The oppressed individual in a ‘free’ South Africa
17/05/2011 # 08:10 # Express - current affairs # 12 Comments
Our freedom looks pretty good on paper
I have been asking myself these questions for a while:
What is freedom?
Who is free?
How do they exercise their freedom?
How does their freedom liberate others?
And today I am sharing my views on this. I am saying that if we were Black in the apartheid days, now we are ‘Navy Black’ post-apartheid. And I mean Black not in a context of skin colour. I mean Black with reference to mental and psychological oppression and subservience. And yes, I intentionally wrote this article after Freedom Day precisely because I want to take my definition of freedom away from the event and date of the 27th of April. This is because I believe freedom means, at least to me, more than political independence.
I believe that in the struggle we investigated the psychological effects of colonial subjugation on blacks. We discussed the ways in which the oppressor instilled fear in the Black man and woman to make sure that they cannot succeed in anything. We worked to end this and change the minds of Blacks and get rid of the internalized denigration of Blackness. Why did we suddenly stop talking about this when it mattered the most? I mean this was supposed to be the first disease we battled with when we re-gained independence, right? Now where are we with that?
Our people still drink from the same source as their animals
My generation is a blessed generation in that we did not see much of the ‘struggle’ of apartheid and therefore are not too bruised from it but at the same time we are not too removed from the realities of this time. This gives us the liberty to define for ourselves the meaning of the struggle and our role as the faces of transition. We need to find a way of defining freedom and Blackness away from the history of self-hatred and bitterness but rather, we should find an explanation that makes us a better people who, after reaching into the lessons of our history, are able to write a story that connects us to our history but does not hold us back and trap us in its bitterness. We need to free the minds of the individual.
What I mean by this is that there is a growing need for our leaders to go back to the most critical goals of the liberation struggle. Although political independence was the first door that needed to open room to many others, it was not the only one as we seem to now be thinking. The most important obstacle that stood in front of the freedom of South Africans and still does today is fear and a defeated mentality.
It would be more life-changing and revolutionary if the independence that we gained democratically became a starting point of our fight against the chains that bind our people to the perpetuation of servitude. This should have been the start of in-ward looking for Blacks where we focus on the development of dignity and self-confidence. In this way we would have achieved what Steve Biko called ‘conscientisation’. This, according to our liberation martyr Biko, is the focus on the conditions in which the historically disadvantaged (Blacks) live and to strive to get them in conscientisation to grapple realistically with their problems, and to develop an awareness of these conditions and be able to analyse them.
If we had started here, our definition of freedom would include more than just the ability to vote as we speak of the 27th of April 1994. Our definition of freedom would include individual liberty, where every citizen of this country would be able to exercise their autonomy and self-determination and most importantly, they would know about this. Every individual would understand the extent of their potential and use this to their best advantage.
Can we say the individual is free when children cannot even see the need to go to school? When public servants do not understand their role as ‘servants’ of the people of the Republic? When people who get houses built for their benefit would rather rent these out than leave their shacks? When it is okay to build people uncovered toilets? Are these people liberated? Individuals still do not see the need to vote! Are they free? There is a growing dependency on social grants in South Africa. Are these people free?
Some people still believe it is normal to live in rusty shacks and not get proper education
Our envisioned freedom was one that, once acquired, liberated our people as a whole from mental bondage and not just our immediate families. Today, we slander anyone who leaves ‘the hood’ for a better life as not ‘Black’ enough and those who stay as ‘ghetto fabulous’. Do we mean that it is good to stay in the gutter and celebrate this misery? Today, anybody who questions the ruling party is anti-revolutionary. We can not build our people water-toilets because their stands are too far apart from each other and it would be too costly if we did. Are we free?
I have a problem with the way that we are being mis-educated as the young people of South Africa. We are either being fed with hatred through the classifications of Black and White which is a further imprisonment of our minds or being taught to be totally in denial of where we are from and the significance of the struggle in our lives today.
Youth day is coming in a short while. Watch the dancing that will be going on, the parties that will be thrown and the speeches made in the name of the struggle and then tell me that we are a free nation.
What is freedom?
Who is free?
How do they exercise their freedom?
How does their freedom liberate others?
If we are able to answer these questions fully and are confident that our answers justify the blood that was shed and brightens the future of our children and their children alike, only then can we boast political independence as a key to a free nation.
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yes political freedom does not mean economic freedom and believe me when i say the ANC and others made compromises during the CODESA negotiations and thus has led to whites still enjoying a far amount of economic freedom over the majority of blacks. it would be misleading to say we must just build a bridge and move on because the struggles of black people in south africa did not end in 1994 and just because some of us are fairly better off than others does not mean that we have to stop finding ways to make the rest of our people better as well.overall good points but the rainbow nation is just a front!! and it would not matter who is white or black if only only we all had an equal footing from 1994 in terms of the wealth of this country, the same applies to many african countries tha contniue to be undermined by the internatinal community in the interest of the west.
thanx Tuks…Im glad that we see with one eye on this one. Im very scared that we may very well end up on the same state as these african countries that we are talking about. We need to go back to the drawing board as the youth and re-work our strategies of achieving a free nation.
This article is amazing, nice one Serialong! I agree with you totally, I thibk alot of people’s minds aren’t free. Especially in the ruling party, people still attribute sucess with being as close to whiteness as possible. I think the ANC’s biggest mistake post-apartheid was not addressing the emancipation of the mind and not just the black mind at that. I really enjoyed this article, it’s a topic of debate at my house regularly, glad to see other people share our sentiments
hi…I know wat you mean. this is a topic in my family too. To a point where my uncle just doesnt want anything that says government in in. He was part of the struggle and he saya what we have now is not what he faught for.
Im glad you enjoyed the peice.
Beautiful Piece Serialong! How I wish we, as black and white south africans alike, could all internalise these ideals of consciosness and move forward toward a non-racist country as equally worthy citizens regardless of race so that we can get to enjoy this ‘wonderful freedom’ that we have been ‘celebrating for 17 years now. Unfortunately with the adoption of neoliberal policies such as GEAR we are now obliged to only experiencing a freedom defined along capitalist lines, a freedom allowed for only by economic freedom which many of us still cannot attain because of poverty which is through this system constantly reproduced.
Indeed
“We need to find a way of defining freedom and Blackness away from the history of self-hatred and bitterness but rather, we should find an explanation that makes us a better people who, after reaching into the lessons of our history, are able to write a story that connects us to our history but does not hold us back and trap us in its bitterness. We need to free the minds of the individual.”
Thank you Matshidiso. I hope that this will not just be a topic bor this blog but that we will actually hold these discussions with our leaders and meke them undestand what we want.
Watching SABC 3 19:00 coverage of Freedom Day celebrations was an eye-opener. Not only was the significance of the day taken away from by the electioneering in the build-up to Local Government Elections, but so was the spirit of what the day should mean. So many of the youth stated that it is just another holiday. There is a huge criticism directed against whites for not celebrating the day. Is it our sense of guilt or our fear that we may be told that we do not have the right to celebrate Freedom Day? Should politicians try to force us to celebrate? It is sad that freedom and a sense of euphoria is not instilled on this day. We need the World Cup back to do that!
I think your article is good for raising the complexities that underpin ‘freedom.’ It is a broad term. We just have to keep questioning what we are free from beyond racial oppression. If one is white, many argue they have always then been free. However, for many, guilt can also oppress.
true, sad that in SA freedom is a racial debate! when are we ever gon move on and not be of one color or the other but a nation?
Rachel…I understand you completely. How can white people be able to celebrate a day that has been made a ‘black people’s day’. most people forget the pivotal role that many white people played to make 1994 happen and choose ignorance to such. I also don’t celebrate the day and my reasons are clear…I am still not free and so are many South Africans (both black and white). I hope our youth can see this hatred that is binding them to the past and work towards the ‘oneness’ of our nation.
I love your article.
I am worried however about the youth’s political participation, we seem comfortable to stand by the side-lines and to throw around statements and blames. Its easier for us to stand by the side-lines and point out the mistakes and failure of our government, rather that to get involved and try to correct those mistakes and failure. The truth is South Africa’s future is in our hands, however we don not seem to care. We would rather be led than lead ourselves, leaving our country in the state that it is.
this is very true. that is why i said to Matshidiso that I really hope that we take this debate further and let our leaders hear our plea.. I work with an organisation(the Steve Biko foundation) that is involved in programmes that raise these issues and we host panel discussions and invite these “leaders” to hear what the people have to say. More still needs to be done though.
It makes so much sense.