Tsala ea Becoana: Difference between revisions
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{{Infobox newspaper |
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| name = Tsala ea Becoana |
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| image = File:PT-Tsala ea Becoana-First Issue-1910.jpg |
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| caption = First Issue, 1910 |
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| owner = <!-- or |owners= --> |
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| founder = [[Sol Plaatje]] |
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| president = |
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| editor = |
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| foundation = {{start date|1910}} |
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| political = Neutral |
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| language = [[Tswana language|Tswana]] / [[English language|English]] |
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| ceased publication = 1915 |
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| relaunched = |
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| headquarters = |
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| publishing_city = [[Kimberley, Northern Cape|Kimberley]] |
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| publishing_country = [[South Africa]] |
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'''Tsala ea Batho / Tsala ea Becauna''' (“Friend of the people” or “Friend of the Becuana”) was a Tswana and English language newspaper based in [[Kimberley, Northern Cape|Kimberly]], [[Cape Province]], between 1910 and 1915. It was a politically nonpartisan newspaper, running topical news and opinions that would interest black people in South Africa. |
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'''Platfontein''' is a community located in an arid region of the Northern Cape Province, 15 kilometers outside the town Kimberley. The community consists of two San tribes, the !Xun and the Khwe. “The San of Platfontein” is a collective name used for both the !Xun and Khwe. |
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==History== |
== History == |
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Tsala ea Becauna was founded by [[Sol Plaatje]] in 1910 in [[Kimberley, Northern Cape|Kimberly]], [[Northern Cape]]. It was the second Tswana and English language newspaper Sol Plaatje founded and edited. Articles in Sepedi often featured in the publication too. The newspaper was published multilingually as Plaatje was concerned that Setswana could disappear completely due to decreasing use. The first newspaper, Koranta ea Becauna was founded in Mafikeng in 1901, but the newspaper collapsed at the end of May 1909 because of financial difficulties. |
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The residents of Platfontein originate from the northern parts of Namibia and southern Angola <ref name= "military">[http://dspace.nwu.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10394/14280/08%20Van%20Wyk%20.pdf;sequence=1 Van Wyk, A. "The militarisation of the Platfontein San (!Xun and Khwe): |
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The initial years 1966–1974" TD The Journal for Transdisciplinary Research in Southern Africa, vol. 10, no. 3, 2014, pp. 133-151]</ref>. In both Namibia and Angola, the !Xun and the Khwe were militarised first by the Portuguese Army during the [[Angolan War of Independence]]. They had been part of the [[Flechas]], a unit of the Portuguese Special Forces.With the [[Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola]] (MPLA) assuming power in Angola in November 1975, many joined the [[South African National Defence Force]]<ref = "military"/>. |
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Along with his family, Plaatje left Mafikeng for Kimberly, where the Seleka Barolong of the Tswana Nation funded the establishment of Tsala ea Batho.<ref name="Alternative">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a5ROAAAAIAAJ&q=tsala&pg=PA75 |author=Switzer, L. |title=South Africa's Alternate Press: Voices of Protest and Resistance, 1880-1960 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |year=1997|isbn=9780521553513 }}</ref> The Seleka Barolong were wealthy business people who lived in the [[Wesleyan Methodist Church (Great Britain)|Wesleyan Methodist]] mission community of [[Thaba Nchu]] in the [[Orange Free State (province)|Orange Free State]].<ref name= "Alternative"/> |
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In the [[South African National Defence Force]], tese San soldiers were part of [[31 Battalion]] fighting at a base called Omega, located in the Western Caprivi, the Zambezi region of Namibia, on the Namibian border with Angola. “The San of Platfontein” were involved in counter-insurgency operations during the [[South African Border War]] <ref = "military"/>. This war was between the [[South African Defence Force]], in alliance with the South-West Africa Territory Force, against the [[People’s Liberation Army of Namibia]], the active military wing of [[SWAPO]]. The conflict spanned a period, from 1966 to 1989. |
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The first edition of Tsala ea Becauna was published in June 1910.<ref name="Pariah">{{cite web |url=http://www.thejournalist.org.za/pioneers/sol-t-plaatje |author=Jaffer, Z. and Tshabala, S. |title=Sol Plaatje: Pariah in the Land of His Birth |work=The Journalist |accessdate=23 November 2017}}</ref> It was a four-page weekly aimed at Tswana speakers in the Becuanaland protectorate and other Tswana speakers in South Africa.<ref name= "Alternative"/> The newspaper eventually began to have national reach. |
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This war service was not always voluntary: in 1998 the Truth and Reconciliation Commission heard several first-hand accounts of forced conscription and brutal treatment of men in the Battalion <ref name “Kalahari”>[http://kalaharipeoples.matrix.msu.edu/article.php?i=152&c=11 Palmer, C. “The History of the !Xun and Khwe” Kalahari People’s Network. Accessed 13 November]</ref>. They San of the batallion were used for their tracking skills. 31 Battalion was disbanded on 7 March 1993 and the memorabilia of the battalion form part of an exhibition at the McGregor Museum at Wildebeestkuil, Northern Cape. |
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== |
== Editorial == |
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In the first year of publication, the newspaper was focussed on the impending union of the colonies and republics — Cape Colony, Natal, Transvaal and Orange Free State — together as the Union of South Africa.<ref name= "Alternative"/> Tsala ea Becauna was against the union because it would grant dominion to the white minority over Africans. The union between the British and the Afrikaner excluded Africans from the vote and stripped Africans from their land. Tsala ea Becauna advocated for the [[Bechuanaland Protectorate]] (now the Republic of Botswana), [[Swaziland]] (now Eswatini), and [[Basutoland]] (now the Kingdom of Lesotho) to join South Africa. |
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With Plaatje as the editor, Tsala ea Becuana also reported on the Native Land Act and the paper referred to the act as the “extermination” of black Africans in the country. |
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When the battalion was disbanded, the [[SANDF]] relocated approximately 4000 !Xun and Khwe soldiers, men, women and children. They were moved from the Omega base to Mangetti Dune in Bushmanland, Namibia, and then to Schmidtsdrift in South Africa <ref name= “Bushmen”>[https://books.google.co.za/books?id=xEeuCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA323&dq=platfontein&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiJi_CArcLXAhXCJ8AKHShgCDIQ6AEIPDAF#v=onepage&q=truth&f=false Uys, I. “Bushmen Soldiers: The History of 31, 201 & 203 Battalions During the Border War, 1974-90”. 2014 Helion & Company: Warwickshire. Accessed 19 November]</ref> . In Schmidtsdrift they lived in make-shift army tents. The land on which the San were living at Schmidtsdrift formed part of the ancestral lands of ethnic Tswana, Bathlapin and a group of Griqua people. The claim to the land by these groups was approved and the San of Schmidtsdrift had to be relocated. They were scheduled for relocation to Platfontein where they reside today in a small community. |
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Tsala ea Becauna often published news on strikes and letters from miners among reports of African welfare, industrial colour bars, poor wage earnings and low pensions.<ref name="Resistance">{{cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bUvA7PHnCrUC&q=tsalade&pg=PA119 |author=Switzer, L. and Adhikari, M. |title=South Africa's Resistance Press: Alternative Voices in the last Generation Under Apartheid |location=Ohio |publisher=Centre for International Studies |year=2000|isbn=9780896802131 }}</ref> The newspaper could not ignore miners and their concerns in Kimberly because of predominance of mine labourers.<ref name="Resistance"/> The newspaper also carried national and international correspondence obtained from other publications and editorials and commentaries on their editorial page. The newspaper reported on matters of interest such as assaults committed by white miners against black labourers. The newspaper enjoyed watchdog status. |
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Under the Land Redistribution Progamme, the Department of Land Affairs identified Platfontein as possible land to settle the the !Xun and the Khwe people. In May 1999, former South African President [[Nelson Mandela]] presented the community with the title deed for this land <ref name= "Slim">[https://www.news24.com/xArchive/Archive/Slim-hope-of-homes-for-San-group-20010129 "Slim Hopes of Homes for San People" South African Press Association, 2001]</ref>. The residents of Platfontein number about 7 000 people. They live in low-income, government-built [[Reconstruction and Development Programme]] housing. Since being handed over by the Department of Housing, these RDP houses have not all been provided with proper water, sanitation and electricity by the [[Sol Plaatje]] Local Municipality. |
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The newspaper expressed modest views as is exemplified by their opposition to strikes.<ref name="Resistance"/> |
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Despite being relocated and settled together, the !Xun and Khwe have chosen to live in different parts of the settlement due to differences in the community; in Platfontein the basic services that are available are a school, two shops, a municipal building and a health clinic which both the !Xun and Khwe share <ref name= "field">[https://yhteisillatulilla.weebly.com/yhteisillauml-tulilla/party-field-work-and-research-among-san-youth-in-south-africa "Field Work and research among San Youth in South Africa" Juvonen, T. 2017Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Lapland.]</ref> |
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After [[Sol Plaatje]] became the first General Secretary of the South African Native National Congress (SANNC), later [[African National Congress]], the newspaper was increasingly viewed as an organ of the party by its readers.<ref name="Resistance"/> The newspaper contains records of the early meetings of the African National Congress. |
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==Culture== |
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== Late History == |
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The San community of Platfontein are former hunting, foraging, and pastoral people. The community has been who subject to complex socio-economic and political change. Traditionally the San, lived a mobile life closely associated with the seasonal availability of water supplies. They have traditionally moved around in search of food making dwellings and sites of residence temporary. Being in permanent homes has disrupted this traditional way of life. Many of the Khwe traditions such as folklore and storytelling, tracking, traditional music and healing dances are being lost and giving way to the modern practices and ways of living preferred by the younger generation <ref name= "Hip">[http://ccms.ukzn.ac.za/Libraries/Masters_Dessertations/Itunu_Masters_Dissertation.sflb.ashx Bodurin, I. "The Emergence of Hip-Hop Subculture among the Khwe Bushmen of Platfontein, Northern Cape, South Africa" 2014. Accessed 20 November.]</ref> |
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''Tsala ea Becauna'' was renamed ''Tsala ea Batho'' (“Friend of the People”) in April 1913.<ref name="Sol">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UotZ6YAyMroC&q=tsala&pg=PA21 |author=Van Wyk, C. |title=Sol Plaatje |location=Johannesburg |publisher=Awareness Publishing |year=2001|isbn=9781919910826 }}</ref> The name change reflected a growing national awareness and a shift from tribe to nation.<ref name="European">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gt07FgJovZEC&q=%22tsala+ea+batho%22&pg=PA196 |author=Gerard, AS. |title=European-Language Writing in Sub-Saharan Africa |location=Budapest |publisher=Akademiai Kaido |year=1986|isbn=9630538334 }}</ref> |
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The [[South African Broadcasting Corporation]],(SABC) has a radio station called X-K FM located in Platfontein. The station and the community are involved in making of radio programs in !Xun and the Khwedam languages. 56 per centof the population speak !Xun and 35 per cent of the population speaks Khwedam. These efforts are aimed at preserving culture, identity and languages. !Xun and the Khwedam languages are disappearing because Afrikaans and English are the main languages used at schools and public services. |
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The publication struggled to stay open despite a circulation reportedly in the thousands and consistent advertising. Another contributing factor was that Plaatje left for Britain in May 1914, on the brink of World War I, as a member of the SANNC deputation protesting the Natives’ Land Act, and Tsala ea Batho came to an end during the prolonged time he was forced to spend overseas. |
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| ⚫ | |||
{{ref list}} |
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The English-Setswana weekly, Tsala ea Becauna, was one of the organs of black political news and opinion for the turbulent period of its existence. |
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== See also == |
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*[[Xhosa language newspapers]] |
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*[[Tswana language]] |
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| ⚫ | |||
{{reflist}} |
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[[Category:Defunct newspapers published in South Africa]] |
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[[Category:Tswana-language mass media|newspapers]] |
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[[Category:Newspapers established in 1910]] |
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[[Category:Publications disestablished in 1915]] |
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Latest revision as of 05:51, 7 December 2024
 First Issue, 1910 | |
| Founder(s) | Sol Plaatje |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1910 |
| Political alignment | Neutral |
| Language | Tswana / English |
| Ceased publication | 1915 |
| City | Kimberley |
| Country | South Africa |
Tsala ea Batho / Tsala ea Becauna (“Friend of the people” or “Friend of the Becuana”) was a Tswana and English language newspaper based in Kimberly, Cape Province, between 1910 and 1915. It was a politically nonpartisan newspaper, running topical news and opinions that would interest black people in South Africa.
History
[edit]Tsala ea Becauna was founded by Sol Plaatje in 1910 in Kimberly, Northern Cape. It was the second Tswana and English language newspaper Sol Plaatje founded and edited. Articles in Sepedi often featured in the publication too. The newspaper was published multilingually as Plaatje was concerned that Setswana could disappear completely due to decreasing use. The first newspaper, Koranta ea Becauna was founded in Mafikeng in 1901, but the newspaper collapsed at the end of May 1909 because of financial difficulties.
Along with his family, Plaatje left Mafikeng for Kimberly, where the Seleka Barolong of the Tswana Nation funded the establishment of Tsala ea Batho.[1] The Seleka Barolong were wealthy business people who lived in the Wesleyan Methodist mission community of Thaba Nchu in the Orange Free State.[1]
The first edition of Tsala ea Becauna was published in June 1910.[2] It was a four-page weekly aimed at Tswana speakers in the Becuanaland protectorate and other Tswana speakers in South Africa.[1] The newspaper eventually began to have national reach.
Editorial
[edit]In the first year of publication, the newspaper was focussed on the impending union of the colonies and republics — Cape Colony, Natal, Transvaal and Orange Free State — together as the Union of South Africa.[1] Tsala ea Becauna was against the union because it would grant dominion to the white minority over Africans. The union between the British and the Afrikaner excluded Africans from the vote and stripped Africans from their land. Tsala ea Becauna advocated for the Bechuanaland Protectorate (now the Republic of Botswana), Swaziland (now Eswatini), and Basutoland (now the Kingdom of Lesotho) to join South Africa.
With Plaatje as the editor, Tsala ea Becuana also reported on the Native Land Act and the paper referred to the act as the “extermination” of black Africans in the country.
Tsala ea Becauna often published news on strikes and letters from miners among reports of African welfare, industrial colour bars, poor wage earnings and low pensions.[3] The newspaper could not ignore miners and their concerns in Kimberly because of predominance of mine labourers.[3] The newspaper also carried national and international correspondence obtained from other publications and editorials and commentaries on their editorial page. The newspaper reported on matters of interest such as assaults committed by white miners against black labourers. The newspaper enjoyed watchdog status.
The newspaper expressed modest views as is exemplified by their opposition to strikes.[3]
After Sol Plaatje became the first General Secretary of the South African Native National Congress (SANNC), later African National Congress, the newspaper was increasingly viewed as an organ of the party by its readers.[3] The newspaper contains records of the early meetings of the African National Congress.
Late History
[edit]Tsala ea Becauna was renamed Tsala ea Batho (“Friend of the People”) in April 1913.[4] The name change reflected a growing national awareness and a shift from tribe to nation.[5]
The publication struggled to stay open despite a circulation reportedly in the thousands and consistent advertising. Another contributing factor was that Plaatje left for Britain in May 1914, on the brink of World War I, as a member of the SANNC deputation protesting the Natives’ Land Act, and Tsala ea Batho came to an end during the prolonged time he was forced to spend overseas.
The English-Setswana weekly, Tsala ea Becauna, was one of the organs of black political news and opinion for the turbulent period of its existence.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Switzer, L. (1997). South Africa's Alternate Press: Voices of Protest and Resistance, 1880-1960. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521553513.
- ^ Jaffer, Z. and Tshabala, S. "Sol Plaatje: Pariah in the Land of His Birth". The Journalist. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c d Switzer, L. and Adhikari, M. (2000). South Africa's Resistance Press: Alternative Voices in the last Generation Under Apartheid. Ohio: Centre for International Studies. ISBN 9780896802131.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Van Wyk, C. (2001). Sol Plaatje. Johannesburg: Awareness Publishing. ISBN 9781919910826.
- ^ Gerard, AS. (1986). European-Language Writing in Sub-Saharan Africa. Budapest: Akademiai Kaido. ISBN 9630538334.