In furthering my studies of the Zapatista movement of South Mexico I came across this group. Abahlali baseMjondolo is a South African Libertarian Socialist movement. The name is isiZulu for ‘the shack dwellers.‘

Rather than go into extensive detail into the aims of the movement (which I will leave to the individual to research via the links provided) I will just give a very basic outline of the principles of Libertarian Socialism and the Abahlali baseMjnodolo .

Libertarian Socialism rejects the roles of the state or the political party in the promotion of liberty and social justice. Both party and state are top-down political movements, therefore removed from the realities of the struggles it purports to represent. Liberterian Socialists instead look towards trade unions, workers councils, citizens assemblies and non-bureaucratic decentralized means of action.

An example of LibSoc is the Zapatista movement of South Mexico which places the revolution in the hands of the people. There is no party, there is no single political theory, there is merely community action and communal consensus. All members of the community have a voice, all participate within the rule of the community, and a system of ‘ministerial’ rotation. In other words the machinery of power is rotated amongst the whole community over a period of time.

Zapatista and Abahlali baseMjondolo are examples of postmodern revolution. Practical realities replace theory. It is not anti-theory, but theory arises secondary to practical experience. Thus as an example in the Durban shack townships the role of religion is very important to the people. Instead of imposing a secular view from above (as in classical Marxist theory) Abahlali respects and promotes the equality of personal belief. Other examples from Chiapas (South Mexico) is that different communities have different economic templates, some maintain money, others have transferred to a gift economy.

Abahlali has three key areas in its philosophy.

  • Politics of the Poor. This means politics conducted by and for the poor. Instead of by wellmeaning outsiders. The political process is liberated to include in its functions the people it aims to help. In practise this means that the political process takes place where the poor people live, at whatever time is convenient for the people of that area, it is conducted in their language, and respects their indigenous cultural identities.
  • Living Politics. This has two meanings. 1) that its politics is shaped by experience not theory. Political education creates its own elites that impose ideas upon others. 2) Living politics is democratic and communal.
  • Peoples Politics. The whole community participate, decisions are based upon the consensus of the whole. The system does not allow for representational politics, or the establishment of a professional political class. Personal power and financial reward are rejected.