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Twenty Years of Courage and Struggle
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Description
AbM emerged from the margins of South Africa's cities, where residents faced life-threatening conditions, including shack fires, poverty, and systemic betrayal by the democratic state regarding land and housing. The movement is firmly committed to ethical principles, fighting not only for the right to the city but for the right to collectively occupy land and build occupations collectively. Abahlali insists on a humanist philosophy-"no one is illegal, everyone thinks and everyone must be counted and heard"-and works to build democracy and socialism from below.
Abahlali is abolition in action, seeking to interrupt capitalist logic by advocating for the total decommodification of land, recognizing it as a public good allocated based on human need. This commitment has led to significant victories, including securing land, providing services (like water and electricity), and winning a landmark Constitutional Court case against the unlawful Slums Act.
However, this quest for dignity has come at a tremendous cost, marked by severe repression, police violence, and the assassination of many activists by state forces and party thugs. Despite these challenges, AbM has persisted, developing occupations into working communes (such as eKhenana) that feature collective production, community halls, and political schools. Their story is a map for movements fighting inequality and authoritarianism globally. The movement continues to build collective power and struggle for a world where land, wealth, and power are shared on an equal basis.
Product details
Binding:
Paperback
Number of Pages:
150
Release Date:
2025-10-07
Publication Date:
2025-10-07
Publisher:
Daraja Press
Languages:
Original:
English
ISBN10:
199774211X
ISBN13:
9781997742111
GPSR Manufacturer Reference:
Weight:
204 g
Height:
148 cm
Width:
210 cm
Thickness:
8 cm
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