spro-cas: some publishing problems

Spro-Cas: Some Publishing ProblemsAuthor(s): Peter RandallSource: Africa Today, Vol. 21, No. 2 (Spring, 1974), pp. 75-78Published by: Indiana University PressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4185398 .

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Spro-cas: Some Publishing Problems

Peter Randall

Editor's Note: Over the past few years, some of the most significant discussion of

the issues facing South African society has come from a creative project, Spro-cas, initiated jointly by the Christian Institute of South Africa and the South African Council of Churches. The two phases of the project, Spro-cas I (Study Project on Christianity in an Apartheid Society) and Spro-cas II (Special Project for Christian Action in Society), have resulted in numerous publications about which we have consistently tried to keep our readers informed through our publications section. (See Africa Today, Summer 1973, p. 90, item 4 for the most recent). In this issue we include reviews of two of the more recent releases (see page 95) and begin our book section with this important account by the director of the project, which concluded at the end of 1973, of the difficulties en- countered in publishing and distributing their findings. The report was originally circulated by Spro-cas late last year. - EAH

In the space of less than three years, Spro-cas has produced twenty-five publications (i.e. books and booklets, excluding dossiers, study aids and leaflets) which make a valuable contribution to South Africa. In the words of the 1973 National Conference of the Council of Churches, Spro-cas has opened up the issues, proposed alternatives, and assisted in the quest for a more just and humane social order in our country. The Pretoria News (10 August 1972) has said that Spro-cas "has added what could be crucial material to a ferment of thought from which new South African attitudes promise to emerge." Japie Basson MP has acclaimed "the immensely valuable material" that Spro-cas has placed "at the disposal of our public and political representatives." Other South African leaders, both black and white, have expressed praise for the work of Spro-cas. They include Chief Gatsha Buthelezi, Bishop Alphaeus Zulu, Bishop Peter Buthelezi, Archbishop Denis Hurley, and many academics and jour- nalists. Typical of the opinions expressed by many outsiders has been that of Prof. Cranford Pratt of the Department of Political Economy at the University of Toronto: "I cannot understand how any intelligent observer of the South African scene could regard the Spro-cas publications as other than highly responsible, positive and moderate."

Problems

The opinions quoted above (only a few among many) are given merely in order to indicate how informed and responsible people regard Spro-cas. Despite their favorable judgment, however, the Spro-cas publishing program is sub- jected to a variety of hindrances and harassments which have inevitably caused it to be less effective than it might have been. It is probably true to say that the South African government, for example, would rather punish than

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reward Spro-cas for the contribution it has made. The problems fall into five major categories: (a) Legally-imposed self-censorship (b) Deliberate barriers to communication (c) The banning of people under the Suppression of Com- munism Act (d) The banning of books by the Publications Control Board (the censors) (e) Financial and other losses caused by (c) and (d).

(a) Self-censorship Writers in South Africa have to be constantly on their guard not to offend

against the galaxy of laws governing freedom of expression, with the severe penalties that may be incurred by the unwary. In addition, it is an of- fence to quote banned or listed people, including almost every major black political figure of the past twenty years outside the separate development system, and most of the significant black writers of this and the previous generation. For example, Andre Brink in Anatomy of Apartheid (Spro-cas Occasional Publication 1) wished to quote the African writer Ezekiel Mphahlele but this had to be deleted by the editor before going to press. Similarly, Nadine Gordimer was unable to quote the same writer, and others who were relevant for her scholarly purpose, in The Black Interpreters, Notes on African WriLing (Spro-cas / Ravan, 1973). Similarly, in the final Spro-cas report, A Taste of Power, I was unable to draw on the work of Dr. Rick Turner and other banned people. All the Spro-cas study commissions faced similar problems and were often frustrated by having to impose a self-censorship which inevitably affected the quality of their reports.

(b) Barriers to communication Although review copies of all Spro-cas reports were regularly sent to all

major Afrikaans newspapers in the country, on no occasion did a factual and accurate report appear in any of them. This did not prevent some of them from expressing hostility to Spro-cas in their editorial columns. Afrikaans bookshops have generally shown unwillingness to stock Spro-cas publications. Cabinet Ministers to whom advance copies of the Spro-cas reports were sent seldom bothered to acknowledge them. The Leader of the Opposition, Sir de Villiers Graaff, was not prepared to meet the chairman of the Political Commission to receive a presentation copy of South Africa's Political Alternatives, the commission's report. When the Spro-cas director received a study grant to travel overseas and attend conferences, his passport was summarily confiscated in July 1972 without reasons being given. The same happened to another staff member, Mr. Horst Kleinschmidt, in April 1973. While not making any allegations, I merely record that Spro-cas has experienced inexplicable problems from time to time with communication by mail and by telephone.

(c) Bannings of people Examples of problems that arise when individuals are arbitrarily banned

under the Suppression of Communism Act and can thus no longer be quoted (on penalty of up to three years imprisonment.) (i) Fr. Cosmas Desmond was banned after his essay on 'African Resettlement'

had already been published in Some Implications of Inequality (Spro-cas Occasional Publication 4). The essay then had to be torn out by hand from hundreds of copies of the book. The book was later reprinted with blank pages where the essay had been. This necessitated making new plates for the affected parts of the book.

(ii) Dr. Rick Turner was banned on 27 February 1973. His essay in Directions of Change (Spro-cas Occasional Publication 3) had to be torn out, and the book

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Peter Randall

was later reprinted with blank pages. White Liberation had already been printed with an essay by Dr. Turner. The same procedure had to be followed. The book, Eye of the Needle (Spro-cas, 1972) by Dr. Turner had to be withdrawn from distribution. Several hundred copies were involved. Dr. Turner could, in addition, no longer serve on the Spro-cas Political Commission and was unable to sign its report.

(iii) Mr. Justice Moloto was banned and could no longer serve on the Spro-cas Political Commission, nor sign its report.

(iv) Steve Biko was banned after publication of Black Viewpoint, which he edited. His editorial had to be torn out by hand from hundreds of copies.

(v) Spro-cas was in process of issuing a dossier on the student-police clashes of June 1972, on behalf of NUSAS, when eight NUSAS leaders were banned in February 1973. A new editorial had to be written and was pasted over the original one by Paul Pretorius, one of those banned, in the more than 1,000 copies that had not been distributed. The police are now investigating a possible contravention under the Suppression of Communism Act, Section 11 (g) bis, in connection with that dossier. This has led to three visits by police to the Spro-cas and Ravan Press offices, involving ten policemen altogether, and necessitating searches and interviews lasting about seven hours in all. Various documents and records have been removed. If a charge is brought and proved (against the directors of Ravan Press - Dr. Beyers Naude, Rev. Danie van Zyl and myself - and the directors of Spro-cas) the potential maximum sentence is three years imprisonment.

(vi) A Spro-cas dossier issued in April 1973, Fear or Freedom, has had to have two passages deleted by hand because they quote people subsequently banned, Mr. Chris Mokiditoa and Mr. Achmet Dangor.

(vii) Passages have had to be cut out or blacked out in Black Review 1973 because there is a possibility that they might be regarded as quoting banned people.

(viii) During the very week that printing was completed of the latest Spro- cas / Ravan publication, The Black Interpreters, Notes on African Writing, by Nadine Gordimer, Mr. M. Langa was banned. Two extracts from his poems are quoted, and consequently the affected pages will have to be re- run. The print order for the book is 4,500 copies.

(d) Banning by Censors So far, one Spro-cas publication has been banned outright by the

Publications Control Board. This is Cry Rage, a collection of poems by two black writers. No reasons were given by the PCB, nor did it bother to inform the publishers, who learned of the banning from the press. Fortunately, the first printing had been almost sold out, but about two hundred copies had to be withdrawn. If it had not been banned, Cry Rage would undoubtedly have been reprinted and the authors would have received considerable royalties. The fact that 4,000 copies were sold in less than four months indicates that the book was set to become a South African best-seller. Now not only has South Africa been deprived of an authentic expression of black feelings, but the poets have been denied their rightful financial return.

(e) Financial and other losses The loss in money through having to destroy books, to reprint omitting

offending passages, and to mutilate others, has been very high. The loss in

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potential income from sales has also been very considerable. Valuable effort and energy have had to go on sterile and soul-destroying activity involving the destruction and mutilation of the printed word. I would conservatively estimate the total waste to be at least R10,000 since the Spro-cas publishing programme began three years ago. And the indications are that this position will become worse in the immediate future.

The loss in terms of human understanding and creativity is incalculable.

POSTSCRIPT 16 October 1973 As this report was being sent out, news was received of the banning of Mr.

Bennie A. Koapa, director of the Black Community Programs (formerly the Spro-cas Black Community Programs). As a consequence of Mr. Khoapa's banning, the following publications become affected, in addition to the examples given in the report: (i) Black Viewpoint (Spro-cas BCP 1972) - chapter by Mr. Khoapa will have to

be deleted. (ii) Black Review 1972 (BCP 1973) - edited by Mr. Khoapa - will have to be with-

drawn from distribution. (iii) Handbook of Black Organizations (BCP 1973) introduction by Mr.

Khoapa will have to be torn out. (iv) BCP Year Report 1972 - will have to be withdrawn from distribution. (v) South Africa's Political Alternatives - (Spro-cas Political Report 1973) -

quotation by Mr. Khoapa will have to be deleted. (iv) A Taste of Power (final Spro-cas Report by Peter Randall, 1973) - two

documents in the appendix and three quotations by Mr. Khoapa will have to be removed.

(vii) Being-black-in-the World (Dr. N. N. Manganyi, Spro-cas 1973) - a quotation by Mr. Khoapa will have to be deleted.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Once in a while, even the South African censors can be fooled. Now that the

story is out, we are happy to share the secret with readers who have not seen it elsewhere (Sechaba, February, 1974, Johannesburg Star). John Bruin, author of Thoughts Abroad, has been revealed to be none other than Dennis Brutus, the distinguished South African exile poet. (See "John Bruin: South African Enigma in Del Valle Texas" by Bernth Lindfors in AFRICA TODAY, Vol. 18, No. 4, October, 1971, pp. 72-77.) The volume, published by Troubadour Press in 1970, has been widely sold and circulating freely in South Africa for four years, despite the fact that the writings of the author have been banned there since 1963. Brutus himself revealed the hoax indirectly by including several of "Bruin's" poems in his anthology, A Simple Lust, published in 1973 and reviewed by Ezekiel Mphahlele in our last issue (AFRICA TODAY,Vol. 21, No. 1, Winter, 1974, pp. 93-96). It took several months for this deliberate clue to be picked up even by discerning readers, but apparently the South Africa censors remained oblivious until the press articles appeared.

Two late releases have arrived from Spro-cas. One is The Ethics of Illegal Action and Other Essays by D. C. S. Oosthuizen, former professor of Philosophy at Rhodes University. The papers have been organized posthumously and are introduced by his successor in that post, I. A. Bunting. Published by Ravan Press, the 95-page paperback contains eight essays. The other is Black Nationalism In South Africa: A Short History by Peter Waishe, 40 pp., Ri. Only the last 15 pages deal with the difficult period since 1939. Both are available at R2 from Ravan Press, Box 31134, Braamfontein, Transvaal, South Africa. Add 10c (SA) each for postage.

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spro-cas: some publishing problems

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