Oppressor Is The Mind Of The Oppressed Essay

INTRODUCTION

The following statement by Steve Biko “The greatest weapon in the hand of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed” is a summary of the unjust world we live in today. This statement shows the circulating power in a Manichean world of oppressor and the oppressed. In a quest to liberate themselves the oppressor is confronted with the illusion of “false consciousness.”

In this essay we aim to critically discuss the Manichean world, “false consciousness”, social change and their relation to Steve Biko’s famous statement.

THE SUMMARY OF MY INTERPRETATION OF STEVE BIKO’S STATEMENT

Let us first understand the terms oppressor and oppressed. According to the Oxford Student’s dictionary an oppressor is someone who treats another being in a harsh, cruel or unjust manner (Allen, 2007). It then further explains that “the oppressed” are in fact people treated in an unfair manner and prevented them from attaining opportunities or freedom (Allen, 2007). From this we can see

The use of the word ‘weapon’ suggests a negative manner in which the oppressor controls the minds of the oppressed and uses the mind which refers to the way that the oppressed thinks. Bob Marley sings in his Redemption song “Emancipate yourself from mental slavery”, here he is referring to the control that the oppressor has over the minds of the masses. Steve Biko explains that the minds of the oppressed are vitally important to the oppressor. Fay says that “untrained men are incapable of judging their worth” (Fay, 1975), therefore they are easier to manipulate. The oppressor is then able to manipulate the minds of the oppressed. This notion is expressed in a poem written by Shari “They stole our gold, our diamonds, and our minds by convincing us it was never ours” (Shari). By looking at the above quote, what Shari talks about is the manipulation of the minds of the oppressed by the hands of the