Born Free: Echoes of Liberation in Modern South Africa
Journeys of Progress, Challenges, and Resilience in a Post-Apartheid Landscape
What does it mean to be born free? Anxiety, the agony, and the pressure to enact our freedom—to take our vote, take our history, our thoughts, and put them into the political system. The past few weeks of this hiatus have been trying to figure out what we need to hear, who we need to vote for, and what we want to see as the youth.
Engaging more deeply with South African history, the trend of the youth standing up and fighting against unjust and insufficient systems has always led to change. The fire lit by activists has led to the world talking about. In ‘76, we spoke out against the inhumane treatment of the apartheid government against black individuals. Not only was it a fight to learn in a language that was our own, but a call for the world to pay attention to the abuse faced by South Africans. In 2015, #FeesMustFall was another depiction of the mass inequality in the education system but also shed a light on government mismanagement and corruption. Now we take to the polls and have the opportunity to shed light on the problems South Africa faces and we have the opportunity to put ourselves at the forefront. The question is what does that truly mean for us?
With an increased wave of radicalism and necessity to empower the youth through employment and education, with problems very easily identifiable, the solution does come just as quick. With continuous calls for state-funded education and state-funded grants, there is a question of capacity for the government to contribute. Similarly, investing in communities and trying to upskill communities through school which has the danger of appearing to technicon apartheid, which were used to keep the black majority in poverty rather than empowering them and providing them with the ability to climb social ranks. Now, in South Africa where just under 60% of the youth are unemployed, we have to navigate very carefully how we set up our economy for the next few decades. Because it is without a doubt that a job in every home is a necessity for all South Africans but it is important that jobs protect the dignity of the people who work in them. How do we evaluate such decisions as the generation that was meant to be born free?
What does it truly mean to be born free and what were we meant to see as South African born post 1994? In layman's terms, we were meant to see a South Africa that is integrated where race does not impact your ability to access opportunity. In South Africa, we can all call our own and be equal. However, 30 years later, the idea of being free feels further than ever before. With segregation moving away from race and being emphasized in class, South Africa continues to be one of the most unequal countries in the world. Moreover, our ability to access our rights such as education, water, and electricity has denied millions of young South Africans opportunities and cost millions of jobs. So being born free seems less desirable because even though we are free from one problem, we are now about to face the next challenge. A government that is made up of more than one party belief and more than one value. So we have to ask how they prioritize us and realign the sentiment that we truly want to be free South Africans.
So as we start to be bombarded with information, theories, and polling data, remember the promise that was made to South Africans, “For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” by Nelson Mandela. Freedom merely was the start of the continued fight for South Africans to be an equal society however it was not enough if it did not respect citizens and their livelihood.
So to us young South Africans, the ones who were “Born Free,” allow us to find the optimism and dedication to truly enact the vision that was once held for us, but also to chart a path where we can truly define freedom. The waves of activism which continue to call for action and accountability of various nations committing egregious crimes. We should continue to use the energy, the rebellious energy and constant want for change into South Africa, into Africa, and into the world.
To be born free is simply to stride for freedom and equality for all. Allow us to take this moment to chart our new path and the truth both for a free South Africa and a free world.