Political intolerance, no trust in the government and racism. These are just some of the problems South Africans are struggling with and the Born Free generation reminds the country daily that they have failed to deliver on the promises of over two decades ago. Even Nelson Mandela comes under scrutiny and the Constitution is viewed as an obstacle to transformation.
Prof Amanada Gouws, lecturer and researcher at Stellenbosch University (SU) Department of Political Science, says the South Africa that Nelson Mandela dreamed of, is still to be built.
She delivered a keynote address at the Nelson Mandela Colloquium this week (30 March 2016) at SU Stellenbosch campus.
"This is not the South Africa that Nelson Mandela dreamed of. What went wrong," asks Prof Gouws.
She highlights that even with South Africa having one of the most progressive constitutions in the world and a parliament with the highest number of women in the world, South Africa have found itself in very precarious times.
"What the new generation tells us is that the body, too, matters very much. The body is the embodiment of people's experience. If your body is black or that of a woman, you have a very different experience of the world that when your body is white or male. This generation has put 'lived experience' central in their engagement with the world. Young women, the majority of them black, are at the forefront to say that second class citizenship is not acceptable."
Bradley Frolick, SRC member for Transformation, who delivered the second keynote address, said memory and human rights are inextricably linked as that which we have in our memory is experienced daily and manifests itself as oppression on our being.
"Memory and human rights must therefore be seen as one. Reconciling these two then would lead us to the attainment of the society we speak of. As long as reasonable and urgent demands of the oppressed are met with arrogance, we can never have a functioning society – not at the university level and not at a national level either."
He said universities especially have become isolated spaces where only those who are considered 'worthy' can actively engage. He added that it is also presupposed that the individuals in the space come in without any other hindrance - in essence: it is a place far removed from the realities of the South African society.
Click Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Nelson Mandela Foundation keynote 30 March 2016.pdf for Prof Amanda Gouws complete address
Click Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.Building the South Africa of Nelson Mandela.pdf for Bradley Frolick's complete address.
Clik here to view.
