Exclusion, Excommunication, Ostracism, Shunning, and Censorship

Somebody got furious with the Communist University yesterday for announcing an event. Little did we know, it was supposed to be “invitation only”. When she first told us about it, this person never said it was a secret. But when it went out on the list (that’s what the CU does, of course: it announces things) she said we shouldn’t have done it. We had embarrassed her, she said. A different person got furious the same day because something that she wanted announced was not announced. But the Communist University can only do so much. If it becomes like a bottleneck with different people tussling competitively to force things through it, then something is wrong. Something needs fixing. Other web sites need to be set up and kept going. More groups and blogs and mailing lists need to come on stream. This is a good way to wear down the culture of secrecy, exclusion, and censorship. This one, home-made Communist University can’t carry the whole traffic of our enormous labour and progressive movement. The work of opening things up is a big work. The time when exclusive gatherings and obscure “institutional arrangements” decided everything in South Africa needs to be put behind us at last, by actively informing people, and not always expecting others to do it for us. “Send not to ask for whom the bell tolls. It tolls for thee.” Send not to tell the blogger what he must or must not do. Start your own. The Communist University does the best it can. The Events section at the top of the “amadlandawonye” home page is a proud part of the CU contribution. COSATU is one organisation that communicates well and fully, every working day, and often on non-working days too. COSATU has condemned what it sees as the unreasonable exclusion of the TAC and six other South African NGOs from the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York. Read the linked item for more details. In the other linked item, also forwarded by COSATU, FAWU reports how workers in a Pretoria beverage factory used to have memorial services in the workplace for comrades who had passed away. Fine, says the new management, except that you may not call out “Viva ANC, Viva!” This is South Africa today: A battleground for the right to speak and express oneself. Sometimes it takes a long time for truth to come out. The story and pictures of German Communists who survived the Nazis only to be captured and tortured by the British has taken 60 years to come out into the open. See linked article. Links: Exclusion of TAC condemned by COSATU (377 words) ABI Management Curbs Worker Freedom of Expression, FAWU (249 words) Revealed, victims of UK cold war torture camp, Guardian (616 words)