Previous
Pan Africanist Congress (PAC)
Meaning “spear of the nation,” MK is the paramilitary arm of the ANC. Despite his reluctance to employ violence, Mandela leads the MK at its inception because he believes that the unreasonable South African government leaves him and his allies with no choice.
Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) Quotes in Long Walk to Freedom
The Long Walk to Freedom quotes below are all either spoken by Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) or refer to Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK). For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 45
Quotes
In planning the direction and form that MK would take, we considered four types of violent activities: sabotage, guerrilla warfare, terrorism, and open revolution. For a small and fledgling army, open revolution was inconceivable. Terrorism inevitably reflected poorly on those who used it, undermining any public support it might otherwise garner. Guerrilla warfare was a possibility, but since the ANC had been reluctant to embrace violence at all, it made sense to start with the form of violence that inflicted the least harm against individuals: sabotage.
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Long Walk to Freedom LitChart as a printable PDF.
Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) Term Timeline in Long Walk to Freedom
The timeline below shows where the term Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) appears in Long Walk to Freedom. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 42
...of forming an army called the Umkhonto we Sizwe (“The Spear of the Nation,” abbreviated MK). Unlike ANC, Mandela allows White members in MK. Mandela starts reading about people like Fidel...
(full context)
Chapter 44
...waiting for his master to return. Mandela occasionally has visitors who help him with planning MK. Eventually the White allies Arthur Goldreich and Mr. Jelliman move onto the farm, with Mandela...
(full context)
Chapter 45
Mandela decides that MK should begin with sabotage, since it is the form of violence that is easiest to...
(full context)
Chapter 48
...however, Mandela gets word that he is needed urgently back in South Africa to lead MK. Although Mandela is on high alert as he travels back to South Africa, he manages...
(full context)
Chapter 50
...Still, Mandela is reluctant to take risks, since a failed escape might be lethal to MK.
(full context)
Chapter 53
...1962, the ANC holds its first annual conference in a few years. ANC finally acknowledges MK as its military arm. The government goes ahead with the bantustan system, which people protest...
(full context)
Chapter 55
...who goes by Mr. X. He is a Zulu man who was a leader in MK. He says he lost faith in the organization and came to believe it was just...
(full context)
Chapter 69
...ANC has grown weaker. Still, the liberation struggle continues in other parts of Africa, with MK soldiers fighting in Rhodesia. Mandela also hears of Luthuli’s death, which leaves an even bigger...
(full context)
Chapter 74
...the prisoners. Mandela gets permission to meet with his allies to consider the proposal. More MK soldiers enter the prison, and while Mandela isn’t happy to see them captured, he’s grateful...
(full context)
Chapter 88
...the outside world at Pollsmoor and feels that the struggle for freedom is picking up. MK is still planting bombs at power stations and military targets, and while Mandela is horrified...
(full context)
Chapter 105
...is buried. A month later, he goes to Robben Island and tries to convince some MK political prisoners to accept a government amnesty deal. In June, Mandela again goes abroad to...
(full context)
Chapter 106
...stoking tensions. Although he has temporarily advised the ANC against using the violent tactics that MK used in the past, he begins to reconsider this position.
(full context)
Chapter 111
...is completed in the fall of 1993. In April of 1993, a popular ANC and MK member named Chris Hani gets assassinated by white supremacists, and some fear that this could...
(full context)
