democracy. We can compromise with this democracy power group until we find or build one that isn’t supportive of imperialists and is therefore antagonistic towards us as Africans because in American-endorsed democracy even the most democratic African states are unable to secure prosperity for their families, their clans, their tribes, their nations and their race, While America and its allies are able to do so for the European/white race power group through this style of democracy. The same principle applies to foreign religious power groups, that our people belong to in masses but are still ineffective in securing prosperity for us and ours. It applies to foreign economic power groups too. So whenever you choose or become convinced by an idea or philosophy, recognize the power group and the membership you’re subscribing to as an African. Also consider its effect on your race, your nation, your tribe, your clan and your family. If we as Africans are to regain our natural power, we must choose power groups whose leadership is firmly rooted in us, whose ideas and philosophies are deeply rooted in our essence and wholly dedicated to securing our prosperity so that as we increase our membership as families, as clans, as tribes, as nations our power increases as a race power group.