SOUTH AFRICA—For the last four days I was in a workshop organized by an NGO (non-governmental organization). The workshop was organized so that the youth of our province can be provided a platform to talk about crime and violence, so as to come up with ideas on how to combat and prevent it. Participating in this workshop, I realized that most people need our ideas. Reading from what they were saying, their approach to crime is wrong and ineffective and, to be honest, it cannot solve anything. This is what I said when I was asked to speak.
I said, “We live in a system where there is a need to have police, prisons, and courts. Therefore by virtue of these institutions existing or by allowing these institutions to exist, we are conceding to the fact that we will forever live in a society where there is crime and violence. Thinking that we will somehow magically solve crime without addressing the system that gives rise to it is a wild dream.
Unless we are willing to build a society that does not require these institutions, unless we are to break the system that requires these institutions, then we will not be able to root out the crime and all that comes with it. I said that we must not forget what the material basis for crime is, and that is money. Therefore we know that we live in a capitalist society where everything is about money, which controls every aspect of our lives. Everything that we need or want requires money. Unless we are willing to fight the system and break it, it means we are conceding to the fact that we cannot solve crime because solving crime means destroying the criminal system of exploitation (capitalism).
When I said this, I was met with confusion from the youth, and the facilitators of the workshop said, “Don’t be too political.”
But after that day’s work activity, one guy from the youth “leadership” came to me and said, “Man, I liked what you said and I never cared to look at this thing like that. I can see what you were talking about and it’s true.”
I told him that these workshops are not going to solve anything because they are only reactionary and they don’t provide any solutions. They don’t challenge, fight, or aim to destroy the system of capitalism that is and gives rise to crime or criminal behaviors. The solution is when we fight to destroy capitalism and all that comes with it with communist solutions.
He wanted to know more. We visited the website. He read some articles from the Red Flag and I told him I was going to give him more Red Flags, MMC (Mobilize the Masses for Communism) and other literature when we meet again for another workshop. His enthusiasm just shows that more people need our communist ideas. They are sick and tired of capitalism!