Nkosana Sibuyi

Posted by Nkosana Sibuyi: 28 May 2009

Professor Njabulo Ndebele, in his eponymous book Rediscovery of the Ordinary, opines that “South African society is a highly polarised society. It is understandable that its constituent polarities should dominate the thinking of its citizens”.

Professor Ndebele’s reflections on the South African polity bespeaks a society whose paradigm of thinking, principles and approaches need to reclaim its relevance in a transforming society. It could as well be argued that South Africa, in miniature, has traduced critics, observers and analysts who are uncertain as to whether or not the dawn of democracy is a blessing or a curse. To a greater degree, some of them have displayed a consistent impecunious comprehension of complex challenges facing the country.

In this realm, Professor Ndebele’s questions are telling and decisive:" Where is the struggle in South Africa at the moment? What kind of education do we want for the future? What kind of cultural policy are we going to evolve?”

Notably, these significant questions are provocative, organic and futuristic for the country. The individual and collective credo of the questions continue to pose a defining challenge in terms of “redefining relevance” thus assisting us to appreciate, as Dr Ali Mazrui states, that the Africans are "a people of the day before yesterday and the day after tomorrow."

History, its evolution and impact on society is multifaceted in nature and character. South Africa, where it is, where it was and where it is going have been shaped by diverse dimensional circumstances and contradictions. For instance, South Africa’s coat of arms is guided by the motto –!ke e: /xarra //ke, written in the Khoisan language of the /Xam people, literally meaning: diverse people unite. In sum, diverse people united as inscribed in the national coat of arms gives a living profile to building a new national identity and symbols for the country.

An appreciation, recognition and acknowledgement of the individual and collective efforts, thoughts and action will enable the country to rally around a higher purpose of social cohesion, a common sense of belonging and a national pride. My recent visit to the Voortrekker Monument, Apartheid Museum, Freedom Park and Soweto has helped me to understand parts of the history of the country. The complexity, simplicity and contradictions inherent in all these areas, to a greater extent, define the essence that shape human development, human solidarity and human soul.

My visit to the Vootrekker Monument was an enormously educational process and enriching experience. Petrus Maloka, the Tourist Guide, who demonstrates a shrewd understanding of what the monument represents, patiently took us through the granite stones, Dingaan’s warriors, the design of the monument, the Great Trek, presentation of the Bible to Jacobus Uys, the Battle of Kapei and thirteen years old Paul Kruger’s participation in the war. Another date which represents South Africa’s history is 16 December 1838, the Battle of Blood River, a battle fought on the banks of the Ncome River which was thereafter known as Blood River. This day that was known as Dingaan’s Day mutated into the Day of the Covenant, the Day of the Vow and now Reconciliation Day, after the ushering in of a democratic dispensation in South Africa.

Undoubtedly, the odyssey to democracy and the de-establishment of the apartheid system of governance, the deconstruction and transformation of social change is by far the most defining experience and moment for the country. Consequently, the renaming of institutions and public holidays also contributed qualitatively to the creation of a new South African polity. The adoption of the Constitution in 1996 also helped create a society based on social values, honour, decorum, justice, reconciliation, equality, principles and fundamentals premised on human solidarity, commitment and essence of humankind.

Appreciably, a visit to the Apartheid Museum also gave me another perspective of the centripetal and centrifugal forces inherent in the South African history. It was an enlivening experience to see that the seven fundamental pillars or values of the constitution are inscribed on the walls of the museum: democracy, equality, reconciliation, diversity, responsibility, respect and freedom. Linked to what Dr Ali Mazrui noted earlier, some of the educational notes at the museum note that “humanity was born in Africa. All people, ultimately, are African. A land of many people. People in conflict. The time of exclusion”

I also visited to Kliptown, in particular the Walter Sisulu Square of Dedication where the Freedom Charter was signed in 1955. The Charter, like the biblical Ten Commandments has ten chapters inscribed on a stone. On top of the building, a cross was designed and it represents equality, democracy and freedom to vote. The defining meaning that could be drawn from the Freedom Charter is its historical representation of the political programme that helped usher in a democratic South Africa. In actual sense, the Charter served as a loadstar and a compass that showed the way to social transformation. On the other side, the Ten Commandments serve as a pathfinder to guide humankind about the sacred rules to be embraced to prosperity, growth and development. In a sense it could be argued that there is a meeting of the minds between the political programme of action and the sacred rules inherent in the bible.

At the Walter Sisulu Square of Dedication Thabang Mosei, perhaps out of volition, educates visitors to the square. He plays the national anthem and musical genre such as Kwela on musical instruments. Ntate Mosei is extraordinarily passionate, committed and exudes a heightened level of political consciousness and orientation about the history of the country. He is a teacher, educator, intellectual and has a clear understanding and appreciation of the role of the Freedom Charter in an evolving society. This is borne out by the fact that he regards the national anthem as a prayer and Kwela Music as a form of entertainment for different people who visit the Walter Sisulu Square of Dedication.

Our visit to Walter Sisulu’s house, Regina Mundi Catholic Church, Hector Pietersen Memorial, Vilakazi Street where we have Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s houses helped in putting spectacles in my eyes. It is at Vilakazi Street where the two noble peace laureates, Mandela and Tutu stayed. The street, based on its historical significance, has bequeathed to the township in particular and the country in general the evolution of a democratic society in a rapidly changing society.

Out of this experience, it became patently clear that our national values, culture and identity are shaped by a sense of belonging, history and linguistic diversity. Our human existence and conditions determine both our rich orientation and tradition in a manner that shapes our collective consciousness and identity. The essence and necessary condition for building a society at peace with itself calls for a “patriotic conversation” amongst all South Africans to assist in creating national unity, reconstruction and development.

For many decades, the majority of the people in South Africa were the victims of apartheid oppression. Vast populations were displaced and disappeared; leaders martyred or politically assassinated thus depriving people of an opportunity to be led. This has bequeathed to the country a repressive environment anti-thetical to social change and transformation. The suffering was chronicled in different tomes, which given the transformation of the education system in the post-apartheid discourse created a template for the regeneration and reconfiguration of the country’s national values.

Ingaopele Madingoane, in his tome, Africa My Beginning, using poetic license chronicled the centrality of Writing Against Apartheid and the implications it has had on the quality of the lives of the people. In the poem, Black Trial/Eleven, Madingoane posits:

ask my shadow
what happened
it was there
when it occurred

It could as well be argued that Madingoane’s poem is a response to the telling questions posed by Prof Ndebele about the South African struggle at the moment, the education challenges and the evolution of a cultural policy. In general, the immensity, complexity and simplicity of the questions themselves call for the people of South Africa to exhibit the individual and collective intelligence to build a better life for all. Dr Ali Mazrui continues to remind us that Africans are "a people of the day before yesterday and the day after tomorrow." Undoubtedly and taken from Mazrui, we can collectively build a better future today!