Ten years after: African nationalism and the re-traditionalization of South Africa

* Mr drs Barbara Oomen, Van Vollenhoven Institute, University of Leiden.
* Dr Ineke van Kessel, African Studies Centre.

Ten years ago, Nelson Mandela walked to freedom. This historic event signalled the beginning of a negotiated transition from apartheid to a non-racial democracy. As a liberation movement, the ANC was guided by a non-racial ideology with strong Marxist leanings. As a ruling party, the ANC was not only faced with the challenge of mapping a common future for the "rainbow nation" in a market economy, it also had to construct a new legitimizing ideology. Thabo Mbeki's "African Renaissance" is an attempt to fill this ideological void. Its contents are ambiguous: a modernising programme inspired by African heritage. Although Mbeki intends his "African Renaissance" to be an inclusive concept (which includes South Africans of all races), the slogan can easily be hijacked by a more exclusive African nationalism. Whatever happened to the legacy of the social movements which campaigned in the 1980s under the umbrella of the United Democratic Front? This legacy of popular participation, a vision of a non-racial, egalitarian society and grassroots involvement seems to have been superseded by new ideals of black empowerment and Africanisation. How should the continued influence of traditional leaders and the debate on customary law be interpreted in this context? A new book on the UDF will be presented during the seminar: Ineke van Kessel, "Beyond our Wildest Dreams: the United Democratic Front and the Transformation of South Africa". Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 2000.