Take a bow Class of 76

Freedom.  The word carries so much meaning, especially in societies that have have waged war in the name of Freedom. My beloved South Africa is no different. Just like any other country, South Africa has experienced decades and decades of colonialism as is conventionally understood. The country also experienced a colonialism of a "special" kind in the form of apartheid, with the coming to power of the National Party in 1948.  Many men and women, most notably from the largest NGO in South Africa, the African National Congress sacrificed a lot to contribute to the concerted effort to topple the inhumane and unjust system that saw the majority of the peoples of this land treated like the scum of the earth. Both those who had gone into exile and those that had remained to fight the system from within deserve a special bow.  Today, we celebrate the youth of 1976. We salute the class of  1976 for having the courage to challenge the unjust system,that saw the African child receive an inferior quality of education. Theirs also added to the greater assignment of brining a new dawn to South Africa.  In his book titled Matigari, Ngugi writes "There is no night so long that doesn't end with dawn". Indeed, in 1994 a new dawn had come over the country. Twenty years on, since the dawn of democracy I remember, I reflect,I pay homage to the faithful comrades who contributed to a South Africa where the colour of my skin is not a disadvantage and where my heritage is not an impediment. Of course, a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step, and as a country I believe we still have a long way to go - Yinde Lendlela - in order to effectively eradicate the legacies of the past. But one thing is for sure, we will get there, because the price that was paid for our freedom is too high for us to abandon the ideals of the National Democratic Revolution. I am sometimes dismayed when I look at the youth of today. As the youth of today, we are reaping the fruits of our predecessors. However, when I look at today's body of youth and how they relate to this priceless Freedom, I am dismayed. Why is it that we have a sense of entitlement, why is it that we are content with drinking our youth away, why is that we don't value education much, why is that we are not interested about current affairs, why is it that are not really abreast of developments on our content? Of course  the questions I pose above, are generalizations, in my life I have met many many of my fellow youth who are actually on top of their game as it relates to the above. Youth  who understand the price and value of our Freedom and are committed to taking the baton from our predecessors and continuing the good fight. I thoroughly enjoyed my Youth Day, today. I spent it in the company of someone that I admire a great deal. Someone who, at the age of 18 left the country and went into exile and returned to SA about 20 odd years later. Our conversation was about life in exile, the ideals that they were working towards,the sacrifices that were made. I have always believed that had I been born during the height of apartheid, I have no doubt in my mind that I would have gone into exile and received training from the armed wing of the ANC, Umkhonto Wesizwe. If I had chosen to stay, I probably would have been arrested numerous times or placed under house arrest for various altercations in apartheid South Africa. One thing is for sure...let's step up as today's youth and not betray the Freedom that was so hard won...