Steve Biko

black tired play do themselves

"The Blacks are tired of standing at the touchlines to witness a game that they should be playing. They want to do things for themselves and all by themselves."

—Steve Biko (1946-1977)

alive proud dead

"You are either alive and proud or you are dead, and when you are dead, you can't care anyway."

—Steve Biko (1946-1977)

weapon potent oppressor mind oppressed

"The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed."

—Steve Biko (1946-1977)

black pigmentation attitude

"Being Black is not a matter of pigmentation — being Black is a reflection of a mental attitude."

—Steve Biko (1946-1977)

die idea live better

“It is better to die for an idea that will live, than to live for an idea that will die”

—Steve Biko (1946-1977)

potent weapon opress human superior black inferior

“The most potent weapon of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed.

So as a prelude whites must be made to realise that they are only human, not superior. Same with Blacks. They must be made to realise that they are also human, not inferior.”

—Steve Biko (1946-1977)

be am beat jail oppress force

"I'm going to be me as I am, and you can beat me or jail me or even kill me, but I'm not going to be what you want me to be."

—Steve Biko (1946-1977)

truth change personalityblack pride dignoty

"It becomes more necessary to see the truth as it is if you realise that the only vehicle for change are these people who have lost their personality. The first step therefore is to make the black man come to himself; to pump back life into his empty shell; to infuse him with pride and dignity, to remind him of his complicity in the crime of allowing himself to be misused and therefore letting evil reign supreme in the country of his birth."

—Steve Biko (1946-1977)

change people think world

"Change the way people think and things will never be the same"

—Steve Biko (1946-1977)

remind black ministry god habit solve problem earth

"I would like to remind the black ministry and indeed all black people that God is not in the habit of coming down from heaven to solve people's problems on earth."

—Steve Biko (1946-1977)

wealth country enjoy people

"The wealth of the country must eventually be enjoyed by people of the country"

—Steve Biko (1946-1977)

powers industry military gift human face africa

"The great powers of the world may have done wonders in giving the world an industrial and military look but the great gift still has to come from Africa - giving the world a more human face."

—Steve Biko (1946-1977)

say radical dress conservative

"If you want to say something radical, you should dress conservative."

—Steve Biko (1946-1977)

tradition group taste fruit wealth prestige comfort lie

"Tradition has it that whenever a group of people has tasted the lovely fruits of wealth, security and prestige it begins to find it more comfortable to believe in the obvious lie and accept that it alone is entitled to privilege."

—Steve Biko (1946-1977)

integration white man exploit

"This is white man's integration, an integration based on exploitative values"

—Steve Biko (1946-1977)