MARCH 1, 2006...PARTY OF APARTHEID ENDS
I'm told it has been 93 years since the inception of the once-powerful National Party in South Africa. The political party is now known as the New National Party (NNP)--and yes, that is the party that brought the legacy of apartheid to what is now called "The Rainbow Nation." The results of yesterday's national municipal elections should put to rest what has been deemed "the party of apartheid."
That legacy and its historical ramifications remains to be assessed by the citizenry of today. This is a young nation, comprised of a large percentage of youth under the age of eighteen. Like American youngsters, they only know the period of apartheid from a history text. And like their American peers, they do not interact enough with the generations that suffered under the boot of apartheid (the American kids not learning from first-person accounts of Jim Crow segregation in the South and the "polite" tactics of Northerners in maintaining the status quo in the America of the 1950's and 1960's.
At the risk of sermonizing, it seems as though both groups are ensnared in a net of petty materialism. Owning a cell phone is a requirement of young people in South Africa--it signals their entry into the world of adulthood. I read somewhere that China has the largest number of cell phones in the world. The gargantuan figure given was approximately 377 million(!). I'm absolutely convinced South Africa isn't far behind (not really, but I swear every learner in my classroom has one of those bothersome things!).
Anyway, no doubt cell phones played a huge part in the national elections yesterday. If this is the way to go, then so be it. If cell phones improve communication and democracy is facilitated here, then wonderful! But if cell phones are used for malicious activity, then damn them--and their users!
I visited a voting place yesterday. It was an elementary school, used much the same way they are in the United States for voting purposes. The school, Van Riebeeck Primary, is located about a minute's walk from our home. It was very noticeable, the long line of folks quietly shuffling their feet, waiting patiently to do what is necessary to exercise their right to vote. I took a couple of photographs (hope to get some assistance to get them in this blog). Also, just like in the States, no photos or journalists are allowed in the voting area of the school. It was a bright, sunny day...the photographs I took outside captured a moment of people determined to speak their minds with a ballot that did just that. In a strange way, I felt honored to witness and document the proceedings.
For some, the demise of the NNP won't come too soon. For others, there is always the perverse will in attempting to bring it back to life. Those who want to keep a foot firmly entrenched in the past are doomed to total failure. I'm trying to teach my little 8th-grade learners my definition of learning. It goes something like this: "Learning is when you take new knowledge and add it to already aquired knowledge." Simple, huh? The NNP crowd needs to hear and understand those words. The new knowledge of today's South Africa has nothing to do with their antiquated perceptions of the human order. Their time has come to step aside and collectively shake themselves into the reality of present-day life in this vibrant country. The new South Africa is a non-racial democracy that is a leader on the continent. This nation is beginning to flex its political muscles and participate in an international circle of players that are listening to and understanding it.
Within that context, I am also attempting to have my learners understand that the history of yesterday impacts the history of today. "Listen to it", I prod them. Yes, they must listen and understand it within the realm of their own lives. And perhaps they should take a little time and discuss it with adults in their household. We all must communicate better with those we come in contact with on a daily basis--no matter the age, status, ethnicity, or economic group. As thinking, feeling human beings, we must work toward the ideal of better communication and understanding of each other.
Communication is flowing in the media today--one day following municipal elections across this vast, beautiful land. "So many people paid with blood for this right," read one headline in a Johannesburg newspaper. Another banner headline blared, "ANC fears low voter turnout." With a low turnout of voters, ANC officials and candidates might find themselves in trouble. There are sharks out there vis-a-vis the multiple parties of this infant democracy. Power is fluid and minority political parties understand the nature of power--so does the ANC, of course.
These developments are very exciting; peoples' lives are at stake here. Jobs hang in the balance. American politics are similar in that the nature of politics has an ebb and flow here that has the same dynamic. Different camps are screaming about voter fraud, the rainy weather around Joburg, saboteurs who struck voting areas with fires, and the very real concern about low voter turnout. The ANC has valid concerns about losing several municipalities, especially Cape Town. They're talking anything below 45% would be a disaster for their party. Municipal, off-year elections in the U.S. that would garner a percentage that high would probably set a new standard.
The past speaks for itself here. The majority black, older population was denied the right to vote for so many years and now they are deeply saddened by indifference they see in the new generation. An elderly woman, 74 years old, collapsed and died on the way to vote in Soweto today. She encouraged her daughter to register and vote...and she did so. It was with reluctance though. The daughter is unemployed and she complained of the African National Congress not delivering on their promises. Now that daughter has to live with the knowledge that her mother died trying to vote. Quite a lesson.
It's not politics as usual here. Apartheid has left its mark, but the people must pick up the pieces and carry on in the best way they can. Obviously, carrying on includes registering to vote and then actually taking the time to do so. It works the same way in the U. S. People everywhere have to realize that democracy is what it is: the Greek demos, for the people and Kratia for rule. With very few exceptions, that definition points to giving time and effort to excercise a precious right that people have fought and died for. The alternative is not worthy of consideration, especially in this day and age of international terrorists and criminals who would impose their will on others.
NEWS UPDATE!
The Star, Ekurhuleni Edition, Friday, March 3: The bold-face, front-page, banner headline reads, "ANC'S CRUSHING WIN." In seven of South Africa's nine provinces, the ANC roared and left the opposing political parties in shambles. Apparently, inroads were established in KwaZulu Natal and Western Cape by other parties, particularily the Democratic Alliance (DA), led by Tony Leon.
Voter turnout hovered around the 49% mark, which is still remarkable considering the nature of municipal elections. Nationally, ANC's support was approximately 67%; in 2002 it polled almost 61%. Indeed, it was a crushing win for the party of Mandela and Mbeki--and more of a crushing defeat for opposition parties. Decisions now must be made on powersharing.
The people have spoken loud and clear in South Africa. It is also clear that the ANC must improve on service delivery, anti-crime measures, employment and housing for disadvantaged citizens. ANC leaders should not dwell on this stunning victory. From what I've seen, the time is now to answer the questions put forth by the electorate--with strong, assertive action at the grassroots level.
That legacy and its historical ramifications remains to be assessed by the citizenry of today. This is a young nation, comprised of a large percentage of youth under the age of eighteen. Like American youngsters, they only know the period of apartheid from a history text. And like their American peers, they do not interact enough with the generations that suffered under the boot of apartheid (the American kids not learning from first-person accounts of Jim Crow segregation in the South and the "polite" tactics of Northerners in maintaining the status quo in the America of the 1950's and 1960's.
At the risk of sermonizing, it seems as though both groups are ensnared in a net of petty materialism. Owning a cell phone is a requirement of young people in South Africa--it signals their entry into the world of adulthood. I read somewhere that China has the largest number of cell phones in the world. The gargantuan figure given was approximately 377 million(!). I'm absolutely convinced South Africa isn't far behind (not really, but I swear every learner in my classroom has one of those bothersome things!).
Anyway, no doubt cell phones played a huge part in the national elections yesterday. If this is the way to go, then so be it. If cell phones improve communication and democracy is facilitated here, then wonderful! But if cell phones are used for malicious activity, then damn them--and their users!
I visited a voting place yesterday. It was an elementary school, used much the same way they are in the United States for voting purposes. The school, Van Riebeeck Primary, is located about a minute's walk from our home. It was very noticeable, the long line of folks quietly shuffling their feet, waiting patiently to do what is necessary to exercise their right to vote. I took a couple of photographs (hope to get some assistance to get them in this blog). Also, just like in the States, no photos or journalists are allowed in the voting area of the school. It was a bright, sunny day...the photographs I took outside captured a moment of people determined to speak their minds with a ballot that did just that. In a strange way, I felt honored to witness and document the proceedings.
For some, the demise of the NNP won't come too soon. For others, there is always the perverse will in attempting to bring it back to life. Those who want to keep a foot firmly entrenched in the past are doomed to total failure. I'm trying to teach my little 8th-grade learners my definition of learning. It goes something like this: "Learning is when you take new knowledge and add it to already aquired knowledge." Simple, huh? The NNP crowd needs to hear and understand those words. The new knowledge of today's South Africa has nothing to do with their antiquated perceptions of the human order. Their time has come to step aside and collectively shake themselves into the reality of present-day life in this vibrant country. The new South Africa is a non-racial democracy that is a leader on the continent. This nation is beginning to flex its political muscles and participate in an international circle of players that are listening to and understanding it.
Within that context, I am also attempting to have my learners understand that the history of yesterday impacts the history of today. "Listen to it", I prod them. Yes, they must listen and understand it within the realm of their own lives. And perhaps they should take a little time and discuss it with adults in their household. We all must communicate better with those we come in contact with on a daily basis--no matter the age, status, ethnicity, or economic group. As thinking, feeling human beings, we must work toward the ideal of better communication and understanding of each other.
Communication is flowing in the media today--one day following municipal elections across this vast, beautiful land. "So many people paid with blood for this right," read one headline in a Johannesburg newspaper. Another banner headline blared, "ANC fears low voter turnout." With a low turnout of voters, ANC officials and candidates might find themselves in trouble. There are sharks out there vis-a-vis the multiple parties of this infant democracy. Power is fluid and minority political parties understand the nature of power--so does the ANC, of course.
These developments are very exciting; peoples' lives are at stake here. Jobs hang in the balance. American politics are similar in that the nature of politics has an ebb and flow here that has the same dynamic. Different camps are screaming about voter fraud, the rainy weather around Joburg, saboteurs who struck voting areas with fires, and the very real concern about low voter turnout. The ANC has valid concerns about losing several municipalities, especially Cape Town. They're talking anything below 45% would be a disaster for their party. Municipal, off-year elections in the U.S. that would garner a percentage that high would probably set a new standard.
The past speaks for itself here. The majority black, older population was denied the right to vote for so many years and now they are deeply saddened by indifference they see in the new generation. An elderly woman, 74 years old, collapsed and died on the way to vote in Soweto today. She encouraged her daughter to register and vote...and she did so. It was with reluctance though. The daughter is unemployed and she complained of the African National Congress not delivering on their promises. Now that daughter has to live with the knowledge that her mother died trying to vote. Quite a lesson.
It's not politics as usual here. Apartheid has left its mark, but the people must pick up the pieces and carry on in the best way they can. Obviously, carrying on includes registering to vote and then actually taking the time to do so. It works the same way in the U. S. People everywhere have to realize that democracy is what it is: the Greek demos, for the people and Kratia for rule. With very few exceptions, that definition points to giving time and effort to excercise a precious right that people have fought and died for. The alternative is not worthy of consideration, especially in this day and age of international terrorists and criminals who would impose their will on others.
NEWS UPDATE!
The Star, Ekurhuleni Edition, Friday, March 3: The bold-face, front-page, banner headline reads, "ANC'S CRUSHING WIN." In seven of South Africa's nine provinces, the ANC roared and left the opposing political parties in shambles. Apparently, inroads were established in KwaZulu Natal and Western Cape by other parties, particularily the Democratic Alliance (DA), led by Tony Leon.
Voter turnout hovered around the 49% mark, which is still remarkable considering the nature of municipal elections. Nationally, ANC's support was approximately 67%; in 2002 it polled almost 61%. Indeed, it was a crushing win for the party of Mandela and Mbeki--and more of a crushing defeat for opposition parties. Decisions now must be made on powersharing.
The people have spoken loud and clear in South Africa. It is also clear that the ANC must improve on service delivery, anti-crime measures, employment and housing for disadvantaged citizens. ANC leaders should not dwell on this stunning victory. From what I've seen, the time is now to answer the questions put forth by the electorate--with strong, assertive action at the grassroots level.
posted by JOBURG JOURNAL at 11:43 PM
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