Youthful Opposition is Optimism

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Photo by Chase Baker on Unsplash

Do you know that South Africa celebrates:

• Heritage Month, the equivalent of Black (American) History Month, in September; and that

• It is the official recognition of the country's culture, language, history, heroes, and food; and

• Youth Day annually on June 16^th as a reminder of the Soweto Uprising -the organized student effort across various schools, which began;

• As early as February 1976 when parents lodged complaints, students held sporadic boycotts, and then a strike in protest of the forced imposition of the Afrikaan language as the medium of instruction in Black schools?

Later, on June 16, 1976, what began as an estimated 10,000 – 20,000 students peacefully marching through the streets of Soweto in opposition to the educational barrier resulting from forced instruction in the language of the white South African minority, escalated into:

• A violent clash when police;

• Use of tear gas to disperse the crowd;

• In response, students threw stones, which led to;

• Police released dogs, and at least one officer fired live ammunition, with others following; and

• An estimated 3,907 people were wounded, and 575 people died, including fifteen-year-old (Lesley) Nastings Ndlovu, and twelve-year-old Hector Pieterson.

The uprising ultimately spread across the country, and when it ended on or around February 28, 1977, no police officers were charged or arrested.

In response, South Africa was subject to:

• Official UN Security Council condemnation;

• An integrated government worker strike;

• Devaluation of the South African Rand;

• Alienation of white minorities;

• An international boycott; and

• Severe economic instability.