Winds of Change and the Growth of National Consciousness

Issued by Christo van der Rheede on behalf of the FW de Klerk Foundation:

*This article was originally published by litnet.

The title of this article is taken from the well-known “Winds of change” speech by former British prime minister Harold Macmillan in South Africa on February 3, 1960. After spending a month in Africa visiting a number of British colonies, he was convinced that the British colonial order was slowly but surely coming to an end in Africa. His speech indicated that the Conservative Party, which formed the British government at the time, would no longer be able to prevent black people in Africa from claiming the right to rule themselves.

Macmillan expressed this belief in his speech as follows: “The wind of change is blowing through this continent. Whether we like it or not, this growth of national consciousness is a political fact.”

More than 60 years later we are experiencing winds of change not only on a global level, but also on a local level, characterised by the growth of national consciousness in the USA, China, Europe, many other countries and also here on South African soil.

However, to truly understand what these winds of change entail, we need to understand the nature and extent of them. And especially the direction in which they are blowing, especially in terms of national consciousness and its socio-political and economic implications.

In some countries we see a strong focus on protectionism and promotion of ethno-nationalist interests. In others there is a strong backlash against transactional politics and a strong swing toward the protection of national sovereignty and interdependence. In some countries there is a strong focus on centralisation of state power and economic domination. In other countries there is a groundswell of opposition against patronage, corruption and poor governance.

On home soil we are experiencing several winds of change first-hand – including “winds”….continue reading this article HERE.

Mbeki Thabo: {1994 – 1999} Thabo Mbeki was the first Minister of Home Affairs in the post-apartheid
government. His tenure focused on the transformation of the department and the establishment of a more inclusive citizenship policy.