A Luta Continua-The Struggle Continues
June 16, a day of remembrance in South Africa for the youth that fought to have equal access to education, is often paired with a picture of 13 year old Hector Pieterson. A picture that became a visible symbol of oppression, and later on a reminder of how far the youth in South Africa were willing to go secure their freedoms.
June 16, 1976 was supposed to be was supposed to be a student-led peaceful protest, however, it quickly turned into a violent and brutal massacre of students. They were met with beatings, teargas and gunfire, resulting in at least 176 fatalities.
Their crime, refusing to be educated under the Bantu Education System. A system that would see black South Africans regress within the education sector thus minimising their chances of being part of a workforce that was already dominated by the white South Africans.
As South Africa gears up for its 45th year of remembrance for the Soweto Uprising, a very sad and unexpected statistic has been found amongst the current youth of South Africa. A staggering 40% of the South Africa Generation Z has not heard of the historical events of June 16th. A similar percentage has heard about it but knows very little or nothing about it. And in the words of our president "We need to do more as a country to ensure that the message of this event, of young people taking charge of their destiny and standing up against apartheid rule, is transmitted faithfully."
It's an important day for South Africans and for our team at Nxiba Oku. We choose to celebrate and honour those who have gone before us and created opportunities that have allowed us to dream big and beyond. Our graphic t-shirts SALUTE the heroes of that day. And we celebrate their life by offering you a piece of wearable history.
Visit our website to check out our Youth Day Collection.