Fifty-seven years ago, 69 Black protesters lost their lives in what started as a peaceful protest against discriminatory laws enforced by the Apartheid Police at the time. A further 180 were injured. On Saturday, South Africans will unite to commemorate the Sharpeville Massacre whilst celebrating Human Rights Day.
On #TheSpecialFocus this week, Zahid jadwat spoke to Bonolo Makgale to understand the meaning of Human Rights Day in a South African context, especially against the backdrop of Apartheid. Bonolo Makgale is the Demicracy and Civic Engagement Unit Programme Manager at the Centre for Human Rights.. She put the discussion into a historical perspective, saying: "If you think about it historically, on the 21st of March 1960, the Apartheid government's Police killed 69 black South Africans and about 180 people were wounded. This was during a peaceful protest against the Pass law." She went on to explain how the Pass laws enforced by the regime of the time had dehumanized the native people and how this impacted on our appreciation of human rights today. "What Human Rights Day means for us is [that we must] remember the ultimate price that was paid by the freedom fighters that were pushing back and fighting against the system that continued to dehumanize black lives." "This day is important because it was an act of defiance. Black South Africans were saying: 'we are fully humans and we have every right to exist in this country and our movement should not be regulated, let alone our humanity be validated by a small black book.' So I think it's an important day [for us] to celebrate where we are now." You can listen to the full discussion via the link below. This episode and past episodes of The Special Focus can be found on nearly every major podcast app and site, including Spotify, TuneIn and Anchor.
1 Comment
Yousuf
21/3/2020 02:07:07 pm
May we honor the heroes who risked their lives for the struggle.
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AuthorZahid Jadwat is a South African writer, columnist, podcaster and radio show host. Archives
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