“It does not take a majority to prevail… but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men.” – Samuel Adams

Cape Town

Cape Town

Pretoria

…We are doing it! Almost two years ago in 2015 I introduced my readers to the techniques of Strategic Non-Violent Conflict in a series of articles that can be seen below.

These techniques are based on the ideas of Gene Sharp in his book “From dictatorship to democracy” but also from his disciples, Jamila Raqib, Srđa Popović (Blueprint for revolution) and Colonel Robert Helvey (Guerillas Without Guns)

They are all part of The Albert Einstein institution and of course the Serbian Srđa Popović had huge successes with Otpor! and CANVAS to get rid of the dictator Slobodan Milošević. He also trained Arab Spring freedom movements in Tunisia, Egypt, Lybia and Syria to name but a few.

At the time we had a lot of Nay Sayers. People putting in so much energy to come up with ideas of why it won’t work, instead of putting that energy into Making it work.

One of their favourites was…and I had to laugh, because Srđa Popović mentions this exact same phenomenon in the beginning of his book…”Ja, Mike…I hear what you say, but it won’t work in South Africa. South Africa is different. South Africa is not Serbia or Egypt. We are not all the same…We cannot unite…blah, blah, blah.”

And now? Look around. All the techniques and strategies I spoke about two years ago playing out on the streets of South Africa. People demonstrating in their thousands against the dictator SHOWER HEAD.

Nevertheless we need to focus now. A lot of work lay ahead. What needs to happen now is that musicians should pull in and set up bands outside the Gupta residence in Saxonwold and on the lawn of the Union Buildings and in front of parliament in Cape Town. Music draws crowds. Speeches should be held and if prominent figures and celebrities from the music, radio and TV world pull up it will help tremendously.

We also need churches, to send pastors and dominees to come and pray at the gates against Shower Head. We need to co-opt the police and the army…get them on our side. Give them cool drinks, flowers, cigarettes…whatever. Whatever you do…Don’t throw stones at the police. The police is not the enemy. Shower head is the enemy. He steals their money too.

We need to come up with new and innovative techniques of defiance and disobedience every day so that it does not get boring. Keep the momentum up, keep the pressure building and don’t worry about pushing him out…when you pull the pillars of support out from underneath him, he won’t even have the power to resign. He will simply fall.

Keep it up people of South Africa. I am proud of you.

By Mike Smith
7th of April 2017