Local odyssey in search of a new space for freedom: biographical accounts of the political struggle in the Eastern Cape (South Africa) in the 1980s

Abstract

Abstract This article contains an interpretation of the life stories of political activists who were detained under the internal security measures operative during the various States of Emergency (1985–1989). An attempt is made to reconstruct aspects of these activists' journeys during these times. The focus is not only on the physical movements, but also on the emotional and subjective ‘journeys’ during this period of turmoil. All the activists who related their life stories mobilized themselves against what they interpreted to be an oppressive political regime. They saw themselves as belonging to a world opposed to that of the regime and separated from it by means of administrative, statutory and even physical boundaries. Their resistance became a real as well as a symbolic expression of their community's opposition against existing structures. Narratives on the activists' involvement in localized outbreaks of rebelliousness form an important part of this article. It is clear that the cumulative effect of their involvement gradually created a basis for the mobilization of entire groups of people. The article covers aspects of the early part of their symbolic and real journeys towards liberation. It also deals with the odyssey of entering the secret world of underground operations and eventually detention. In conclusion it is asked whether the experiences are regarded to have been worthwhile.