The South African government, led by the president Cyril Ramaphosa, will posthumously honor the reggae legend Peter Tosh with the Order of O.R. Companions. Tambo (Order of the Companions of O. R. Tambo) for his contribution to the fight against apartheid, in a ceremony to be held this Friday 28 of April.
This award is given from 2002 to foreign nationals who have furthered the interests and aspirations of South Africa through cooperation, solidarity and support, and bears the name of the deceased Oliver Reginald Tambo, who was president in exile of the African National Congress (ANC, for its acronym in English), who led the country's liberation movement that was finally achieved in 1994.
According to a statement, the South African government will bestow Tosh with this honor “for his contribution to the liberation struggle using his musical talents to advance the cause of liberation around the world through incisive and thought-provoking lyrics in his music”.
Tosh's granddaughter, Akayda, will be in charge of receiving this award at the ceremony.
Apartheid
Apartheid was a brutally racist system of government in what was then South Africa ruled by the white minority., which only accounted for about 20% of the total population of the country, which was characterized by systemic segregation and discrimination based on race.
In fact, this model consisted in the creation of separate places, both residential and academic or recreational, with tight police control, also excluding the black population from political participation Y, further, preventing marriages and even sexual relations between blacks and whites.
In that context, Peter Tosh, a renowned Pan-Africanist, played an important role in the struggle and explicitly spoke out against that oppressive system.
in his album Equal Rights of 1977 included the song “Apartheid” -re-recorded in 1987- what was he raising:
“Let's fight, struggle, struggle
fight apartheid
brothers have to fight, struggle, struggle
fight apartheidIn my land, you don't build schools for black kids
In my land, there is no hospital for black people
In my land, you built your prison
In my land, you built your camp”
The “Bush Doctor” he also released other militant songs against Apartheid such as his own “Equal Rights“, from the self-titled album, “Fight On“, from the album Mystic Man (1979) or also “Not Gonna Give it Up“, of the disk Mama Africa (1983), in addition to participating in various anti-apartheid concerts around the world, that surely were important at the time of his nomination to receive this award.
In addition to the Jamaican singer, In this edition, the American singer-songwriter and anthropologist will also receive the same award Tracy Chapman, as well as the late New Zealand anti-apartheid activist and educator, Thomas Oliver Newnham, the german poet Ruth Weiss and the British activist and historian Christabel Gurney.
Past Laureates
The Order of the Companions of OR Tambo also distinguishes high dignitaries of the world, like the prize supreme companion of OR Tambo in gold, granted to heads of state and eventually to heads of government.
Among those who have received this honor is the former Chilean president Salvador Allende (2004); the leader of the Indian independence movement Mahatma Gandhi (2002); the assassinated former Swedish minister Olof Palme (2002); former Jamaican Prime Minister Michael Manley (2004); activist and leader of the movement for the equal rights of blacks in the United States Martin Luther King (2004); former Prime Minister of the Congo Patrice Lumumba (2004); among many others.
