A century of principled non-violent struggle against injustice

On the 100th anniversary of the advent of Satyagraha - the philosophy and practice of non-violent resistance - its principles have never been more relevant to the global challenges currently confronting humanity, writes Ela Gandhi.

Mahatma Gandhi set foot on South African shores in 1893 to take up a legal case on behalf of traders in Durban. His reading of the situation led him to understand that important to the struggle against injustice was unity expressed through organisation. This led to the formation of the Natal Indian Congress (NIC) in 1894. Later on, through undertaking struggle, he came to add on to these tenets culminating in the development of Satyagraha.

On 11 September 1906 a public meeting was convened to discuss further discriminatory laws to be passed against Indians. The meeting was held at the Empire Theatre in Johannesburg. The meeting was called to discuss the Transvaal Asiatic Law Amendment Ordinance that required all Asians to obey three new rules:

• Those of eight years or older had to carry passes for which they had to give their fingerprints.
• They would be segregated as to where they could live and work.
• New Asian immigration into the Transvaal would be disallowed, even for those who had left the town when the South African War broke out in 1899 and were returning.

The meeting produced the Fourth Resolution, in which all Indians resolved to go to prison rather than submit to the ordinance. They made a solemn pledge that their resistance to this Ordinance would be entirely peaceful and under no circumstances would they meet the anticipated violent reaction of the police with violence of their own. This undertaking was strenuously debated with many feeling that this vow of non-violence was a sign of weakness.

Gandhi argued that weakness resulted in cowardice and violence whereas gentleness was the attribute of the strong. Notwithstanding the initial resistance, the Ordinance was passed into law in 1907.

A massive Satyagraha campaign started with thousands of people of Indian and Chinese origin, including prominent religious leaders, burning the passes that they already had, and courting imprisonment. The campaign was expanded to include legislative provisions that imposed a tax on former indentured workers and a provision whereby all marriages performed according to traditional rites would no longer be recognised as legal marriages. These two campaigns brought in thousands of indentured workers from the sugar fields and coal mines of Natal and brought in women from all sectors. The campaign culminated with a massive march across the border between Transvaal and Natal at Volksrust in 1913 resulting eventually in an agreement between the Asiatic people and Prime Minister Jan Smuts in 1914.

Gandhi said: "Up to the year 1906 I simply relied on appeal to reason. I was a very industrious reformer... But I found that reason failed to produce an impression when the critical moment arrived in South Africa. Non-violent action was required."

Satyagraha inspired South Africans and the principles were used in the struggle for liberation in South Africa led by the Congress Movement. Gandhi and the application of the principles of Satyagraha achieved change in India, the Civil Rights Movement in the USA and ultimately the Berlin Wall fell without a shot being fired in anger.

The world has seen three significant developments all sharing 11 September as their anniversaries:

• The advent of Satyagraha. A potent anti-imperialist form of struggle that elevates the oppressed and liberates the oppressor.
• The pro-imperialist US-inspired coup in Chile in 1973 that deposed the democratically elected president, Salvador Allende.
• The violent and terrorist anti-imperialist attack in 2001 on the World Trade Centre in New York and other targets.

The challenge facing all humanity is to make choices as to which "9/11" will endure. Certainly the peace-lovers among us will choose that which restores our humanity, that which is based on truth and that which shows the keenest respect for all of humanity.

To mark the hundredth anniversary of Satyagraha a number of activities were organised. International Women's Day, on 8 March, was celebrated as part of Satyagraha celebrations. This day was about women workers in particular and a workshop was held to discuss safety of women in the home and in the workplace, and the close relationship between violence and HIV and AIDS. In April a 22km walk was organised from Phoenix Settlement to the military base on Ethekwini's North Beach opposite the site where Gandhiji's ashes were immersed in the sea in 1948. This event was aimed at raising awareness of the concept of Satyagraha and commitment to non-violence. This year participation increased by 110%.

On 17 April the Phoenix community observed the culmination of a two month long promotion of non-violence campaign in schools, in a day long event at the Mariammen Temple involving school children in talk shows, debates and art competitions. This event was attended by almost 30 000 people over the two days. On 19 July the first video and manual to assist educators in teaching non-violence were launched. These have been distributed to a number of schools to test their effectiveness.

Satyagraha and the humanist philosophy of Ubuntu were discussed in a panel at the International Sociology Conference held in July this year. Some 35 local and overseas participants engaged in lively discussion.

On 8 August a conference on issues facing women was held and attended by community organisations, school representatives and municipal and departmental representatives. An Annual Satyagraha Speech Contest was launched on 18 August.

Awards were presented this year to three outstanding South Africans in recognition of their dedicated and tireless work in the community reflecting the spirit of Satyagraha - Imtiaz Sooliman of the Gift of the Givers Foundation, the late Eric Molobi and the late Vishwaprea Suparsad. On the 13 September, Dr Abhangamage Tudor Ariyaratne of Sri Lanka was singled out for his sterling work towards reconciliation in a strife torn area, and presented with the fourth Mahatma Gandhi International Award for Reconciliation and Peace.

An international conference was convened in Durban on 11-13 September. Three hundred participants engaged in spirited discussion and re-dedicated themselves to the values of sharing, compassion, espousing the truth and undertaking struggles against oppression and exploitation.

The conference adopted the following resolution: "We, the peace activists from all over the globe, who gathered in Durban, South Africa from 11-13 September 2006 to commemorate the centenary of Satyagraha, declare:

• that the growing economic and political inequality in the world is leading to escalating violent conflict, deepening poverty, disease, environmental degradation and dehumanising of people;
• that there is continuing conflict in various parts of the world resulting in loss of life and livelihoods which is particularly affecting women and children;
• that the exploitation of workers, in particular farm workers, and resources of the world is unsustainable and leads to escalating poverty, the sacrifice of human dignity and places the very future of our planet in jeopardy;
• that the use of religion, ethnicity, culture and language to create social cleavage resulting in conflict and loss of life, is increasing;
• the situation, outlined in paragraph 1 to 4 above, if left unabated will lead to the irreversible destruction of the world."

The conference further resolved that: "We understand Satyagraha to be a philosophy informed by the highest standards of ethics and morality and its essence to be:

• respect for all life;
• tolerance of diverse views and opinions;
• the abhorrence of all types of violence, exploitation and injustice at all levels; and
• the pursuit of Truth.

"Accordingly we affirm that:

• Satyagraha as a tool is more relevant today than ever before;
• Satyagraha enables solidarity among all people across barriers of ethnicity, class, caste, gender or religion;
• Satyagraha restores dignity to oppressed people and empowers them to establish peace through non-violent action;
• It is incumbent upon each one of us to rededicate ourselves to the values of Satyagraha, the precepts of Ubuntu, or Ujamaa as guiding principles.

These humanist philosophies which reawaken human qualities in each one of us will contribute to the quest to restore the dignity of all humanity "We therefore pledge to take forward the struggle for non-violence and the peaceful resolution of conflict whether in our own lives, or in our organisations, locally, nationally or internationally by uniting together to work together as participants at this conference to:

• establish Centres for Non-Violence based on the principles of Satyagraha and Ubuntu;
• lobby for the inclusion of the basic principles of Satyagraha within local regional and international fora such as the World Social Forum;
• continue our dialogue; and
• broaden our engagement with organs of civil society to create a global movement for peace and non-violence through Satyagraha, and to work to end injustice, dehumanising violence, destruction and economic exploitation and oppression of a large section of society."

Acknowledging Gandhiji's words: "Willing submission to social restraint for the sake of the well-being of the whole society enriches both the individual and the society of which one is a member."

* Ela Gandhi is a former ANC member of parliament, a member of the Central Committee of the South African Communist Party (SACP) and Chair of the Satyagraha Editorial Board.

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