Good People of Africa, let us free ourselves
20 May 2008
Every person we have spoken to in the last few days about South Africa, is feeling strong emotions. Emotions that they want to put down and share. Emotions that have been building up for a long time.
We would like to use this forum to invite you to have your say on the situation in our country, for many of us have kept quiet for too long. No hate speech will be tolerated – this is a place for people to express themselves freely but ALL comments will be monitored… This is not a space for you to criticise others’ thoughts, language or syntax or to try and be the ‘cleverer one’. This is a space to understand everyone’s point of view. Freedom of speech is of huge importance now, so South Africans and citizens of the world, share your thoughts, intelligently. You can go anonymously, but we invite you to tell us who you are, your age and where you are from. (click here to read full article and comment)
Editorista will begin:
My name is Sarah, I am 33 years old, I was born and bred in Johannesburg, Swaziland, Mpumalanga and Kwazulu-Natal , but I have been in Europe for 4 months. I have been privileged to live a rich, interesting life in South Africa and Swaziland. I am a young South African, not a politician and these are my thoughts:
Good people of Africa, how can we free ourselves from these chains?
So many of us are tarred with fear and hatred of each other, fueled by the evil teachings of our past that brainwashed us into categorising each other. How can we rid ourselves of these stains, these superficial concepts that claw so deeply within us? Once, Africa was a borderless place, and now, we withdraw into the labelling and naming that was imposed on us and today divides us.
Excited by freedom and driven by a desire for new beginnings, so many citizens in our country have thrown themselves into the ‘growing business economy’ since ’94, striving for a piece of success, hungry for financial gain, often getting ourselves more and more into debt as we aim for bigger, better and more. In this money-hungry process, so many of us have forgotten about the poor (but not all of us, there are many people who do as much good as they can), with the rich getting richer and the middle class booming beyond belief (which has been a blessing for many people for which we are deeply grateful).
But in our ambitious desires to achieve our economic, consumerist dreams(or nightmares), we have also forgotten what it means to be active everyday citizens, demanding the BEST from our leaders and government. We have left the huge task in the hands of a few, while we all go about our own lives, living in more and more fear as we go,building our walls higher and higher and forgetting what it means to love our neighbour, and to stand up and fight for the rights for all people of our nation and continent.
The horrific violence we see is not acceptable and we CONDEMN it, it brings shame to our nation and our forefathers who fought for freedom and equality. Shame on our people. Violence is NEVER a solution and the word ‘hatred’ should be banned from our lips. Hatred comes from fear, fear comes from not understanding, we know this.
But at the same time, the ‘poor’ people of our townships, squatter camps and rural areas and every corner of SA, have had enough of being forgotten about, neglected, treated like scabs in their country, with nothing much changing in their lives year in, year out. Their struggle is our struggle too. Not enough is being done to change the lives of the most desperate and forlorn in our country. The time for action is now. It is time for us as citizens to take back our power, to take back our streets, our country and to take responsibility.
We need new leaders, new ideas, new icons, new plans of action, we need innovation, we need the voices of every citizen who gives a damn about our future, to stand up and be counted. Let us slow down our hunger for material gain and reawaken our spirit of Ubuntu, let us stand up and be counted, let us demand answers and action. Let us RISE South Africa, RISE, let us take our position as the hope of Africa and show the way to the continent, as it is in our destiny to do.
Good people of Africa, all people of Africa, no matter your creed, race, religion, language nor background, let us free ourselves from our chains.
As a wise friend always says, WE MUST LET LOVE AND PEACE RULE and all take responsibility for our actions.
