All of my friends were there
Fourteen years after the former German Democratic Republic (East
Germany) opened files that its Stasi secret police held on
citizens, South Africa has at last revealed the existence of the
SB files.
"This Day" newspaper has begun publishing an alphabetical list of
these enemies of the state, or heroes of the struggle, depending
on which way you want to look at it. They are not on the archives
indexes available on the Internet, but if you rush out and buy
"This Day" you can get the start of the list. They warn that
people may only be allowed to look at their own records.
When I went to matriculate as a student at the University of Dur-
ham in 1966, I was wearing a badge that said "I am an enemy of
the state". An English student with a rather plummy upper-class
accent looked at it and asked "Why?" and I replied, "I don't
know." And he said, "Well, I suppose that's what one can expect
these days."
His words were true, but not in the way he probably meant them.
Now I know that I was enemy of the state No 1658. Perhaps if I go
to the archives and look at my file, I'll be able to find out
why, though I doubt that I'll ever see that nameless English stu-
dent again to be able to tell him.
In the mean time, thanks to "This Day" for publishing my struggle
credentials, and as a song of the same vintage as the student
with the plummy accent put it, "All of my friends were there."
Perhaps we can have a reunion some time, those of us who
survived, that is. Some, like No 3032, Steven Bantu Bika (sic --
should be Biko) are no longer with us.
Germany) opened files that its Stasi secret police held on
citizens, South Africa has at last revealed the existence of the
SB files.
"This Day" newspaper has begun publishing an alphabetical list of
these enemies of the state, or heroes of the struggle, depending
on which way you want to look at it. They are not on the archives
indexes available on the Internet, but if you rush out and buy
"This Day" you can get the start of the list. They warn that
people may only be allowed to look at their own records.
When I went to matriculate as a student at the University of Dur-
ham in 1966, I was wearing a badge that said "I am an enemy of
the state". An English student with a rather plummy upper-class
accent looked at it and asked "Why?" and I replied, "I don't
know." And he said, "Well, I suppose that's what one can expect
these days."
His words were true, but not in the way he probably meant them.
Now I know that I was enemy of the state No 1658. Perhaps if I go
to the archives and look at my file, I'll be able to find out
why, though I doubt that I'll ever see that nameless English stu-
dent again to be able to tell him.
In the mean time, thanks to "This Day" for publishing my struggle
credentials, and as a song of the same vintage as the student
with the plummy accent put it, "All of my friends were there."
Perhaps we can have a reunion some time, those of us who
survived, that is. Some, like No 3032, Steven Bantu Bika (sic --
should be Biko) are no longer with us.