indwe magazine – Dec 2005

Public Holidays And the Significance Thereof
Many people in the world celebrate Christmas and Easter. In fact, internationally we celebrate 78 holidays each year, ranging from World Aids Day to Bosses Day. And, though these days might be important, South Africa has its own special days that need to be celebrated, commemorated and, most of all, remembered because they signify an important part of our shared heritage and culture.
16 June 1976 was a ‘normal day’ in sunny apartheid South Africa. Then a group of young school children in Soweto began to protest against the use of Afrikaans as the language medium in African schools. Police shot at them and Hector Petersen, a young boy, was killed. This sparked unrest throughout the country and many young men and women were detained. Many were killed. Now known as Youth Day, June 16 signifies a radical change in the struggle for freedom in South Africa.
Many young people in South Africa have only known freedom. They did not live through the times of “whites-only/slegs-blankes” bus stops, train compartments, shop entrances and parks. They don’t remember a time when you could not go to a certain section of the beach – not because you were a bad person or an evil person – but because your skin was browner than someone else’s.
When asked, many young people do not know why we celebrate Freedom Day on April 27. Few would be able to tell you that on 27 April 1994 the first free and fair elections were held in the country – when everyone, no matter their gender, creed or colour could vote. It was the first step on the democratic pathway and millions of South Africans queued in long, winding rows for many hours to make their first mark for a democratic future. It was also a way for millions of South Africans to thank the thousands who had fought and died in the struggle for freedom.
On 15 June 2005, as I watched a youth programme on television, I was filled with disappointment when I realised that many young people regarded Youth Day simply as a public holiday. Youngsters interviewed for the programme said it was a “free holiday”; others said it was a day for activists of the struggle to commemorate; still others said they were thankful for the sacrifices the activists made during their lives so that young people could be free today, but they said they did not really celebrate the day. I felt the same disappointment when we celebrated Women’s Day on August 9 – and when we commemorated Human Rights Day and Workers’ Day. It struck me that the significance of these days is disappearing. As young people, who were not involved in the struggle for liberation, grow up, the importance of the fight for liberation and the freedom we now enjoy is being forgotten.
The celebration and commemo-ration of public holidays is a chance for each citizen to participate in and celebrate actively the rich heritage of the country’s rainbow nation. With freedom, citizens’ rights are being recognised and the Constitution endorses these. But often citizens forget that with rights come responsibilities, and it is the responsibility of each citizen to keep the history alive.
So how do we keep our history alive? Elderly people must share their stories to inform youngsters of their history. Story telling should be encouraged, as should education in schools and the media about the importance of where we come from and why it is important for us to celebrate and commemorate public holidays. The story is not about what happened on that day, but the significant changes that the day brought about and why the day should be commemorated for historical purposes.
Americans proudly celebrate July 4, Independence Day. Namibians proudly celebrate March 21, Independence Day. And Zimbabweans proudly celebrate April 18, Independence Day. As South Africans we should encourage all citizens to take part in our country’s celebrations to promote our rich history, citizenship, heritage and nation-building.
Former president Nelson Mandela stated in an address marking Heritage day in 1996: “When our first democratically elected government decided to make Heritage Day one of our national days, we did so because we knew that our rich and varied cultural heritage has a profound power to help build our new nation.”
“We did so knowing that the struggles against injustice and inequities of the past are part of our national identity; they are part of our culture. We knew that, if indeed that our nation has to rise like the proverbial Phoenix from the ashes of division and conflict, we had to acknowledge those whose selfless efforts and talents were dedicated to this goal of nonracial democracy.”
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