The National President of the Black People’s Convention, Kenneth Hlaku Rachidi, declares that riots have lead to a new era of political consciousness

On 27 June 1976, almost two weeks after the Soweto Uprising on 16 June, Kenneth Hlaku Rachidi, the National President of the Black People's Convention (BPC), announced that the riots had ushered in a new era of political consciousness. The Soweto Uprising, which was commemorated last week with Youth Day, was the result of increasing opposition to apartheid amongst the black youth of South Africa. In particular, students were protesting against apartheid laws that restricted and dictated their education. The black youth had been empowered by the ideology of Black Consciousness, which aimed to psychologically mobilise the oppressed population of South Africa. The ideology of Black Consciousness manifested itself in the establishment of the BPC, which was founded by leaders of the South African Student Organisation (SASO). Rachidi joined the BPC in 1972, and was elected President in 1975. His views, as expressed in the title, soon attracted the attention of the South African Police, and he was arrested and detained without charge in Modderbee prison until 1978. References: Kalley, J.A.; Schoeman, E. & Andor, L.E. (eds) (1999) Southern African Political History: a chronology of key political events from independence to mid-1997. Westport: Greenwood. Kenneth Hlaku Rachidi [online] Available at: sahistory.org.za [Accessed 18 June 2009]