Annotated Book Review by Stefan Radovanovic

CRY FREEDOM by John Briley

This story was created to show the world what life looked like in South Africa. While in the rest of the world black people were “black”, here they were still “colored” and forced to live in small and dirty houses in townships.
A proud, brave and energetic black leader, Steve Biko, is fighting against white men brutality and wants all the people in South Africa, black and white, to be equal and have the same rights. Donald Woods¹, a successful, friendly Englishman and editor of the “Daily Dispatch”, a famous newspaper there, tries to help Biko in his battle.
The story is mostly situated in East London in South Africa. It is a country well known by diamonds and gold but really poor when it comes to relationships between two societies.
That is what Biko and Donald are trying to change. Biko wants to show Donald all the suffering of his people and he takes him several times to Black Township, a few kilometers from the centre of the King William’s Town which is about 60 kilometers from East London. They also go to Zanempilo, where Biko has started a clinic only for black people, because they are not treated as they should be in other hospitals. But this is not easy as Biko is banned from leaving the old church in King William’s.
In order to help black people, Donald gives jobs to two Biko’s friends, but soon they are both imprisoned and one of them is beaten to death. The authorities try to break their friendship.
The situation gets more complicated and soon something happens to Biko and Donald has to fight alone. To make things worse, the police ban Donald and he must not leave South Africa nor print anything. He tries to escape from Africa in order to print some document but some unexpected things happen. Will he make it?
This book made me feel like I was right there with those people and realize what it was like. I think everyone should read this book and see the energy people can release when it comes to fighting for freedom, friends and family.

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NOTES

¹ Biographical Note on Donald Woods

Donald Woods was born in East London, South Africa. He studied law at the University of Cape Town. After becoming a cub reporter Donald eventually went to work for the Daily Dispatch newspaper in East London and later became the Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Dispatch. After Biko's death it became clear to Woods that his family was being targeted by the government, and he decided his family needed to leave South Africa to avoid the dangerous threats. Woods then devised a plan to be smuggled out of his house, and made his way to Lesotho disguised as an Irish Catholic priest. They later flew via Botswana to London. After arriving in London, Woods became an active spokesman against apartheid and a passionate advocate of nations imposing sanctions against South Africa. He toured the United States campaigning for sanctions against apartheid. Donald returned to South Africa in 1994. He was also awarded an Order of the British Empire. Director Richard Attenborough decided to make a film, titled Cry Freedom, about Donald Woods and Steve Biko, based upon the books which Woods had written.