As we are celebrating with the world the 20 years of FREEDOM in our beloved country South Africa, it is a rather anĀ emotional day for us here at Kliptown Youth Program. This is due to the fact that some of the responses that we get when we shout “Happy Freedom Day” to everyone we come across are truly disheartening. Some people say that there is nothing to celebrate on Freedom Day because 20 years later nothing has changed in this community.
Yes, we do acknowledge that at times one cannot be blamed for questioning such excitement on this day when the government is widely accused of being corrupt and having done very little for the people of this country especially the poor. However, what we wish people from Kliptown and all over the world to take note of is that we might still be poor but we are not oppressed! Thus, today no man can declare himself to be superior to the other, especially because of the colour of their skin, race, gender or religion, and make comments like PW Botha made to his Cabinet in 1985 when he said “Blacks look like human beings and act like human beings do not necessarily make them sensible human beings. They are good in nothing else but making noise, dancing, marrying many wives and indulging in sex. Let us all accept that the Black man is the symbol of poverty, mental inferiority, laziness and emotional incompetence.” – without fear or favour be called what he truly is Racist and get punished by the law!
To us Freedom Day is all about embracing the fact that today we are living in a world were everyman is the master of his own fate. This simply means that having the ability to live freely, peacefully without any doubts that someone can take that freedom away from you. We have rights, thus, we are respected in our societies regardless of the colour of skin, race or gender.
Again, HAPPY FREEDOM DAY SOUTH AFRICA!!!