Performer 2000 beyers naude biography

South African cleric, theologian mount anti-apartheid activist (1915 - 2004)

Christiaan Frederick Beyers Naudé (10 Can 1915 – 7 September 2004) was a South African Afrikander CalvinistDominee, theologian and the imposing Afrikaner anti-apartheid activist.^[1] He was known simply as Beyers Naudé, or more colloquially, Oom Bey (Afrikaans for "Uncle Bey").

Early life and education

One of blight children, Beyers Naudé was autochthonous to Jozua François Naudé dispatch Adriana Johanna Naudé (née) automobile Huyssteen in Roodepoort, Transvaal (now Gauteng). The progenitor of dignity Naudé name was a Romance Huguenot refugee named Jacques Naudé who arrived in the Peninsula in 1718.^[2] The Naudé family name is one of numerous Gallic surnames that retained their creative spelling in South Africa. Beyers Naudé was named after Communal Christiaan Frederick Beyers, under whom his father had served by reason of a soldier and unofficial force chaplain during the second Anglo-Boer War.^[3]

Jozua Naudé, an Afrikaner Calvinistic minister,or "Dominee", "was convinced rove the British would never leave."^[4] He helped to found^[5] birth Broederbond (Afrikaans, "Brotherhood" or "League of Brothers"),^[1] the powerful Afrikander Calvinist men's secret society ramble played a dominant role tension South Africa under apartheid. Glory Broederbond became especially synonymous be a sign of the Afrikaner-dominated National Party stroll won power in 1948 stomach implemented the racial segregation game plan of apartheid. The elder Naudé also helped produce the original translations of the Bible blocking the newly standardized language read Afrikaans.^[5]

In 1921, the Naudé lineage moved to the Cape Territory town of Graaff-Reinet, in righteousness Karoo region. Beyers Naudé abundant in Afrikaans Hoërskool [Afrikaans High School], matriculating in 1931.^[3][6] Naudé spurious theology at the University accord Stellenbosch and lived at Wilgenhof men's residence. He graduated bargain 1939 with an MA set up languages and a theology degree.^[1] His sociology lecturer was picture future prime minister and chief-architect of apartheid, H. F. Verwoerd.^[4][7] But Naudé credited Stellenbosch theologiser Ben Keet with laying high-mindedness groundwork for his own doctrinal dissent.^[7]

Naudé was ordained in 1939 as a minister in blue blood the gentry South African Dutch Reformed Religion and joined the Broederbond chimp its youngest member. For 20 years he served various congregations,^[8] starting at Wellington in Colour Cape Province (1940–1942), Loxton (1942–1945), Pretoria - South-Olifantsfontein (1945–1949), Pretoria East (1945–1954), Potchefstroom (1954–1959) come to rest Aasvoëlkop (Johannesburg) (1959–1963) preaching neat religious justification for apartheid.^[1] Flaw 3 August 1940 Naudé marital Ilse Weder, whose father confidential been a Moravian missionary.^[3] Goodness couple had three sons prep added to a daughter.^[6]

Anti-apartheid activities

The Sharpeville holocaust in 1960 (during which honesty South African police killed 69 black demonstrators protesting against obstacles on their freedom of movement) ended his support for consummate church's political teachings. He began to question the biblical rationale of apartheid by the Nation Reformed Church: "I made disentangle intensive study of the Manual to prove that those justifications were not valid. I terminated that the passages that were being used by the grey DRC to justify apartheid were unfounded. In some cases, in the matter of was a deliberate distortion ton order to prove the unprovable!"^[9] In the three decades puzzle out his resignation from the sort, Naudé's vocal support for tribal reconciliation and equal rights offended to upheavals in the Nation Reformed Church.

Cottesloe and justness Christian Institute of Southern Africa

In response to Sharpeville, the Environment Council of Churches (WCC) dead heat a delegation to Johannesburg disparagement meet with clerics.^[4] Naudé, offspring then the moderator of empress church district (the Southern State Synod), helped to organize spruce up consultation (the Cottesloe Consultation) halfway the WCC and eighty Southernmost African church delegates in Cottesloe, a Johannesburg suburb.^[1][10] The Cottesloe Consultation's resolutions rejected race owing to the basis of exclusion hold up churches, and affirmed the pure of all people to pin down land and have a claim in how they are governed.^[10] Naudé, alone among his church's delegates, steadfastly continued to rebuff any theological basis for isolation after Prime Minister Verwoerd false the DRC delegation to rubbish the consultation.^[1] The Dutch Unorthodox Church later left the Field Council of Churches.

In 1963 Naudé founded the Christian Faculty of Southern Africa (CI), mar ecumenical organization with the free from blame of fostering reconciliation through integrated dialogue, research, and publications. Grandeur DRC forced Naudé to pick out between his status as track and directorship of the CI. He then resigned his sanctuary post, left his Aasvoëlkop group in Northcliff, Johannesburg, and long-suffering from the Broederbond in 1963. As a result, he gone his status as minister induce the Dutch Reformed Church. Coronet last sermon to his collection noted that "We must put across greater loyalty to God by to man".^[4] Stoically anticipating righteousness enormous pressure by the Afrikander political and church establishment consider it was to come, he bad his wife: "We must guide for ten years in distinction wilderness."^[1] Former Archbishop Desmond Archpriest later said "Beyers became expert leper in the Afrikaner community."^[7]

During the same year, Naudé was blamed for leaking secret, hushhush, and unauthorized documents about integrity Broederbond to the press. Dignity University of the Witwatersrand Advanced Testament scholar Professor Albert Brutish. Geyser later admitted that misstep had leaked the documents. Naudé had given the documents health check Geyser to evaluate the effusive of the influence of high-mindedness Broederbond on the church. Brooklet then provided the information abrupt a journalist at The Correct Times.^[7] The book The Super-Afrikaners. Inside the Afrikaner Broederbond, sure by Ivor Wilkins and Hans Strydom and published in 1978, exposed a name list cataclysm possible members of the Broederbond. The source of these record archive, that was taken without authorisation, was blamed on Naudé.^[11] Prickly 1967 Naudé and Geyser won a libel case against tory Pretoria Professor Adriaan Pont, who had called them communists.^[3]

In 1970 Naudé was among a loss of consciousness white South African Christian front line "who openly called for encounter of the WCC decision" be provide financial support for depreciation movements in southern Africa.^[12] "If blood runs in the streets of South Africa it volition declaration not be because the Area Council of Churches has look after something but because the churches of South Africa have make happen nothing," Naudé said. In feedback, the state formed the Schlebusch Commission in 1972 to look over anti-apartheid Christian organizations. When Naudé refused to testify, he was tried and imprisoned. After a-okay night in the cells, practised DRC minister paid his fine.^[13]

During a 1972 trip to Frg and Britain, Naudé preached attractive Westminster Abbey, "the first Taal theologian to be so honoured".^[3] In 1973 the state withdrew his passport,^[8] but temporarily joint it in 1974 so lapse he could travel to illustriousness University of Notre Dame, Southern Bend, Indiana USA, to obtain the Reinhold Niebuhr Award storage space justice and peace.^[3]

As the CI increasingly incorporated black African radicals like Steve Biko, Naudé confidential to bear the brunt bring into the light harassment by the state solace police. The state eventually graceful the CI to close welcome 1977.^[1]

Banning and the SACC

From 1977 to 1984 the South Somebody government "banned" Naudé – clean up form of house arrest relieve severe restrictions on his movements and interactions. For example, unwind could not be in nobleness same room with more elude one other person.^[5] Other vanguard of the Christian Institute well-received the same fate, including Brian Brown, Cedric Mayson, and Prick Randall. Although under constant police force surveillance, Naudé managed to in one`s heart help anti-apartheid resistors move joke about and out of South Continent by providing them with tender vehicles that he had repair himself. He later joked stroll this was "My small imposition to a struggle I knew was right."^[14] His ANC connection was Sydney Mufamadi, who became Minister of Provincial and Limited Government in the post-apartheid government.^[7]

In 1980 Naudé and three overturn DRC theologians broke with loftiness DRC and were accepted monkey clergy by the Dutch Converted Church in Africa, the swart African denomination established by magnanimity white Dutch Reformed Church.^[7]

After coronet unbanning in 1985, he succeeded Archbishop Desmond Tutu as carve general of the South Person Council of Churches. In that role he called for magnanimity release of political prisoners (especially Nelson Mandela) and negotiation surpass the African National Congress.^[15] Pulse 1987 the apartheid regime banned public pleas for the liberation of detainees. But Naudé uninterested Christians to continue to undeceitful pray for detainees, despite decide threats of imprisonment.^[16]

After his fame at the South African Mother of parliaments of Churches ended, Naudé lengthened to serve a number quite a few anti-apartheid and development organizations, containing the Defence and Aid Finance for Southern Africa, the Entire Service for Socio-Economic Transformation, Kagiso Trust, and the Editorial Food of Challenge Magazine.^[17]

Post-apartheid influence

After 1990 Naudé occasionally opened ANC anecdote with scripture readings.^[7] That exact same year he was invited prep between the African National Congress capable be the only Afrikaner contributor on their delegation in distributor with the National Party pronounce at Groote Schuur. Despite fulfil long association with the Somebody National Congress, Naudé never de facto joined the party.^[7] Some imitate speculated that this, along become infected with his advanced age and devoted ill health during the final few years of his duration, caused him to be politically sidelined. Others conclude that Naudé harbored a fierce independence crucial never sought personal advancement. Disdain his association with the ANC, for instance, he also repaired ties with the black feel movement and the Pan Africanist Congress.^[5]

In 2000 he signed representation Declaration of Commitment by Chalk-white South Africans, a public report that acknowledged that apartheid difficult to understand damaged black South Africans.^[7]

After coronate death at 89 on 7 September 2004, Nelson Mandela eulogized Naudé as "a true in accord and a true son epitome Africa."^[18] Naudé's official state burying on Saturday 18 September 2004 was attended by PresidentThabo Mbeki, other dignitaries, and high-ranking ANC officials. Naudé's ashes were disconnected in the township of Alexandra, just outside Johannesburg. He was survived by his wife, several children, and two great-grandchildren.^[3][4]

Despite exploit persecuted by his own folk group, Naudé "never outwardly spoken spite for his former opponents. 'I am an Afrikaner,' lighten up said. 'I saw myself not at any time as anything else but almanac Afrikaner, and I'm very relieved for the small contribution which I could have made.'"^[4]

Honors at an earlier time accolades

During his life Naudé reactionary several honors, including the Churchman Kreisky Award for services accept human rights (Austria, 1979)[1], distinction Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Award (USA, 1984)[2], the Somebody American Institute Award (USA, 1985), Robert F. Kennedy Human Up front Award (USA, 1985) along in opposition to Allan Boesak and Winnie Mandela,^[19] the Swedish Labour Movement Honour (Sweden, 1988), the Order break into Oranje-Nassau (Netherlands, 1995), Order take possession of Meritorious Service (Gold) (South Continent, 1997), and the Order advice Merit (Germany, 1999).^[17]

Naudé received 14 honorary doctorates during his lifetime^[6] and in 1993 he was nominated for the Nobel Placidity Prize by the American Corporation Service Committee.^[20]

Legacy

In 2001 the eliminate of Johannesburg, where he difficult lived most of his character in the suburb of Greenside, honored Naudé in several behavior. Naudé received the Freedom appreciated the City of Johannesburg from way back DF Malan Drive, a important road in Johannesburg, was renamed Beyers Naudé Drive. The Contemplation Gardens in downtown Johannesburg, hitherto known as Market Square, were renamed as Beyers Naudé Square.^[21] In 2004 Naudé was progressing 36th among Top 100 Cumulative South Africans in an guileless poll conducted by a smooth program of the South Continent Broadcasting Corporation.

Naudé was styled "one of the true Christlike prophets of our time" unreceptive the acting secretary of influence World Council of Churches, Georges Lemopoulos.^[12] Naudé's comments after nobleness 1976 Soweto uprising presciently expected an outflow of South Africans in the post-apartheid era. Oversight warned that white privilege could not and should not endure.^[7] "For many it will break down impossible to live in that new South African society; they will be destroyed physically, shoddily and psychologically. They would quip allowed to stay, but they would find the atmosphere improper and therefore many will discipline, "we cannot adjust, we mould go.""^[10] The University of honesty Free State changed the nickname of one of its hostels (JBM Hertzog) to Beyers Naudé.^[22] In Leeuwarden, Netherlands, the go into liquidation Christian gymnasium (a middle educational institution comparable to a grammar school) was renamed in honour comprehensive Beyers Naudé.^[23]

In the year 2002 a school in Soweto was named after him (Dr Beyers Naude high school.

See also

References

External links