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The Panther
May 2, 1994 PJ
South African Students ‘Optimistic’
About Homeland's Future Under Mandela
By Stacy Adams
Features Assistant
South African students at
Clark Atlanta University had
mixed views about the April 26-
28 election in their homeland.
Some of these students
voiced that the election, while
overdue for black South
Africans, will have varying
effects on issues such as the
area’s politics, economics and
people.
“I see the election as a step
ahead,” said Gumotsang Seema,
a South African junior at CAU.
Seema said that although she
was very excited about the his
toric event, she was uncertain
whether an end to apartheid or
tribalism will be a definite
result.
“It is not guaranteed that the
rate of violence is going to
decrease after the election
because the [high rate of vio
lence] that it’s going right now
is very scary,” she said.
According to Seema, this
event, which will give black
South Africans their first oppor
tunity to vote, was not about a
presidential election. She said
that it was a process by which
South Africans elected a new
form of government.
Lerato Senatle, a sophomore
at CAU from South Africa, said
that she was all for the election
but saw it as a temporary solu
tion. She said that giving blacks
the chance to exercise their right
to vote seemed like an effort to
calm down the protests for
equality there.
“I guess their using this to
keep the people quiet,” said
Senatle.
The election will focus on the
future leadership of president
Nelson Mandela, the first black
ever to hold the position and his
party, the African National
Congress (ANC)
Mangosuthu Buthelezi, chief
minister of Kwa Zulu and leader
of the Zulu Nationalist Inkata
Party, was opposed to the elec
tion.
Buthelezi allegedly believed
that the Mandela will create an
ANC dictatorship that will
weaken the Zulu’s independent
culture.
However, Senatle believes
that the Zulu chief does not
want to lessen his authority or
position. “He knows that if the
election takes place, he’s going
to lose power. He’s just being
selfish,” said Senatle.
Seema said she believed
Buthelezi has been brainwashed
by the officers and government
now in place.
Despite the violent opposi
tion by some of the Zulus, Guy
Martin, associate professor of
CAU’s Political Science
Department, said the election is
still significant for black South
Africans. “It represents the end
of whites who have been in
power since the 1800s,” he said.
Seema agreed and said, “It’s
[was] significant to South
Africans over here; yet, unfortu
nate that we [could not] be there
to witness the actual election.”
South Africans in the U.S.
voted in the election through
absentee ballots available in cer
tain metropolitan cities such as
Chicago, Los Angeles and New
York and Atlanta. •
Martin mentioned that upris
ings from opposing Zulus
caused conflicts in the election
but said, “The problem will be
civic education.”
According to Martin, 90 to
95 percent of black South
Africans are illiterate and edu
cating them on the concepts of
democracy may be difficult.
Seema agreed that education
is a problem in her homeland
and added that unemployment'
and the economy should also be
addressed by a newly elected
government.
According to Martin, who
attributes the release of Mandela
as one of the factors that led to
the election, “The government
said they will try their best to
have a free and fair election.”
According to Martin, he attrib
uted the release of Mandela as
one of the factors that led to the
election, “The government said
they will try their best to have a
free and fair election.”
Seema and Senatle, who have
not been home since 1993 and
1985 respectively, said they
were optimistic about the elec
tion results. “It’s been a long
time coming and I hope it will
be beneficial to the people,” said
Senatle. “Things have been the
same too long, white people in
power and blacks having no say
so,” she added.
Seema said the election was fair
by giving all political parties
involved a chance to be elected; but,
she contended she had a wait-and-
see attitude. “Let’s see what hap
pens between now.”
Social Organization
Re-Charted At CAU
By Barbara C. Wilkins
Contributing Writer
Groove Phi Groove
Social Fellowship
Incorporated (G Phi G)
has returned to the
campus of Clark
Atlanta University
after a six year
absence, reviving the
Panther 4 chapter of
this national organiza
tion.
The latest pledge line,
called the “Power of
Three,” was the first to
become initiated into G
Phi G on the CAU cam
pus since the fall of 1988.
Although the all-male
members of the non-
Greek organization had
the option of originating
new chapters at other
Atlanta area schools, they
chose to revive the
Panther 4 chapter at CAU
because of the historical
significance of the two
entities relationship.
Created by 14 black
men in 1962 at Morgan
Stale University, GPhiG
did not make its’ way to
Atlanta until 1974 when
the charter line pledged
at Clark. Fred Bryant,
a Clark College alumni
and president of the
charter line, recalled
the position of leader
ship that G Phi G held
in the university’s
community. “We were
always well-received
by the student body
and there were often
times when we acted
as the liaison between
administration and stu
dents to pull both sides
together in times of
conflict,” he said.
As an organization
that said it is dedicated
to uplifting the educa
tional and socioeco
nomic status of
African-American
boys and men, the
Panther 4 chapter has
sponsored various ser
vice programs at CAU
and in the surrounding
community.
In addition to hav
ing sponsored blood
drives through out the
Atlanta University
Center, the organiza
tion said they have
also held annual Easter
egg hunts at the
Atlanta Central
Methodist Church and
have given away
turkeys every
Thanksgiving.
According to CAU
junior and Groove
member, Devin
“Diesel” Thomas, in
September “we will
bring back a lot of the
service projects that
our older brothers did.
Basically, we want to
put Groove back into
the community.”
Considering them
selves a social fellow
ship, G Phi G has in
the past sponsored a
“Umoja (unity)
Festival” which took
place in the field
behind CAU’s
Bumstead Hall.
Groove will bring back
this event next year to
in an effort to promote
student unity.
“What attracted me
to this organization
was that the Grooves
don’t ostracize anyone
because they don’t fit a
certain image,” said
Imani “Black Caesar”
Moody, another
Groove member and a
Morehouse College
senior.
“The paraphernalia
we wear is only a tan
gle representation of
our dedication and
pride,” said Morehouse
sophomore and G Phi
G member, John
“Dread” Oliver. He
added that “the real
indication will be the
impact we have on the
AUC and on the com
munity as a whole.”
Nation Of Islam Student Minister
Addresses Views on Blacks/Jews Relations
By Malik Adams
Staff Writer
On March 31,Wesley X, Nation of
Islam Student Minister, addressed the past
and present reasons for the notorious con
flict between Jewish groups and the Nation
of Islam (N.O.I.)., in the McPheeters
Dennis building of Clark Atlanta
University.
The symposium entitled, “Why Does
The Jewish Group Anti-Defamation
League (A.D.L.) Desire The Death Of
Minister Louis Farrakhan,” that was pre
sented by The Nation of Islam Students
Association, enabled Wesley X to discuss
historical, political, and theological differ
ences between the N.O.I. and various
Jewish organizations.
Early in his speech Wesley X stressed
how members of the N.O.I. view Minister
Louis Farrakhan compared to various
members of the public. “We believe that
the Honorable Louis Farrakhan is not just a
leader, we believe he is the apostle of God
in our midst,” said X. “ However, there are
those who say that he is a anti-semitic, a
con-man, and a pimp, and like to challenge
our (N.O.I.) reasons for following him.”
According to Wesley X, Jewish groups
are the real cause of the controversy sur
rounding Farrakhan and cited the J.D.L.
protest in front of the Arsenio Hall Show
last February as one of many examples.
“They call the Nation of Islam haters but
you never here us call for the death of
Jewish persons or their leaders,” said X.
“But Jews line up outside public arenas,
with the media present and chant, who do
we want, Farrakhan! How do we want
him? Dead!”
Wesley X stated that although Minister
Farrakhan has made various remarks that
have outraged the Jewish community, there
is one that stands out above the rest. “The
primary problem that Jews have with The
Honorable Louis Farrakhan is the fact that
he has declared to the world that the Jews
are not the chosen people,” said X.
Throughout the lecture, the student min
ister quoted scriptures from the bible and
referred to historical facts to support the
N.O.I’s theological position that black-
Americans are the true chosen people.
“It is written in the book of Genesis that
God told Abraham, who was a black man,
that his descendants would be stranded in a
foreign land and would be enslaved by a
strange people for 400 years,” said X.
“There is no history of any people being in
bondage in a strange land for four hundred
years, except black people who were
brought over here in 1555 by Sir John
Hawkins on the slave ship named Jesus.”
In addition, Wesley X also stated that
Jews are angry at Minister Farrakhan for
stating that Jews played a major role in the
African Slave Trade, despite the fact that
Farrakhan includes Jewish scholars in his
sources. “Jews were part of the people
responsible for putting God’s people in
bondage for 400 years and this is where the
new fight begins,” said X. “They (Jews)
are mad because of the book, The Secret
Relationship Between Blacks And Jews.
“Jews say this book is not valid, however,
there are over 1,500 footnotes in this book,
the majority of them are by Jews.”
In addition to quoting passages from the
book to show how the Jews were involved
in the African Slave Trade, Wesley X stat
ed that there were a significant amount of
Jews who financed Adolph Hitler, who had
Jewish ancestry, according to X.