It bothers me a great deal that the modern youth doesn’t know who Verwoed is. It is indicative of a culture that is brewing in the modern world of our country. You know, it can make sense if the modern youth doesn’t know Stratcom or the other secret agencies that operated in the Apartheid era. However, not knowing the man who created the evil system is a real concern that should not be ignored.
What could be the cause of the ignorance that seems prevalent in the youth of today? Is it because the freedoms that we enjoy are so good, they warrant no necessary action for us to understand who we are as a people? The need to identify ourselves with our heritage as Black people is as important today as it was in 1994. The need to unify ourselves as Black people is as important today as it was in 1997 when Thabo Mbeki initiated the African Renaissance Conference. The Conference hosted various great minds of Africa spanning from Commerce to Education, all with the intention of building and creating a philosophy that will guide the future generations of the country. Instead, it seems, the then future generations are a bit concerned with attaining the “sof” life than understanding the true significance of being Black in the world of today.
It goes without a question that the next question would be; where did we go wrong? Where and when did we lose our identity and settle for the scraps that they left over for us? Those scraps are the internships that promise false financial freedom. Those scraps are the executive positions that the Employment Equity Act bestows on us and yet, careful analyses of those positions reveal that those positions carry no authoritative power in the company. Those scraps are the black faces that are paraded and celebrated by companies in the name of being Pro-Black when the reality is that those black faces are exactly that, faces and nothing more. We celebrate these scraps and fail to stand aside and question them. We celebrate these minor victories and fail to realise that we still not yet fully free and independent as a people.
The truth is, unless we build our own systems, we will always be slaves. Jews are admired (and envied) because as a people they found a way to be fully free. As a people, they found a way to build themselves into a cultural powerhouse. We as Black people, need to take the time and learn from the Jews and emulate them so that we can be free. Unless we are content with the gradual eradication of our history and pride as a people; as seen with the ignorance of the modern youth not even knowing the grandmasters of our mental slavery.
It honestly breaks my heart that indeed, the modern youth do not know the history of this country. Not only do they not know the history, but they also seem not to care about it either. Yes, it could be argued that in the days past, there was Steve Biko and the Black Consciousness Movement that preached the narrative of Black Power, as the Panthers before him in America. In today’s world, we do not have that voice. We do not have a voice that glorifies the beauty and power of Black Power. We do not have a voice like Bob Marley that taught millions about Africa and the intellects of Africa. In today’s world, there is no voice that is loud enough to reach the millions like the voices that came before us.
The modern youth is concerned about the drip and sauce. You find young boys named Themba by their Black parents calling themselves Tido among their friends so that they can be accepted. These young boys are so confused about their identities, you will hear them preach the philosophies of Marx, and yet because of the drip, they will be drenched in Jordan, Adidas, or even Supreme. It is really a concern the state of philosophies that are prevalent in today’s society and it is an area that we need to look into if we intend to build a unified Black community in South Africa.
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