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.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the importance of African contributions to humanity over mere industrial or military advancements.
Steven Biko highlights that, while the great powers of the world have made significant advancements in industry and military might, the true gift to the world is the humanistic values and perspectives that originate from Africa. This suggests that technology and power are not enough; what is truly valuable is the deeper understanding of humanity and compassion that Africa represents.
In practice
This quote can be used to inspire discussions on the importance of cultural contributions at a global conference.
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.
We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our birth. These are concepts which the Black Consciousness approach wishes to eradicate from the black man's mind before our society is driven to chaos by irresponsible people from Coca-cola and hamburger cultural backgrounds.
When you say 'Black is beautiful' you are saying, 'Man you are okay as you are, begin to look upon yourself as a human being'.
We are concerned with that curious bunch of nonconformists who explain their participation in negative terms: that bunch of do-gooders that goes under all sorts of names - liberals, leftists, etc. These are the people who argue that they are not responsible for white racism and the country's 'inhumanity to the black man.'
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.
Black Consciousness is an attitude of the mind and a way of life, the most positive call to emanate from the black world for a long time. Its essence is the realisation by the black man of the need to rally together with his brothers around the cause of their oppression - the blackness of their skin - and to operate as a group to rid themselves of the shackles that bind them to perpetual servitude.
When any person suffers for someone in greater need, that person is a human.
Human beings are complicated and flawed and unique, but we all have a story to tell. Gone are the days where our lead characters can only look like somebody else. Heroes look like all of us. We see ourselves in each others' stories. We see who we are. We see who we want to be. Sometimes we see who we don't want to be. And through that we have a greater understanding of ourselves and acceptance of each other.
The world has only one border. It is called humanity. The differences between us are small compared to our shared humanity. Put humans first.
Blushing is the most peculiar and most human of all expressions.
We may be different races and religions but we are all part of the same human family
I try to be as honest about what I see and to speak rather than be silent, especially if it means I can save lives, or serve humanity.
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