The new generation and culture

 

Culture is the most important aspect of our lives as it is the customs and beliefs, art, way of life and social organization of a particular group. Every ethnic group in South Africa has their own culture.

The question is, Does the new generation value culture and live their life according to it? Do they consider culture as their way of life like their great grandmothers? Well the issue of culture to me raises many questions than answers. The youth of today no longer embrace who they are culturally. They have lost the whole meaning of being a true African and knowing where they come from. To me not knowing anything about your culture means you do not know who you are and where you come from.

We have adopted the style of only celebrating our culture and who we are during heritage day. Is that all we are giving to ourselves as black Africans? Do we really have to celebrate ourselves only on heritage day? Do we take pride on who we are? Sadly the answer to all this questions is no. The youth of today would rather adopt foreign cultures and practice them than that of their own.

I think the new generation needs to be taught about the importance of culture by their parents. They need to be taught what it means to be black, being African and belonging in that particular ethnic group. I am a lucky young woman who has been lucky enough to grow up in a family that values culture. I belong to the Ndebele tribe and I was taught at a young age what it means to be a Ndebele woman. I wear my colourful Ndebele attire and walk proud because I know who I am and where I come from.

I can imagine how beautiful, colorful South Africa would be if we would go back to the days of our great grand mothers. I can imagine a South Africa that practice ubuntu, how warm and lovely of a country it would be. I can imagine a South Africa where each and ever one of us takes pride on who we are and where we come from. I can imagine a generation that lives according to their norms and values. Not only would it be a beautiful country but it would be a country where the elderly respects the young and the young respects the elderly.

It would be a country that knows what it means to be a true African and we would know that we deserve to celebrate ourselves everyday with pride.

 

 

 

Audio : https://soundcloud.com/user-240933016/youth

Pictures taken from : http://www.africancraftsmarket.com/african-tribes/shona-people.html

https://www.viator.com/Durban-tourism/Ways-to-Experience-Zulu-Culture-in-Durban/d315-t11745

 

 

 

 

 

Sosh movers go through the semi finals

Soshanguve is one of the places which use soccer to keep kids out of the streets, away from drugs and crime. They believe that this platform will help reduce the rate of crime and give the youth the opportunity to showcase their talent.

The under 13 Sosh Movers played against KCC Young Fighters at Giant stadium on Saturday. Sosh Movers beat KCC Young Fighters 2-1 in the quarter finals of Soshanguve Cup knockout. The semifinals in all division will compete for the cup and other prizes in the Mayor’s cup tournament on the 26th of June.

Movers coach Billy Moliere was excited that his team won and he was proud as his team played good soccer. Excitement and happiness filled on the faces of the Sosh Movers players as they managed to beat their rivals. It is so wonderful seeing kids as young as 13 filled with passion and you can tell that they play from their hearts. The coach said that his team worked very hard and were determined to win.

On the other hand KCC Young Fighters were very disappointing as they lost to Sosh Movers. Regardless of the team’s disappointment, the coach was very proud as his team did their best. The kids are very young and they get tired easily. During the first half they were already tired which I think also contributed to the los. Obviously their hearts were broken since they are no longer running for the crown.

This is a great experience for the youth of Soshanguve. Not only does it help them to stay away from drugs and crime, but it also help to unleash talent. In this small teams, it is where we will have our future soccer stars.

 

Audio : https://soundcloud.com/user-240933016/sosh-mover

 

 

 

 

Kids maturing fast due to early internet exposure.

Gone are those days where children used to be children and behaved like children. In my mind I can picture the olden days where our mothers and fathers grew up playing on the streets and enjoying their childhood days creating many memories.  I can hear the voices of their laughter and the happiness. Nowadays kids would rather be on their phones browsing the internet than being out the streets playing with their peers.

Parents have also exposed their children to the internet because they allow their children to surf the internet without supervision. Yes the internet has so many useful things like books, relevant information for school research but almost 70% of kids surf the net for things above their age. It is the parent’s responsibility to ensure their kids safety against immoral internet content.

We have to understand that everyone is promoting their own ideology on the internet and those ideologies are aimed at vulnerable consumers which in this case are the kids. Tell me what happens when a 15 year old child who is exposed to pornography at this early age due to the internet. Yes social media like face-book, twitter etc was created for people to use for communication but those social networks also promote nudity and pictures not suitable for kids.

Social media leads to the youth coming across adult content a parent wouldn’t want them to be exposed to. People post all kinds of things on social media and its possible that being inundated with wrong messages can lead them to accept twisted kinds of norms or mature fast. Parents have criticized the usage of the internet by the youth saying their children are growing faster than them when they were kids, While on the other hand it is the parents who buy their kids those gadgets to surf the net.

Parents should take the responsibility of telling their children about the dangers f going online and they must use parental control software on their kids mobile devices in order to protect them from being injected with immoral internet content. App-blocker may be used to block apps that are inappropriate for the child such as twitter, face-book etc. or if the parent feels that their child or teen is not ready for the responsibility associated with certain apps.

 

Audio : https://soundcloud.com/user-240933016/aud-20180531-wa0015

Pictures links: 1.  https: //www.google.co.za/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwj4xNugnbzbAhWE7xQKHeFdDkgQjRx6BAgBEAU&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2F2015%2F06%2F02%2Fhealth%2Fteens-health-technology%2Findex.html&psig=AOvVaw1n2D5PjHMnYV02YQAHPKZW&ust=1528277966486048

2.   https://www.google.co.za/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwi27am9nbzbAhWDPBQKHR82AKMQjRx6BAgBEAU&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fsustainable-business%2F2015%2Fnov%2F05%2Fparents-children-online-search-history-microsoft-windows-10-privacy&psig=AOvVaw1n2D5PjHMnYV02YQAHPKZW&ust=1528277966486048

 

 

 

Culture is another form of entertainment.

Iqude is a period where ndebele girls engage in when learning about womanhood. Every culture has it’s own tradition, however most of this cultures are similar within each South African.

I attended the iqude event on 27 December 2018, where a familyof Bathabile Mahlangu (17) who was not initiated into womanhood hosted a gathering ceremony called iqude for her. The formation of iqude includes a lot of tradidional beer called (umqombothi), ndebele music and dance.

However iqude varies from area to area and country to country. The influence of time has also chaged this custom. The ndebele people still respect this stage of growth.Some do individual ceremonies and others still do group ceremonies for initiates. The girls wear a unique outfit before and after the initiation. Initiates wear aprons made of beads in a very special way that represents their new status. The apron is known as (utshogolo). Initiates will now be expected to wear beadwork (rholwane) around their necks and ingolwani around their waist with strings and beadwork around their upper arms. The outfit is very colourful and made creatively.

Iqude is organized individually within the homestead. The girl is isolated in the hose for a specific time. This ceremony is completed by slaughtering a cow and goats. Cooking with very big pots, presentation of gifts by relatives and friends, more music and dance.

Zinhle Mahlangu her womanhood name (Nofanezile) explained that iqude is a good thing to do and the entertainment part of it is what she likes the most. “We gather as young women and dance, eat a lot of meat and meat new people from other ndebele groups.I can’t  disclose all the information because you have to be an initiate to actually know that.” She said that this ceremony gives them a platform to know more about their culture and enjoy every moment of it.

Men are also invited to the ceremony but they don’t get to see the initiate. Themba Skhosana said that he has been attending this ceremony for a lobg time now and it is a nice place to be. To reconnect and get to meet new people. He said the youth have so much fun and they value their culture. The final event sees female graduates topless and wearing colourful beaded hoops stacked on their arms, legs and neck. Stiff board aprons around their waist. Hand out small tokens of candies and matchboxes. They perfom a dance.

During the iqude, women sing, dance and display traditional costumes as the men remain spatially isolated from the cortyard infront of the homestead.

Video: https://youtu.be/RC-__NnSja0

What does freedom mean to me?

Most people who suffer human rights abuse sometimes do not know that their rights have been violated, and even if they know, they do not know where or who to turn to for help even within their own countries.

One would ask, what is this freedom they are talking about? We have rights to a number of freedoms i.e. Freedom and security of the person, freedom of religion, belief and opinions. Right to freedom of expression, freedom of association, freedom of movement and residence, freedom of trade, occupation and profession etc.

Now, what does freedom mean to me?

am I really free? Do I have the power or right to act, speak or think as I want? Am I living in a free country where I am not affected by something undesirable? Am I not being restricted to something? Do I have a special privilege?

The meaning of freedom to me poses a lot of questions than answers. It leaves me with an honest question that is, are we really free? Would our forefathers be proud of the justice and freedom they suffered for in order for you and me to walk freely?

Now I can safely say, freedom to me means change. It means choice, it means being free from restrictions. It asks, what is it that I want? It means who am I? This year marks 24 years since South Africa’s first democratic elections. A freedom day is a very significant day to celebrate and to honor everyone who fought for our freedom. Historically freedom would have meant torture to a citizen of South Africa, but nowadays it means unity and interaction between one another.

Freedom to me means having access to a lot of things which prior we did not have. It means being free from humiliation and forward with dignity. The victory of freedom is not to be forgotten. Aspiring leaders such as Nelson Mandela, Steve Biko, Oliver Tambo, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and every political leader who contributed to the struggle of apartheid are to be forever honored.

The meaning of freedom to me further asks where, when, how, why, and who? Then that is my freedom. When I have the freedom to movement and residence. It means I get to choose where I would rather be and where do I want to live, with whom? Then the “where” in my definition of freedom means being fulfilled. There are instances however in the South Africa we live in today  where there are people who are still not free to choose their own residences, they are denied access to land and citizenship. What is government doing about that?

My definition of freedom further includes when, how, and why? I therefore ask myself. When will South African citizens respect the freedom of their fellow brothers and sisters, For example the freedom of the LGBT community to be who they are and be safe in their own country. When will they accept one another as they are? Why would society not shift from patriarchy and stereotypes? South Africa generally suffers from inability to deal with gender issues than we do with racial ones.

Being entitled to the rights and freedom set forth in the constitution without distinction of any kind, such as race , ethnic group, color, sex, language, religion, political or any other opinion etc. Having the power and the right to act, speak , or think as I want. The state of being free from being affected by anything undesirable. Not being restricted to use something, a special privilege especially that of full citizenship of a country given to me by honor. If I have freedom, then I am not under control of someone else but myself. That is my freedom!

 

Fact box taken from : https://www.google.co.za/search?rlz=1C1CHBD_enZA796ZA796&tbm=isch&q=factbox+freedom+south+africa&chips=q:factbox+freedom+south+africa,online_chips:mandela&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjumLHHwPja

Video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mLfvM4ET_s

 

 

 

Freedom was fought for us, but are we really free?

It was on Thursday, 9th of August 1956 where women of all races marched to Pretoria Union Buildings.

They marched against racism, discrimination and prejudice against women of South Africa. They had one goal which was fighting for their rights and those of others; they did not belong in the kitchen. they presented a petition against the carrying of passes by women. some women had babies on their backs.

Albertina Sisulu, Amina Cachalia, Annie Peters, Annie Silinga, Ayesha Bibi Dawood, Bertha Gxowa, Bettie du Toit, Caroline Motsoaledi, Cecilia Rosier, Chrissie Jasson and others showed that they would not be frightened or silenced by human law. After submitting the petition they started singing with their fists on the air, “Wathinta bafazi, wathinti mbokodo” (you strike a woman, you strike a rock). South Africa, was this fight from O Mama u Albertina Sisulu in vain? Are we really free?

I was born in the generation of born frees and like any other born free i was glad i was never there during the apartheid era. Until i grew up and realized that these women might have fought apartheid and removed the legal framework that allowed institutionalized racism, but sadly the roots of racism are deeper than we thought. Mrs Rethabile Mofokeng who was born in the 40s takes us through the journey.

“I was a 16 year old young woman in 1956. and i can still feel the pain of being treated like men’s property instead of human.  i remember the pain of not being allowed to go to school because I was a woman. I can still feel the pain of being told I could never do certain jobs because i was a woman and my place was in the kitchen. We were called names like kaffirs  and there was nothing we could do, we were maids, we were slaves.

“The carrying of passes by women is what made all this women from all over the country say enough is enough. I remember watching television and seeing all this women marching peacefully down the streets of Pretoria fighting for our freedom. I was happy that finally we were free and yes we were free from other products of apartheid but not racism.

“Almost 24 years has passed since we gained freedom but we still see white people discrimitating balcks because of their skin colour. we still see acts of racism in the media to our black sisters. we still see black unemployment being nearly twice as high as white unemployment rate due to discrimination. Our children are still discriminated against in white schools because of their African natural hair. Tell me, do you call this freedom?

This racial attacks in South Africa today shows that this women fought for nothing. I dream of a South Africa that is free from racism, prejudice and discrimination against women. I dream of a South Africa where my children will be free from racism. A place where one would not be considered less deserving because of their skin colour. Until government does something about this racism issues we are facing, we are not free.

Video : https://youtu.be/zG5uhH1OWes

Audio : https://soundcloud.com/user-240933016/xolisile-1956-march-mixdown

The vote of no confidence.

The vote of no confidence results against President Jacob Zuma has left many South Africans with unanswered questions. It was their last hope of removing Mr President from office.

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