Before 1994, white South Africans – Afrikaners in particular – commemorated the Battle of Blood River on 16 December, also known then as the Day of the Vow or Geloftedag in Afrikaans. For conservative whites that day was equal to the Sabbath, a holy day to be respected and not disgraced by worldly activities.
When Lord Roberts and his army of 34,000 men triumphantly marched into Bloemfontein on 13 March 1900 (Image 1) to occupy the capital of the former Orange Free State republic, they were welcomed with open arms.
For many black[1] people who have lived through apartheid (1948–1994), the hated passbooks they had to carry every day is emblematic of their traumatic experiences of that time. Although the passbook is synonymous with apartheid, the ideology behind it is much older.
In his novel, The Go-Between (1953), Leslie P. Hartley wrote “the past is a foreign country; they do things differently there”. Although Hartley referred to British society at the end of the Victorian era, his famous quote is also relevant to South Africa and other countries that have experienced drastic socio-political changes. The fact that the past is described as “a foreign country” means it can never be fully understood by us who live in the present age because we do not belong there. Post-1994 democratic South Africa and pre-1994 apartheid South Africa are indeed two very different countries. For those who grew up in the former, the latter is “a foreign country”.
“It is better to die for an idea than to live for an idea that will die”
A reflection on the legacy of Onkgopotse Abram ‘Ramothibi’ Tiro in the context of the history of liberation education.
Every age has its own sages and visionaries, men and women who face the demands of their time with courage and determination while leaving their footprints in history. Onkgopotse was an outstanding man who challenged the apartheid regime and was seen as a formidable enemy by the state. Considering his humble beginnings and rise to become a student activist, and the many hats he wore in the various organizations he served, his ultimate goal was the liberation of all South Africans.