To what extent is our beloved Rainbow nation free?
Where everything is legendary. Let me re count the chronological sequence with some explanation. After a scouting hike to find a way up through the cliffs, Mac, Randy Nelson and I. I played with a friend last night for about 4 hours with no issues, then tonight I had trouble connecting to his game. I finally connected and played about 10 min then lost connection, havent been able to get connected since. I went and forwarded all the ports for the game, and even DMZ'd my router still no dice.
Saturday April 27 this year was the 19th anniversary of South Africa’s first democratic elections, now known as ‘Freedom Day’.
19 years ago our parents and grandparents took to voting stations across the land to vote for the first time in their lives. They had lived through apartheid and all the unrest and turmoil that came with the time. They had had enough, they finally had a voice. They were getting rid of the shackles that bound them in their own land for so long.
This new promise of a rainbow nation and a free and democratic society was an attractive guarantee under the rule of a black president. A hero of the struggle who was imprisoned for 27 years. Buts that’s a story for another day.
When I was a child, my mother worked as a domestic worker for a lovely white family who loved me like their own and taught me so many things, and exposed me to so much more than some black children could have ever imagined. I went to a mostly white school, learnt to speak English very well and had a lovely childhood. Looking back I realise just how sheltered my life was back then.
I saw South Africa through what I call a ’94’ lens. Things were perfect, we were living side by side, ebony and ivory. It was John Lennon day and night.
Years down the line when I was in university, with my journalism degree almost in hand, I realised just how much of a facade we had been living through. One of our fundamental rights, our right to freedom of speech was put to the gallows, waiting to be executed.
The democracy honeymoon was officially over, at least to those of us wide awake enough to see it. And those who were about to join the media and be guardians of truth and the right to know, the right to information and to freedom of speech.
The government turned on the very media who had been there, mostly on their side during the dark days of apartheid.
That would not be all, oh no. We now have an almost apartheid style police force who massacred miners last year in August. Our own government, the government of the people is turning on us, going back to the very ways that they claim to have fought against.
Our people are hungry, without houses and in my opinion, worse off than they were some twenty odd years ago. The education system is getting no better and the government is more absorbed in their own party in-fighting than educating the youth and dealing with rising unemployment.
I now see Freedom Day as another public holiday for our politicians to stand on stage and sing songs that are no longer relevant to the struggles we have today, and gloat about their half achievements.
Our freedom is no longer a priority, they are self absorbed and are more interested in building their own wealth and driving fancy cars.
I am not ungrateful as I know we have freedoms, but they seem to come with limits which seem to be altered as we go along, to suit our corrupt officials and people in power. There’s nothing to celebrate anymore.
However, in the end it will be up to us as the younger generation to stand up and fight again. To take back what is rightfully ours. Luckily in this day and age, you don’t have to take to the streets to make yourself heard. We need a new revolution, on our own terms.
Borderlands Not Letting Me Join Friends Game Through His Mack
With Zii, always expect the unexpected!