“Anarchism is not mysticism; it is not a discourse on beauty; it is not a cry of despair… It carries within itself the truth, the heroism and the aspirations of the masses, and it is today the only social doctrine which the masses can count on in their struggle… Anarchism must go to the masses and merge with them.”
Piotr Arshinov, 1923,
History of the Makhnovist Movement, 1918-1921
Who we are:
Welcome to the homepage of the Bikisha Media Collective, a South African anarchist media project. Founded on the revolutionary principles of class-struggle anarchism in October 1999, the Bikisha Media Collective has the following aims:
- Distributing anarchist literature, videos, and music
- Developing and publishing new anarchist works dealing with southern Africa
We are NOT a political party or an anarchist political organisation, nor do we pretend to be. We are just a project working towards the above goals. That is our only role for now. Later? We’ll see.
The Bikisha Media Collective works in close co-operation with Zabalaza Books, an anarchist publishing and distribution project based in Durban, South Africa.
Our beliefs:
Our work is guided by the following principles:
- The centrality of the organised working class in social transformation
- A class-struggle fight against neo-liberalism, capitalism and the capitalist State
- A class-struggle fight against imperialism and economic and social oppression
- Revolutionary internationalism
- Working-class self-management of struggles and workers’ organisations
- Social revolution for international anarcho-communism based on the self-management of economic life and distribution according to need
Founded by Mikhail Bakunin and his allies in the International Workingmen’s Association (1864-1876), revolutionary anarchism has always stood for the rights of the working class and peasantry, for social and economic equality for all, and social revolution against the capitalist class and its’ allies. We raise the red-and-black flag of class war against the ruling class of the world.
We draw inspiration from the noble history of anarchism and revolutionary syndicalism, including our own predecessors in South Africa, such as the International Socialist League and the Industrial Workers of Africa (see the African anarchist history page). We are also inspired by the ideas of the Organisational Platform of the Libertarian Communists, the most important anarchist document of the twentieth century.
It is only through anarchism that the working classes and peasantries of the west, east and south will end the nightmare of capitalism and its’ latest phase, neo-liberalism.
And, today, it is anarchism, which is at the forefront of the struggle against neo-liberalism. Witness the Seattle protests! Anarchism which has never betrayed the working class, like the nationalist parties, the Marxists and the social democrats. If you want to fight for social justice, and a new and better world, you should get involved with the real movement for change.
For more information, go to our anarchist resources in Africa section, or contact us.
What we do:
Since our founding, the Bikisha Media Collective and its’ members have
- co-produced five new anarchist pamphlets with Zabalaza Books
- participated in the anarcho-syndicalist congress in April 2000: “Le Autre Futur”
- affiliated to the Anti-Privatisation Forum against neo-liberalism in Gauteng
- helped distribute hundreds of anarchist pamphlets
Source: the original BMC website, archived at: http://struggle.ws/inter/groups/bikisha/main.htm
SAASHA 