ALBERT LUTHULI

Albert Luthuli

by

H. I. E. Dhlomo

Judged by accepted and common standards, Chief Luthuli is an outstanding South African and leader of the people. We say “accepted and common” because it is a custom in this country to make condescending and patronizing allowances for Africans, thus not only creating double and dissipating values and standards in our life, but tempting and cajoling the Africans to accept mediocrity and popularity as the genuine article, and making representative men, second-raters and “painted dolls” imposed upon them by non-
African sources with axes to grind.

Not so, men like Chief Luthuli. The only snag about the development, achievement and story of such men is the peculiar conditions and ideas obtaining in this country where race, not merit, is the criterion.

Albert John Luthuli had humble beginnings. His name means dust. Like man others in those days he was trained as a teacher, one of two or three professions then open to Africans. This was at Adams College .

Later he was appointed teacher in the same institution. This was no small achievement for at that time it was thought that Europeans only (“Europeans only” might be the motto of the Union ) were fit and qualified to teach in colleges. Adams College was fortunate in some of its Principals, and was a pioneer in opening up college posts for Africans. Principal A.E. Le Roy—an American—first experimented with the Normal College Africans—among them—Chief Luthuli proved an instant and great success. Le Roy then assaulted the sacred gates of the High School. Headed by (now) Prof. Z.K. Matthews who became the first Headmaster of a Mission High School , the Africans succeeded here also. Of recent years, Dr. E.H. Brookes carried the experiment further, and at Adams today highly qualified European graduates serve under Africans, and vice versa—an oasis of democracy in a desert of racialism.

Before leaving the teaching profession, Luthuli became a leader in the field. He was elected General Secretary, and, again, President of the Natal Africans Teachers Union. With others he founded the Zulu Cultural Society which did unique work in the field of tribal culture and history. He had a high reputation as a musician.

Many were disappointed and caviled, chided and lost hope when, in answer to an urgent and emergency call from his people, he became a Chief. But his sure instinct and clear mind saw in this new sphere greater opportunities for wider service to his people. Soon he was proved correct. At best, teaching was a straight-jacket, as it were, in comparison with the more motley, public and elastic robes of Mission Station chieftainship. Luthuli grew in stature and usefulness. His erstwhile college colleagues shrank proportionately. There was malleability, height and progressive ripeness in this growth. First, he proved a wise progressive and reliable administrator in a field where often he found himself between the Scylla of his people's conservatism and skepticism and the Charybdis of official impatience and superiority—complex cynicism.

He organized new and consolidated old African farmers societies (getting better quota for cane farmers), he himself proving an exemplary Farmer. His services were soon required almost everywhere and were given freely and ungrudgingly.

One of the most exacting calls came from the Church. A teetotaler, non-smoker and man of unimpeachable character, Luthuli has been always a humble, self-effacing Christian gentleman. Not only was he called upon to serve his own (American Board) Church in various ways, but became a leading member of the South African Christian Council. At one time was chosen to represent the Church in India , and, more recently, in the U.S.A. Both missions were a great success. A member of he Natal Native Education Department Advisory Board, he has served and still serves in many cultural, social, religious and public bodies. He is one of the few Africans in Natal who have addressed rotary and the Workers Education Association—both well-known European organizations—not to speak of bodies such as Joint Council, Y.M.C.A. Commissions, etc. Recently he addressed the delegates to the World Youth Arts Festival in Durban .

Thus long before he took a leading part in Congress, Luthuli had become recognized as an interpreter and a bridge between Black and White. He represented the African school of thought in favour of cooperation, realism and honest compromise; a school of thought that in some quarters in these latter days (owing to the timidity and sometimes, betrayal of Liberals and Government intransigience) has fallen on evil days.

The people were not satisfied (they never are or will be) with his role as interpreter. It was not enough, they said. They demanded more of and from him.

Then came the plunge into the grim, boiling vortex of Congress or racial politics. First, there was the exhausting experience of serving under Mr. Champion at a time when great changes and a clash between the old and the new were the order of the day. To an ex-educationist accustomed to discipline, rationality and principles, a devout Christian averse to any but clean ways and methods, and a mediator-interpreter believing in the middle course, all this must have weighed “heavy as a frost and deep almost as life” on Lutuli.

It was the same in his fight for the N.R.C. rural seat elections where he had to battle against opportunism.

But the greater ordeal and call to sacrifice and renunciation was still to come. This was when he was called to lead Congress in Natal , there are many reasons why this was difficult, reasons that prove Lutuli's greatness in that he was able to overcome these obstacles. First, taking over from Mr. Champion was no easy thing. They had been working together for some time. To step into the shoes of his former “chief required guts. Mr. Champion was an old, skilled warrior and very popular among many chiefs and rural people. This meant that Lutuli had strong opposition to face.

The fact that he was a chief stood against him. There is a popular myth that Africans worship their chief and regard them as their leaders. The truth is that chieftainship is a handicap to those who aspire to leadership today. People say that chiefs are nothing but Government agents. The industrialization, urbanization, education and oppression of Africans have changed their attitude towards chiefs whom they regard as conservative, backward, ill-informed, pliable—a drag on progress. Luthuli had to face this kind of propaganda used against him.

That he was then a member of the native Representative Council was against him as most politically conscious Africans condemned the N.R.C. Luthuli assumed office in difficult and delicate times of flux, the growing idea of non-co-operational and the rising tide of African nationalism. Before he had time to organize and consolidate his province, fight his enemies, expound his philosophy and policy, the Mother Body forced upon him a cut-and-dried program of action. In Natal , he, and not the Mother Body, was blamed for this program. This, in spite of the fact that the origin of the program came during Mr. Champion's term of presidency in Natal and Luthuli knew nothing about it till he went to Bloemfontein—his first attendance there; in spite of the fact that at Bloemfontein he spoke out boldly and strongly against precipitate action; in spite of the fact that as a new-comer he must have been taken aback by certain elements with whom he was called upon to work in Congress. But as a democrat and for the sake of unity, Luthuli accepted the decision of the majority although he knew the extremely awkward and delicate position this would place him in the province, among opposing schools of thought, in his own personal life.

Indo-African relations were another problem. Those outside Natal cannot fully appreciate the delicacy of this matter. (Indeed for example, so-called liberal-minded Britons in Natal are more racialistic because of the fear and presence of the Indian.) As the Bloemfontein program meant a measure of cooperation between Africans and Indians, Luthuli's opponents used this against him. He was “selling out” to Indians, it was said. The difficult of the matter is provided by the fact that a rival organization has been organized on the basis of non-cooperation with the Indians. It is alleged that it has semi-official blessing and that many chiefs are members. Much anti-Indian propaganda still goes on in man parts of the province, and the danger of Indo-African racial riots is still with us in spite of what the two Natal Congresses are doing Chiefs and rural people for whom Luthuli has laboured so long, faithfully and ungrudgingly are being urged to turn against his leadership although they respect him personally.

He has braved being misunderstood by European Liberals and many of his old African friends and admirers who do not subscribe to the Congress program of defiance. He has braved the real danger of losing his chieftainship. He has braved imprisonment, and perhaps abortive sacrifice and martyrdom. Indeed, he is the only Chief who is playing a leading role in Congress politics today.

He still retains the respect of Liberals, missionaries, educated Africans, rural people, moderates and fanatical nationalists. Here is a man asked to assume the role of a many-gifted giant and to interpret and represent these varied interests—his, theirs, ours, everybody's.

That is the position today. From dust to greatness. Not so strange, too. Man is dust. Dust, life. It is the elementary stuff of life, the Creators terra-cotta to shape great lives. We are made of and return to dust.

Chief Luthuli's life is an example of the tragedy, contradictions and waste of human life inherent in our system. Yet, in another sense, his life, by exposing and sharpening these contradictions, contradicts contradictions. A Paradox! A chief who is respected by officials, is not their blind tool, but a dauntless leader of his people. A faithful servant lighting against a system that produced him. An intellectual with an analytic, objective mind, plunged into the rough and tumble of militant politics. An interpreter and a moderate participating in a campaign of defiance. A long and unhappy man midst multitudes, yet happy and finding joy and strength in identifying himself with the struggles and fate of his people.

This is a are outline, an incomplete picture of the man. But is there a greater theme, a more notable example of the tragedy of race relations in South Africa !

“Chief A. J. Luthuli”, Ilanga lase Natal , September 6, 1952.