Place of Thorns - Black political protest in Kroonstadsince 1976 (Paperback)Tshepo Moloi(AFRICANA OUT OF PRINT NEW)
I was born and raised in Kroonstad, a Free State townknown more for its famous sons and daughters such as Gabriel Setiloane,Pallo Jordan, Ivy Matsepe, Mosioua Lekota and Antjie Krog. This importantbook tells us about the other heroes and heroines of the town whodidnt find the limelight, but fought a hard struggle for dignity, justiceand
freedom over generations. This lesser known part of myhometowns history has cried out to be documented for a long time, and nowit is done in an authoritative, engaging way.
Max du Preez, South African author, columnist, documentary filmmaker andfounding editor of Vrye Weekblad
Given that the most convulsive upheavals from themid-1970s through the 1980s and 1990s took place in the main metropolitanareas, historians and social scientists have tended to ignore smallertowns. By examining Maokeng in Kroonstad, the author reveals thatthe pattern of urban black political protest and resistance in the latterhalf
of the twentieth century is considerably more layered than anearlier historiography has suggested.
Hilary Sapire, University of London
Place of Thorns: Black Political Protest in Kroonstadsince 1976, is a landmark study that examines the tumultuous and oftenfractious politics in Kroonstads black townships.
In spite of the towns relative obscurity, the author demonstrates a richtradition of civic and political life in its townships and providesa persuasive explanation for the violence unleashed in the 1990safter decades of relative political quiescence.
Based on scores of life history interviews, the book illustrates a shiftin the political mood from 1976 onwards. Inspired by the philosophies ofBlack Consciousness and the Congress movement, students developed aradical attitude and they spearheaded and shaped political protests in thetownships up to the 1990s. However, tensions between the local civicassociations and the regional and national ANC leadership ultimately costthe ANC the first democratic local government elections in Kroonstad. As awork of revisionist history, this book showcases South Africas nuancedliberation history that unfolded in smaller, less known places.
The book is essential reading for scholars and students, and everyoneinterested in the South African liberation history, local histories,political mobilisation and protests.
