Amandla (power)
Encyclopedia
Amandla is a Xhosa
and Zulu
word meaning "power". The word was a popular rallying cry in the days of resistance against Apartheid, used by the African National Congress
and its allies. The leader of a group would call out "Amandla!" and the crowd would respond with "Awethu" or "Ngawethu!" (To us), completing the South African version of the rallying cry Power to the People!
. The word is still associated with struggles against oppression.
Mandla, which is derived from "amandla", is also a common first name in South Africa
. It is also the name of a leftist NGO that publishes a magazine by the same name.
Use of the term has also become back into popularity during recent service deliver protests and among poor people's movements. South Africa's independent social movements such as Abahlali baseMjondolo
, the Anti-Eviction Campaign and the Mandela Park Backyarders use "Amandla Ngawethu!" during their anti-government and anti-political party protests. The chant is often used by the movements as a way of beginning or ending a speech as well as quieting down a crowd when a speaker has something important to say.
The Anti-Eviction Campaign also uses the phrase "Power to the Poor People" as a variation of
"Amandla Ngawethu" and "Power to the People" to denote the need of poor people's movements to control and speak for themselves and not have wealthy left NGOs speak for them.
Xhosa language
Xhosa is one of the official languages of South Africa. Xhosa is spoken by approximately 7.9 million people, or about 18% of the South African population. Like most Bantu languages, Xhosa is a tonal language, that is, the same sequence of consonants and vowels can have different meanings when said...
and Zulu
Zulu language
Zulu is the language of the Zulu people with about 10 million speakers, the vast majority of whom live in South Africa. Zulu is the most widely spoken home language in South Africa as well as being understood by over 50% of the population...
word meaning "power". The word was a popular rallying cry in the days of resistance against Apartheid, used by the African National Congress
African National Congress
The African National Congress is South Africa's governing Africanist political party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a...
and its allies. The leader of a group would call out "Amandla!" and the crowd would respond with "Awethu" or "Ngawethu!" (To us), completing the South African version of the rallying cry Power to the People!
Power to the people (slogan)
"Power to the people" is a political slogan that has been used in a wide variety of contexts.-In politics:During the 1960s in the United States, young people began speaking and writing this phrase as a form of rebellion against what they perceived as the oppression by the older generation,...
. The word is still associated with struggles against oppression.
Mandla, which is derived from "amandla", is also a common first name in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. It is also the name of a leftist NGO that publishes a magazine by the same name.
Current use in South Africa
After Apartheid ended, people have begun to use the rallying cry 'Amandla' to express their grievances against current government policies including those of the ANC. The Trade Unions still use it during their mass meetings and protests.Use of the term has also become back into popularity during recent service deliver protests and among poor people's movements. South Africa's independent social movements such as Abahlali baseMjondolo
Abahlali baseMjondolo
Abahlali baseMjondolo , also known as AbM or the red shirts is a shack-dwellers' movement in South Africa which is well known for its campaigning for public housing. The movement grew out of a road blockade organized from the Kennedy Road shack settlement in the city of Durban in early 2005 and now...
, the Anti-Eviction Campaign and the Mandela Park Backyarders use "Amandla Ngawethu!" during their anti-government and anti-political party protests. The chant is often used by the movements as a way of beginning or ending a speech as well as quieting down a crowd when a speaker has something important to say.
The Anti-Eviction Campaign also uses the phrase "Power to the Poor People" as a variation of
"Amandla Ngawethu" and "Power to the People" to denote the need of poor people's movements to control and speak for themselves and not have wealthy left NGOs speak for them.
See also
- Amandla!: A Revolution in Four-Part HarmonyAmandla!: A Revolution in Four-Part HarmonyAmandla!: A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony is a 2002 documentary film depicting the struggles of black South Africans against the injustices of Apartheid through the use of music. The film takes its name from the Nguni word amandla, which means power.The film was Produced by Sherry Simpson Dean...
- AmandalaAmandalaAmandala is a Belizean tabloid newspaper; published twice weekly, it is considered the "most widely circulated newspaper in Belize." It was established on August 13, 1969 as the chief spreadsheet for the United Black Association for Development...
, Belizean newspaper deriving its name from the word - Amandla (song)- 46664 (Nelson Mandela HIV/AIDS charity)
- Amandla FestivalAmandla FestivalAmandla--Festival of Unity—was a world music festival held at Harvard Stadium in Boston, Massachusetts, on July 21, 1979. The goals of the concert were to support and celebrate the liberation of Southern Africa as well as the on-going efforts of people in Boston to end racism in their families,...
, a 1979 world music festival held in Boston, Massachusetts - Anti-Eviction Campaign
- Abahlali baseMjondoloAbahlali baseMjondoloAbahlali baseMjondolo , also known as AbM or the red shirts is a shack-dwellers' movement in South Africa which is well known for its campaigning for public housing. The movement grew out of a road blockade organized from the Kennedy Road shack settlement in the city of Durban in early 2005 and now...
- Amandla DevelopmentAmandla DevelopmentAmandla Development is a South Africa based NGO focused on empowering South African youth with equal access to education opportunities. Amandla means "power." Founded in 2009, Amandla Development builds capacity by working in education and collaborating with other NGOs and schools.Amandla...
- Amand.la
- Amandla Publishers
- The Mandela Park BackyardersMandela Park BackyardersThe Mandela Park Backyarders or just Backyarders is an unfunded Khayelitsha-based South African social movement made up of poor and marginalised residents of Mandela Park that is working for housing rights and against evictions....