In this episode, Media & Marketing Show host, Hasanain Abdullah engaged with author, Patric Tariq Mellet
Patric Tariq Mellet bio reads as follows:
Tariq is a best-selling author of “The Lie of 1652 – A decolonised History of Land”, “The Truth about Cape Slavery – The Foundation of Colonial South Africa” as well as “Cleaner’s Boy – A resistance road to a liberated life”, these are among the titles published. These books touch on themes of identity, slavery under colonial rule and the issue around land ownership in South Africa.
He was a print factory worker in the 1970’s, where he publication a newsletter which was subsequently banned. Due to his political views, he left South Africa and setup a Liberation Press in Zambia. This is where he worked a resistance journalist on two publications, “Mayibuye” and “Vow-Voice of Women”. At the time, he was a presenter on Radio Freedom, this was a radio station setup my Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), it ran from the 1970s until the 1990s. In the ANC Liberation Press in London, he produced various liberation journals as part of a global solidarity effort to end Apartheid. Upon his return to South Africa after his exile, he served as the media officer for Grassroots Educare. After 1994, he served as the first Director of Public Relations for Parliament
The discussion touched on how Tariq who came from abject poverty and homelessness to earning himself a master’s degree and to becoming a best-selling author.
The interview used his career timeline, this included his factory working days in a printing press where he established “Young Voice”, a publication that expressed views that were sympathetic to the needs of workers, until his exile to Zambia. This was due to his views expressed, which was critical to the Apartheid state. He was a resistance journalist and a broadcaster who received arms training as well. While he used a typewriter to publish his publication, he had a weapon on his side during his Nightwatch shift. He travelled extensively, during the 1980’s and this expanded his horizons, and this is where he discovered expression through authoring books. His books challenge the false narrative established by colonial powers around land, slavery and identity, here we refer to his book “The Lie of 1652”.
His work highlights the evil associated with economic slavery, the rape of women of colour and the land that was stolen by invading colonial countries. During his media career, he was involved in the technical aspects of printing, he was a journalist, a PR Director, as well as social commentator on matters pertaining to identity.
