Sandile Memela
Pretoria - I don’t remember hearing or using the phrase “children of freedom” very much to describe young South African children who were born around the time of Nelson Mandela’s release in 1990.
Instead, it is a phrase that has largely been associated with the 1976 generation for their role in bringing about what is mistakenly considered a “revolution” in national politics.
But watching the children of the children of 1976 – now in their 20s and 30s – grow up over the past 30 years, I have caught a glimpse of the society for which the latter made sacrifices. I have been disturbed by the navel-gazing focus that has been given to the 1976 generation, which has been about elevating them to some false heroic status.
We know about the betrayal of the African dream for Uhuru that has been destroyed by the 1976 generation.
Thus, we should examine the impact of what this generation looked forward to and the type of society they wished to create for their children to grow up in.
I was speaking to my nephew, Thando, who was born in Lusaka, Zambia, in 1989, when it suddenly occurred to me that, black as we think he is, he is not a victim of apartheid but a child of freedom.
He is like millions of other youngsters who constitute not only the society that Mandela et al fought for, but what we have all wanted our society to be.
Thando and all his peers and contemporaries – between 25 and 35 years of age – are not just a new generation of South Africans, but the future of this country, the continent and the world.
In fact, at 32 years, Thando is living his life to the full and enjoying the fruits of freedom.
These are the children of 1990 and beyond.
They were not born black or white. They were not born in the suburbs or the townships. They were not born dull or bright. They were not born winners or losers.
Their birth in this country was not an accident of history, but an act of destiny or fate, if you will.
These are boys and girls who were born African, destined to be global citizens, in the middle of a turning point in the history of our country.
It was a fortunate time and place for one to enter the world.
Our world and history as we knew it for more than 340 years was not only crumbling, but changing for the better.
These young boys and girls, turned men and women, are our children who came through us, but not from us, into this world to be free in every sense of the word.
We may not have told them, but they are the first generation of South Africans to live together, with their white counterparts of European descent, with an unconditional sense of ownership of this country.
They should claim and assert their rights to identity and belonging.
They are free to make choices unavailable to past generations whose humanity was violated by unjust laws that separated people on the basis of skin colour.
They must be taught that it is not only inconceivable, but illegal in their world today for anyone to be judged by the colour of their skin, and not the content of their character.
They have grown and developed at an age marked by tumultuous social and political transformation for a better world.
It is their role and responsibility, now that they have come of age, to take part in the battles over the direction of their country and its role on the continent and the world.
Their parents, mothers and fathers could never have lived a life in which they had individual choice, which did not put group rights first.
They were condemned to live in predetermined political and racial boxes that cemented racial segregation and exclusion.
Their mothers and fathers could only imagine and dream of a new world in which where you are going is more important than where you came from.
Many of their mothers, fathers, uncles and aunts, in their own little ways, sacrificed their lives to give them the promise of what true freedom would mean in the new non-racial, non-sexist and democratic society.
This was done as a matter of principle to make it possible for these boys and girls, the children of 1990 and beyond, to exercise freedom of choice.
Their story, of course, began on February 11, 1990, when legendary leader Nelson Mandela walked out of jail.
It was a moment that crystallised what it meant to put the interests of a country and its people first, before your own.
This man, who epitomised the Struggle for freedom and its ideals, returned home to reunite with family and community, committing his life to rebuilding a new society.
It was the beginning of a new life for the beautiful ones who would be born from that moment. It was an optimistic time.
These boys and girls who were born free should be encouraged to understand the meaning of freedom and democracy.
This year, for the 29th time, on April 27, the country will celebrate Freedom Day, which unleashed a new age for a new generation of young people.
It is time, nay, long overdue, that they come forward to not only claim the day as their own, but to assert their position as the heirs of the great promise of this country.
It is the young people who have to work to unite themselves into a great power bloc that will transcend racial barriers, ideology or partisanship.
Freedom Day does not belong to any one party or group and has now been opened up to those patriots who love their country to make it what they will.
Although it may still be a state affair along ANC partisan lines, it is time that everybody, especially young people, came forward to help mould and shape the future of the country that they will live in.
The celebration of Freedom Day and the observation of many other significant national holidays provide an abundant opportunity for young people like Thando to define and give character to their country.
It is time that the children of 1990 make their voices and presence felt.
This is their freedom. And they must claim it.
The youth must go home to tell their parents, mothers, and fathers to stop taking this country to the dogs. They are ruining the future of their children’s children.
* Memela is a writer, cultural critic and public servant. He writes in his personal capacity.
** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media.
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