People in Pretoria celebrating Freedom
“Emancipate yourself from mental slavery,” Bob Marley sang his songs of freedom way before African countries were liberated. It has been 20 years since the 27th of April 1994 when 20 million South Africans lined up to cast their vote for freedom.
By: Letlhoonolo Ndhlovu
There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere…
This monumental event meant the banning of segregating, painful laws that allow us to own land; to freely walk in urban areas without a pass book; to not limit ones love for another on the basis of colour; to be educated equally so that one can choose any career without boundaries and to be heard.
On the 27th of April this month will be yet another Freedom Day celebration, we’ll probably reflect on how far we’ve come as a country and to some the speeches have become redundant.
What use is physical freedom when the mind is still enslaved? We’ve had countless revolutionaries, who fought to their death for this freedom. Mandela once said that “There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and many of us will have to pass through the valley of the shadow of death again and again before we reach the mountaintop of our desires.”
ShowMe asked ordinary people from Pretoria what freedom means to them and this is what they had to say:
Karabo
A Matric student from Queens Private School in Pretoria West.
“We are able to go to private schools, we integrate, live in suburbs, we can find better jobs and we can learn more cultures and languages other than English and Afrikaans.”
Robert
A journalism student from the University of Pretoria.
“Freedom means to do as you please, to do what you want, that South Africa’s history of change from the apartheid regime to a rainbow nation showed the world that we all have the ability to change the future.”
A street vendor in the Pretoria CBD and basic rights activist for every hawker in Pretoria.
“Mandela made things easy for us, because of my human rights I am not afraid to fight for my rights, in the past we were afraid. As a person you need to know your rights to know you are free.”
Jimmy
A bookstore owner at Church Square.
“Although we are deemed free, nothing has changed for certain popularity groups. I’m freer now than I was under apartheid even though I am white, it means not having to say ja baas,” jokingly.
Xola Qubu
A business man who owns Pizza in a Cone.
“If you are passionate about something you will never work a day in your life and that is freedom. Liberties are limited by your responsibilities, if you are not responsible you can’t be free to do whatever you want to do.”
Simone & Marinese
“Freedom means not having to follow anyone’s rules, the freedom to be yourself.”
None but ourselves can free our minds; Bob Marley’s freedom song is still so relevant.
View our Pretoria and 20 Years of Freedom article that highlights some of the milestones, especially those where Pretoria has played a vital role.
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