Donald James Woods, CBE (December 15, 1933 – August 19, 2001) was a South African journalist and anti-apartheid activist. Donald Woods (December 2, 1906 - March 5, 1998) was a Canadian film and television actor whose career spanned six decades. ... The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are Knight Grand Cross or Dame Grand Cross (GBE) Knight Commander... is the 349th day of the year (350th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 231st day of the year (232nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... A segregated beach in South Africa, 1982. ...

As editor of the Daily Dispatch from 1965 to 1977, he befriended Steve Biko, leader of the anti-apartheid Black Consciousness Movement, and was banned by the government soon after Biko's death, which had been caused by serious head injuries, sustained while in police custody. The government denied giving Biko these injuries, even though police officers admitted to beating Biko to the point of nerve and brain damage. Woods fled to London, where he continued to foster opposition to apartheid. In 1978, he became the first private citizen to address the U.N. Security Council. Stephen Bantu Biko (18 December 1946 – 12 September 1977)[1] was a noted anti-apartheid activist in South Africa in the 1960s and early 1970s. ... For the legal definition of apartheid, see the crime of apartheid. ... AZAPO emblem The Black Consciousness Movement (BCM) was a grassroots anti-Apartheid activist movement that emerged in South Africa in the mid-1960’s out of the political vacuum created by the decimation of the African National Congress and Pan Africanist Congress leadership, by jailing and banning, after the Sharpeville... Stephen Bantu Biko (18 December 1946 – 12 September 1977)[1] was a noted anti-apartheid activist in South Africa in the 1960s and early 1970s. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... A session of the Security Council in progress The United Nations Security Council is the most powerful organ of the United Nations. ...

Early history

Woods was born in Hobeni, Transkei, now part of the Eastern Cape, South Africa, where his family had lived for five generations. His ancestors came to South Africa as part of a British and Irish group known as the 1820 Settlers. His parents ran a trading post in Transkei, a tribal reserve, which would later be designated a bantustan. As a boy Woods had extensive regular contact with the Bomvana people. He spoke fluent Xhosa and Afrikaans, as well as his mother tongue, English. Woods and his brother, Harland, were sent to the Christian Brothers College in Kimberley in the predominantly Afrikaner Northern Cape for their secondary education. The school was academically rigorous, and the Irish Christian Brothers were regarded as being neutral on questions of politics. While Woods was away at school, the National Party came to power in 1948 and began to build the apartheid structure. When he started his law course at the University of Cape Town in 1952, Woods supported government policies that separated the races but was wary of the heavy hand of the Afrikaner National Party. During his legal studies he started to question the separatist views he grew up with, becoming politically active in the Federal Party, which rejected apartheid and drew its support from liberal English-speaking whites. Woods spent two years as a legal apprentice, with the goal of becoming a barrister, but he became bored with law and gravitated toward journalism. Just as he was about to embark on his career as a journalist, the 23-year-old Woods was approached by the Federal Party to run for a seat in parliament. His campaign was unsuccessful, and he went back to his job as a cub reporter for the Daily Dispatch newspaper in East London. For two years during the late 1950s, he honed his skills as a journalist by writing and sub-editing for various newspapers in England and Wales. It was while working in Wales that he developed a love and respect for the Welsh people that endured all his life. Before returning to South Africa, he served as a correspondent for London's now defunct Daily Herald, traveling throughout the eastern and southern United States, eventually arriving in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he filed stories comparing U.S. segregation with South Africa's apartheid. Flag of Transkei bantustan Political Map of South Africa prior to 1994 Transkei, as of 1978 The Transkei — which means the area beyond the Kei River — is a region situated in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. ... Capital Bhisho Largest city Port Elizabeth Premier Nosimo Balindlela Area - Total Ranked 2nd 169,580 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 3rd 6,436,761 38/km² Languages Xhosa (83%) Afrikaans (9. ... The 1820 Settlers were several groups or parties of white, British colonists settled by the British government and the Cape authorities in the South African Eastern Cape in 1820. ... Map of the black homelands in South Africa as of 1986 Map of the black homelands in Namibia as of 1978 Bantustan is a territory designated as a tribal homeland for black South Africans and Namibians during the apartheid era. ... The Xhosa (IPA ( )) people are speakers of Bantu languages living in south-east South Africa, and in the last two centuries throughout the southern and central-southern parts of the country. ... Look up Appendix:Afrikaans and Dutch Swadesh lists in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Note: This page needs to be cleaned up to be brought into conformance with the Manual of Style. ... The Big Hole, a prominent tourist attraction in Kimberley Kimberley is a town in South Africa, and the capital of the Northern Cape. ... Capital Kimberley Largest city Kimberley Premier Elizabeth Dipuo Peters (ANC) Area - Total Ranked 1st 361,830 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 9th 822,726 2/km² Languages Afrikaans (70%) Tswana (20%) Xhosa (6. ... The National Party (Afrikaans: Nasionale Party) (with its members sometimes known as Nationalists or Nats) was the governing party of South Africa from June 4th 1948 until May 9th 1994, and was disbanded in 2005. ... UCT redirects here. ... East London Town Hall East London (Afrikaans: Oos-Londen, Xhosa: eMonti) is a city on the southeast coast of South Africa, situated in the Eastern Cape Province at 32. ... The Daily Herald was a London newspaper. ... Little Rock redirects here. ...

Woods went back to work at the Dispatch and married Wendy Bruce, whom he had known since they were teenagers in their hometown. They had six children: Jane, Dillon, Duncan, Gavin, Lindsay, and Mary. Their fourth son, Lindsay, born in 1970, contracted meningitis and died just before his first birthday. The family had settled into a comfortable life in East London, and in 1965, at the age of 31, Woods rose to the position of editor in chief of the Daily Dispatch, which held an anti-apartheid editorial policy. As editor, Woods expanded the readership of the Dispatch to include Afrikaans speakers as well as black readers in nearby Transkei and Ciskei. Woods integrated the editorial staff and flouted apartheid policies by seating black, white, and "coloured" reporters in the same work area. Additionally, he favored hiring reporters who had had experience working overseas. Woods had several scrapes with the South African Security Police regarding editorial matters and on numerous occasions ruffled the feathers of Prime Minister B. J. Vorster in frank, face-to-face exchanges regarding the content of Dispatch editorials. Woods found himself tip-toeing around, and sometimes directly challenging, the increasingly restrictive government policies enacted to control the South African press. Ciskei Flag of Ciskei Ciskei was a Bantustan in the south east of South Africa. ... In the South African, Namibian, Zambian and Zimbabwean context, the term Coloured (also known as Bruinmense, Kleurlinge or Bruin Afrikaners in Afrikaans) refers to a heterogeneous group of people who posess some degree of sub-Saharan ancestry, but not enough to be considered Black under South African law. ... B. J. Vorster Balthazar Johannes Vorster (December 13, 1915 - September 10, South Africa from 1966 to 1978, and President from 1978 to 1979. ...

Relationship with Steve Biko

Under Woods, the Daily Dispatch was very critical of the South African government, but was also critical of the emerging Black Consciousness Movement under the leadership of Steve Biko. A young black woman, Mamphela Ramphele, berated Woods for writing misleading stories about the movement, challenging him to meet with Biko. Stephen Bantu Biko (18 December 1946 – 12 September 1977)[1] was a noted anti-apartheid activist in South Africa in the 1960s and early 1970s. ... Mamphela Aletta Ramphele (28 December 1947 - ) is a South African academic, businesswoman and medical doctor and was an anti-apartheid activist. ...

The two men became friends, leading to the South African Bureau Of State Security monitoring Woods' movements. Despite this, Woods continued to provide political support to Biko, both through writing editorial in his newspaper and controversially hiring black journalists to the Daily Dispatch. South African Bureau Of State Security (BOSS) The South African Bureau Of State Security (BOSS) was established in 1969, and replaced by the National Intelligence Service (NIS) in 1980. ...

On June 16, 1976, rioting broke out in Soweto, in which young students from Soweto participated in a march to protest against being taught in Afrikaans and against the Bantu education system in general. They marched from the Morris Isaacson School intending to hold a rally outside the Education buildings in Johannesburg. The children were met by the police and ordered to disperse. The children refused and the police opened fire. As the children pelted the police with stones, South Africa went up in flames. The government responded by banning the entire Black Consciousness Movement along with many other political organisations, as well as issuing banning orders to various individuals. Donald Woods was one of the banned individuals and was effectively placed under house arrest. is the 167th day of the year (168th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1976 Pick up sticks(MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Fatally-wounded Hector Pieterson (13), one of the first fatalities, is carried by Mbuyisa Makhubo on June 16, 1976, with Antoinette Pieterson (17) running alongside. ... Johannesburg, including Soweto, from the International Space Station Soweto is an urban area in the City of Johannesburg, in Gauteng, South Africa. ... Johannesburg, including Soweto, from the International Space Station Soweto is an urban area in the City of Johannesburg, in Gauteng, South Africa. ... Look up Appendix:Afrikaans and Dutch Swadesh lists in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Map showing the approximate distribution of Bantu (light brown) vs. ... This article is about the city in South Africa. ... A ban is, generally, any decree that prohibits something. ... In justice and law, house arrest is the situation where a person is confined (by the authorities) to his or her residence. ...

Steve Biko had been involved in clandestine contacts with two outlawed liberation movements, the African National Congress (ANC) and the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC).^{[citation needed]} Returning to his home one evening from a trip to Cape Town, Biko was arrested, imprisoned and mortally beaten. He was transported naked and manacled for 740 miles (1200 km) in the back of a police van to Pretoria, and died shortly after arriving at the police hospital in Pretoria. James Kruger, the Minister of Justice, claimed that Biko died on a hunger strike. Speaking in Afrikaans, he said of Biko's death, "Dit laat my koud" ("It leaves me cold"). For political parties with similar names in other countries, see Northern Rhodesian African National Congress and Zambian African National Congress. ... PAC symbol This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Motto: Praestantia Praevaleat Pretoria (May Pretoria Be Pre-eminent In Excellence) Country South Africa Province Gauteng Established 1855 Area  - City 1,644 km²  (634. ... James Thomas Jimmy Kruger (1917 - 1987) was a South African politician who rose to the position of Minister of Justice and the Police in the cabinet of Prime Minister John Vorster from 1974 to 1979. ... Look up Appendix:Afrikaans and Dutch Swadesh lists in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Woods went to the morgue with Biko's wife Ntsiki and photographed Biko's battered body. The photographs were later published in Woods' book, exposing the South African government's cover up of the cause of Biko's death. Look up Cover-up in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Life in exile

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 from the South African government. Woods and friends Robin Walker and Drew Court devised a plan for him to be smuggled out of his house. Disguised as an Irish Catholic priest Woods hitch-hiked 300 miles before attempting to cross the Tele river. But due to days of steady rain the river had flooded, leaving him to resort to crossing the river at a border post using a fake passport. He made it undetected by South African Government officials to the independent country of Lesotho where his family joined him shortly thereafter when prompted by a pre-arranged telephone call once he arrived in Lesotho. With the help of the British High Commission (in Maseru) and from the Lesotho Government , they flew despite threats from the South African Government to shoot down the plane over South African territory, via Botswana to London where they were granted political asylum.^[1] The British High Commission is an organization found in many former British colonies that are now members of the Commonwealth. ... Maseru (also Masero) is the capital of Lesotho. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Power lines leading to a trash dump hover just overhead in El Carpio, a Nicaraguan refugee camp in Costa Rica Under international law, a refugee is a person who is outside his/her country of nationality or habitual residence; has a well-founded fear of persecution because of his/her...

After arriving in London, Woods became an active spokesman against apartheid. Acting upon the advice of Oliver Tambo, the President of the ANC, Woods became a passionate advocate of nations imposing sanctions against South Africa. He toured the United States campaigning for sanctions against apartheid. The trip included a three hour session, arranged by President Jimmy Carter, to address officials in the U.S. Department of State. Woods also spoke at a session of the United Nations Security Council in 1978. Oliver Reginald Tambo (27 October 1917 - 24 April 1993) was a South African anti-apartheid politician and a central figure in the African National Congress (ANC). ... For other persons named Jimmy Carter, see Jimmy Carter (disambiguation). ... Department of State redirects here. ... “Security Council” redirects here. ...

Director Richard Attenborough decided to make a film, titled Cry Freedom, about Woods and Steve Biko, based upon the books which Woods had written. Donald and Wendy Woods became very involved in the project, working closely with actors and crew. Woods was portrayed by American actor Kevin Kline who became friends with Woods and his wife and family during the filming. The friendship continued until Woods' death in 2001. Richard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough, CBE (born 29 August 1923) is an English actor, director, producer, and entrepreneur. ... Cry Freedom is a feature film directed by Richard Attenborough, set in the late 1970s, during the apartheid era of South Africa. ... Kevin Delaney Kline (born October 24, 1947) is an Academy Award- and Tony Award-winning American stage and film actor. ...

On February 11, 1990, Nelson Mandela was released from prison after serving twenty-seven years on Robben Island. That Easter, Mandela came to London to attend a concert at Wembley Stadium to thank the anti-apartheid Movement and the British people for all their years of campaigning against apartheid. Woods gave Mandela a tie in the black, green and gold colours of the African National Congress to celebrate the event. On Easter Sunday, Mandela phoned to thank Woods's family for the tie and said that he would wear it at the concert the next day, which he did. Woods stood throughout the phone call. is the 42nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... For other people named Mandela, or other uses, see Mandela. ... Robben Island (Afrikaans Robben Eiland) is an island in Table Bay, 12 km off the coast from Cape Town, South Africa and is located at . ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Wembley Stadium was a football stadium located in Wembley, London. ...

Return to South Africa

Woods returned to South Africa in 1994 to support the fund-raising efforts for the ANC election fund. His son Dillon was one of the organizers of the fund-raising appeal in the United Kingdom. On April 27, 1994, Woods went to vote at the City Hall in Johannesburg. A cheering crowd took him to the head of the queue, giving him the place of honour so that he could be one of the first to vote in the new South Africa. Following the election, Donald worked for the Institute for the Advancement of Journalism in Johannesburg. is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) The year 1994 was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by the United Nations. ... This article is about the city in South Africa. ...

On September 9, 1997, on the twentieth anniversary of the death of Steve Biko, Woods was present in East London when a statue of Biko was unveiled by Nelson Mandela and the bridge across the Buffalo River was renamed the "Biko Bridge". Woods also gave his support to the Action for Southern Africa event in Islington, London honouring Biko, helping to secure messages from Ntsiki Biko, Mamphela Ramphele (then the Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Town) and Mandela. is the 252nd day of the year (253rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... East London Town Hall East London (Afrikaans: Oos-Londen, Xhosa: eMonti) is a city on the southeast coast of South Africa, situated in the Eastern Cape Province at 32. ... For other uses, see Islington (disambiguation). ... UCT redirects here. ...

In the last year of his life, Donald gave his name to support the appeal to raise funds to erect a statue of Nelson Mandela in Trafalgar Square outside the South African High Commission, where anti-apartheid campaigners had demonstrated during the period of the apartheid regime. He was also awarded an Order of the British Empire. Trafalgar Square viewed from the northeast corner. ... The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are Knight Grand Cross or Dame Grand Cross (GBE) Knight Commander...

Woods died of cancer on August 19, 2001. is the 231st day of the year (232nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ...

PostScript

A nine-foot high bronze statue of Mandela was eventually erected on nearby Parliament Square, Westminster City Council having objected to its erection on Trafalgar Square, due to space considerations. It was unveiled by the British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, on August 29, 2007, in the presence of Woods' widow, Wendy, and the former British actor and long-time friend of Woods, Lord Attenborough. For other uses, see Parliament Square (disambiguation). ... The City of Westminster is a London borough and a city in its own right, situated to the west of the City of London and north of the River Thames. ... Trafalgar Square viewed from the northeast corner. ... A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. ... For others with the same or similar names, see Gordon Brown (disambiguation). ... is the 241st day of the year (242nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Richard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough (born August 29, 1923 in Cambridge, England) is an actor and director. ...

Awards

• 1978 Conscience-in-Media Award, from the American Society of Journalists and Authors

The Conscience-in-Media Award is presented by the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) to journalists that the Society deems worthy of recognition for their distinctive contributions. ... The American Society of Journalists and Authors was founded in 1948 and is the nations leading organization of independent nonfiction writers. ...

Works

• Asking for Trouble
• South African Dispatches
• Biko (book). Originally published by Paddington Press, London and New York, 1978; later edition published by Henry Holt, New York, 1987.
• Filming with Attenborough
• Rainbow Nation Revisited: South Africa's Decade of Democracy

Biko is a biography about Black Consciousness Movement leader and anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko. ... Holt, Rinehart and Winston, somethimes abbreviated as HRW or referred to as Holt, is an Austin, Texas based publishing company, that specializes in textbooks for use in secondary schools. ...

References