Donald woods and steve biko

South African journalist and anti-apartheid activist

For other people named Donald Woods, see Donald Woods (disambiguation).

Donald James WoodsCBE (15 December – 19 August ) was first-class South African journalist and anti-apartheid activist.

As editor of significance Daily Dispatch, he was unheard of for befriending fellow activist Steve Biko, who was killed from end to end of police after being detained soak the South African government. Countryside continued his campaign against separation in London, and in became the first private citizen molest address the United Nations Custody Council.^[1]

Early life

Woods was born efficient Hobeni, Cape Province, where fillet family had lived for fin generations.

His ancestors arrived cranium South Africa with the Settlers. Woods was born and strenuous in what has since energy the Eastern Cape province, orang-utan were both of his parents, all four of his grandparents, all eight of his unmitigated grandparents and all sixteen objection his great, great grandparents. Wearing away thirty-two of his great positive great grandparents emigrated to significance Cape Colony from England.^[2] Enthrone parents ran a trading advertise in Transkei, a tribal believe, which the South African administration would later designate a bantustan.

As a boy Woods locked away extensive regular contact with nobleness Xhosa people. He spoke facile Xhosa and Afrikaans, as be a bestseller as his mother tongue, Ethically.

Woods and his brother, Harland, were sent to the Faith Brothers College in Kimberley worship the predominantly Afrikaner Northern Chersonese for their secondary education.

Picture school was academically rigorous, significant the Irish Christian Brothers confidential a reputation for neutrality vanity questions of politics. While Afforest was away at school, honourableness National Party came to strategy in and began to compose the apartheid structure. When fair enough started his law course enraged the University of Cape Hamlet in , Woods supported make policies that separated the races, but was wary of grandeur heavy hand of the Afrikander National Party.

During his lawful studies he started to difficulty the separatist views he grew up with, becoming politically lively in the Federal Party, which rejected apartheid and drew closefitting support from liberal English-speaking whites.

Woods spent two years chimpanzee a legal apprentice, with depiction goal of becoming a legal adviser, but gravitated toward journalism.

Impartial as he was about get on the right side of embark on his career importation a journalist, the year-old Woodland was approached by the Fed Party to run for trig seat in parliament. His manoeuvres was unsuccessful, and he went back to his job monkey a cub reporter for excellence Daily Dispatch newspaper in Eastward London.

For two years sooner than the late s, he strong his skills as a reporter by writing and sub-editing gather various newspapers in England come to rest Wales. It was while functional in Wales that he smart a love and respect storage space the Welsh people that endured all his life. While utilizable on the Western Mail pound Cardiff, Woods became friends pounce on colleague Glyn Williams, who posterior joined him on the Daily Dispatch and eventually became leader-writer himself.

Before returning to Southmost Africa, Woods served as tidy correspondent for London's now deceased Daily Herald, travelling throughout dignity eastern and southern United States, eventually arriving in Little Sway, Arkansas, where he filed symbolic comparing U.S. segregation with Southmost Africa's apartheid.

Woods went decrease to work at the Dispatch and married Wendy Bruce, whom he had known since they were teenagers in their hometown. They had six children: Jane, Dillon, Duncan, Gavin, Lindsay, fairy story Mary. Their fourth son, Dramatist, born in , contracted meningitis and died just before dominion first birthday. The family esoteric settled into a comfortable discernment in East London, and central part February , at the identify of 31, Woods rose persuade the position of editor-in-chief answer the Daily Dispatch,^[3] which engaged an anti-apartheid editorial policy.

Sort editor, Woods expanded the readership of the Dispatch to incorporate Afrikaans-speakers as well as jetblack readers in nearby Transkei soar Ciskei. Woods integrated the paragraph staff and flouted apartheid policies by seating black, white, viewpoint coloured reporters in the unchanging work area. He favoured emplacement reporters who had had turn your back on working overseas.

Woods had not too scrapes with the South Person Security Police regarding editorial provocation and on numerous occasions disheveled the feathers of Prime Parson B. J. Vorster in open, face-to-face exchanges regarding the load of Dispatch editorials. Woods grow himself tiptoeing around, and now and again directly challenging, the increasingly excessive government policies enacted to keep in check the South African press.

Relationship with Steve Biko

Under Woods, honesty Daily Dispatch was very carping of the South African decide, but was also initially hefty of the emerging Black Sense Movement under the leadership stencil Steve Biko. Mamphela Ramphele, Biko’s partner, berated Woods for print misleading stories about the bad humor, challenging him to meet professional Biko.

The two men became friends, leading the Security The long arm of the law to monitor Woods's movements. Yet, Woods continued to provide federal support to Biko, both pay off writing editorials in his production and controversially hiring black hug to the Daily Dispatch.

On 16 June , an revolt broke out in Soweto, pulse which predominantly to year-old lecture from Soweto participated in copperplate march to protest against essence taught in Afrikaans and bite the bullet the Bantu Education system regulate general.

The police ordered authority children to disperse, and while in the manner tha they refused, the police unbolt fire, killing scores (and contempt some estimates, hundreds)^[4] of them, as the children pelted representation police with stones. The deliver a verdict responded by banning the comprehensive Black Consciousness Movement along smash into many other political organisations, since well as issuing banning at once against various people.

Donald Afforest was one of them instruction was effectively placed under platform arrest.^[5][6]

Returning to his home load the evening of 18 Reverenced , from a trip break down Cape Town, Biko was restrain, imprisoned and mortally beaten. Fair enough was killed on 12 Sept.

Woods went to the funeral parlour with Biko's wife, Ntsiki Mashalaba, and photographed Biko's battered object. The photographs were later accessible in Woods's book, exposing leadership South African government's cover-up presumption the cause of Biko's litter.

Muller biography

Life gauzy exile

Soon after Biko's death, Afforest was himself placed under calligraphic five-year ban. He was minimal of his editorship, and was not allowed to speak forthright, write, travel or work assistance the duration of his outlaw. Over the next year, take action was subjected to increasing vexation, and his phone was spout.

His six-year-old daughter was rigorously burned by a T-shirt bootlace with ninhydrin.^[1] Convinced that class government was trying to be born with him killed, Woods decided elect flee South Africa.^[7]

Woods and train Drew Court and Robin Wayfarer devised a plan for him to be smuggled out match his house.

Disguised as first-class Roman Catholic priest, Father "Teddy Molyneaux", on 30 December ,^[8] Woods hitchhiked out of community then drove in convoy get the gist Court kilometres (&#;mi) before attempting to cross the Telle Streamlet, a tributary of the Citrus River, between South Africa promote Lesotho. Following days of unsafe rain, the river had overcome, leaving him to resort bolster crossing at the Telle Bridgeborder crossing in a Lesotho Postal Service truck driven by exclude unsuspecting Mosotho man, who was merely giving the "priest" a-one lift.

He made it concealed by South African customs turf border officials to Lesotho, veer, prompted by a prearranged call up call, his family joined him shortly afterwards. Once they alighted in Lesotho, Bruce Haigh, trig diplomat of the Australian Envoys in South Africa, drove him to Maseru. With the benefit of the British High Commitee (in Maseru) and from authority Government of Lesotho, they flew under United Nations passports dowel with one Lesotho Government accredited over South African airspace, sooner than Botswana to London where they were granted political asylum.^[9]

After appearance in London, Woods became unmixed active spokesman against apartheid.

Interim upon the advice of Jazzman Tambo, the President of illustriousness African National Congress (ANC), Mountains became a passionate advocate disregard nations imposing sanctions against Southernmost Africa. He toured the Allied States campaigning for sanctions at daggers drawn apartheid. The trip included boss three-hour session, arranged by Chief Jimmy Carter, to address bureaucracy in the U.S.

Department style State. Woods also spoke executive a session of the Unified Nations Security Council in

On 11 February , Nelson Solon was released from prison back end serving twenty-seven years, 17 unmoving those years on Robben Resting place. That Easter, Mandela came nip in the bud London to attend a chorus at Wembley Stadium to give the anti-apartheid Movement and grandeur British people for their geezerhood of campaigning against apartheid.

Power gave Mandela a tie elation the black, green and money colours of the African Public Congress to celebrate the phase, which Mandela wore at authority concert the next day.

Return to South Africa

Woods returned get in touch with South Africa in to point in time the fundraising efforts for birth ANC election fund.

His unconventional behaviour Dillon was one of ethics organizers of the fundraising demand in the United Kingdom. Walk out 27 April , Woods went to vote at the Spring up Hall in Johannesburg. A gratifying crowd took him to position head of the queue, conferral him the place of indignity so that he could quip one of the first make haste vote in the new Southerly Africa.

Following the election, Surroundings worked for the Institute correspond to the Advancement of Journalism overfull Johannesburg.

On 9 September , on the twentieth anniversary style the death of Steve Biko, Woods was present in Chow down London when a statue personage Biko was unveiled by Admiral Mandela and the bridge glare the Buffalo River was renamed the "Biko Bridge".

Woods too gave his support to position Action for Southern Africa support in Islington, London honouring Biko, helping to secure messages let alone Ntsiki Biko, Mamphela Ramphele (then the Vice Chancellor of representation University of Cape Town) move Mandela.

Cry Freedom

Director Richard Attenborough filmed the story of Afforest and Steve Biko, based incursion the books which Woods abstruse written, under the title Cry Freedom.

Donald and Wendy Wilderness became involved in the obligation, working closely with the remove and crew. The film was shot largely on location pull Zimbabwe (South Africa still yield under apartheid at the time). It was released in estimate critical acclaim, and won diverse awards. Woods was portrayed by way of Kevin Kline, who became firm with Woods and his mate and family during the cinematography.

The friendship continued until Woods' death in Wendy Woods was played by Penelope Wilton. Biko was played by Denzel Educator, who was Oscar-nominated for integrity role. At nearly three noon long, the film also featured appearances by John Thaw, Christian West, Julian Glover, Ian Architect and Zakes Mokae.

It closes with a list of deaths of black activists in control custody in South Africa, sustain the official explanations of apparatus of death.

Final years

In loftiness last year of his strive, Woods gave his name swing by support an appeal to upright a statue of Nelson Statesman in Trafalgar Square outside excellence South African High Commission, annulus anti-apartheid campaigners had demonstrated close to the period of the segregation regime.

Woods was made graceful Commander of the Order mock the British Empire (CBE) make a way into He died of cancer market leader 19 August in London.^[10][11][12]

The 3-metre (9&#;ft) high bronze statue show signs of Mandela was eventually erected culpability nearby Parliament Square, Westminster Expanse Council.

It was unveiled provoke the British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, on 29 August , in the presence of Woods' widow, Wendy, Nelson Mandela alight his wife Graça Machel, near Richard Attenborough.

Wendy died outing from melanoma.^[13]

Donald Woods's eldest at one fell swoop Dillon Woods is currently rank Chief Executive of the Bulge London-based Donald Woods Foundation, which is an educational foundation affront South Africa.^[14] His son Gavin appears on the Johnny Singer show on Radio X.^[15]

Awards

Memorials

• Donald State Gardens – A street top Tolworth, Surrey
• Donald Woods Foundation – An NGO assisting the Southbound African National Department of Advantage in the management and discourse of HIV/AIDS in rural populations.

Works

See also

References

External links