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Chapter 19
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Long Walk to Freedom, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Racism and Division
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress
Nonviolent Protest vs. Violent Protest
The Value of Optimism
Summary
Analysis
Activists continue to hold rallies about the government’s plan to remove African people from their homes. The ANC continues to face arguments from within about when, if ever, to use violence. In 1953, the Nationalist government passes the Bantu Education Act, which attempts to control and restrict how African people are educated. Many religious groups, which run some of the schools, oppose this measure because it puts more control of education in the government’s hands.
Mandela’s own education, for all its flaws and all the obstacles he faced, is a cornerstone of how he attained his current status and became politically conscious. In this context, the government’s education laws are an attempt to prevent the education of future activists like Mandela. The opposition of religious groups, who oppose the laws not on racial grounds but because they interfere with their ability to make decisions about education, are an early sign of how apartheid laws have negative effects that go beyond the immediate impact on Black South Africans.
Themes
The ANC attempt a school boycott, but it’s disorganized and doesn’t fully succeed, although the government does make some changes to the Bantu Education Act. The ANC expands its national organization, holding a convention called the Council of the Congress of the People chaired by Chief Luthuli. The convention is not just for Black African people, but for all residents of South Africa. Delegates come from all over the country to Kliptown, a village outside of Johannesburg. Mandela drives his car to Kliptown in spite of his travel ban but stays at the periphery.
Mandela attempts to be honest about the growing pains and shortcomings of the ANC, which continues to grow and evolve over the course of his lifetime. Although the school boycott is not particularly successful, Mandela shows how the organization does succeed in drawing together a diverse coalition of South African protestors, setting the stage for its successes in the future. Mandela often plans for the distant future, both in his personal life and politically.
Themes
While the ANC is finalizing a charter on the second day of the convention, police raid it and break it up. In spite of this, word of the charter spreads, and it becomes a “blueprint” for the liberation struggle.
The increasing presence of police show how the government is increasingly starting to view the ANC as a threat and cracking down. In spite of these setbacks, the ANC’s efforts lay the groundwork for future progress, vindicating Mandela’s hopeful view of the world.
Themes
