The battle for the truth – youth resistance, neoliberalism and an appreciation of Neville Alexander

Abstract

On 27 August 2012, Neville Alexander, a revolutionary scholar and educator who seamlessly combined rigorous scholarship with activism, died at the age of 75. In an affirmation of Alexander's tremendous contribution to our lives and society, Emeritus Professor Francis Wilson (2012), from the University of Cape Town, described in a eulogy what many felt: 'With the death ... of Neville Alexander, South Africa has lost one of its greatest, and possibly least appreciated, sons.' Recently, essayist T.O. Molefe (2013) described Alexander's prescience as follows: ... his thinking was, no, is far ahead of our time--and, compelled by the sense of community and humility that drew him into an active role in the country's liberation movement, he could not reasonably withdraw into the insular existence that many in his position might find tempting and mollifying. Yet despite, or perhaps because of, how infuriating it might have been to see things as clearly as he did (when others did not), Alexander was hopeful and optimistic about what could be. The importance and struggles of young people, the subject of this themed section, was always foremost in the praxis of Alexander. Scarcely three months before his passing, he requested I suggest someone knowledgeable about the North African and Middle East uprisings to invite to a series of seminars he was facilitating in Germany. I suggested Adam Hanieh, a young Palestinian activist and currently a lecturer at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. Hanieh (2012) describes the last evening he spent with Alexander: I came away from that evening profoundly inspired and with a feeling of incredible privilege. I was struck by his ability to sharply grasp the essence of the problem at hand, illustrate his points from a variety of different angles, and to constantly surprise and delight with his insights. His humility, warmth and great intelligence touched me very deeply and I will never forget that dinner and our conversation. His passion for the struggle, and his enthusiasm to debate and learn from the revolutionary battles in the Middle East as if they were his own, were the mark of a true internationalist. These are much too rare qualities in our movements and we still had so much to learn from him. In this brief article, I mention some of the key moments in Alexander's life that contributed to the 'rare qualities' mentioned by Hanieh, prior to focusing on Alexander's views on youth resistance and culture. Alexander was bom in Cradock in the Eastern Cape on 22 October 1936. His father was David James Alexander, a carpenter, and his mother, Dimbiti Bisho Alexander, a school teacher. He went to a local school run by German nuns. In 1953 he moved to Cape Town to read a degree in History and German at the University of Cape Town. There, he was influenced by, and later belonged to, the Teachers' League of South Africa and the Non-European Unity Movement. He also helped found the Cape Peninsula Students Union (CPSU) and belonged to the Society of Young Africa (SOYA). A fellowship awarded by the Humboldt Foundation sent him to the University of Tubingen, Germany, where he obtained his doctorate on the work of the German dramatist, Gerhart Hauptmann. Alexander was 26 years old. He was also keenly involved in the German student movement and closely associated with Algerian, Cuban and other revolutionaries who went on to play leading roles in their respective anticolonial struggles. Prompted by the Sharpeville Massacre and after his return to South Africa in 1961, he, together with Namibian and South African activists, formed the National Liberation Front. Members included the late Judge Fikile Bam and Dulcie September, who was later assassinated. At the time of his arrest in 1963, Alexander was a history teacher at Livingston High School. He was imprisoned on Robben Island for ten years, followed by five years of house arrest. …