Views of a South African Exchange Student in Switzerland

Nkosi sikelel' iAfrika…Morena boloka setjhaba sa heso…Uit die blou van onse hemel…Let us live and strive for freedom, In South Africa our land.

This National Anthem containing 4 different languages, belongs to my country that is home to a magical myriad of culture and diversity. Out of a difficult past of racial division and violence, South Africa rose from the ashes of Apartheid and emerged more beautiful and colourful than ever before. My country is a glorious pattern of culture and diversity all woven with the same thread, where each citizen has a purpose, a part to play, and their own unique hue. But what if South Africa didn’t have the strength to overcome Apartheid? What if there was no pattern?

As a young girl growing up in a democratic South Africa, I have known my country no other way. I began school, with all the colours of our rainbow nation. And I have never wished it different. However, I know that if certain groundbreaking events had not taken their place in history, I would not lead the beautifully diverse and liberal life that I do today. What if those labelled as oppressors had never become aware of the wrong their government was instituting, the lives they were destroying and the injustice they were condoning?

Violence would have continued, the struggle becoming harder each day our country breathed a new dawn. As each freedom fighter fell, freedom itself began to die. Those who knew within their souls that this injustice of segregation was wrong, those who felt a burning desire to fight! Began to fade away, their convictions lost, their urge for the beautiful country of South Africa to belong to ALL of its members…gone. Apartheid was alive! On every street and every corner, in every home and every heart, there lived Apartheid. Hope for democracy and freedom, was gone. Left behind was an intense and vehement hatred against those who were different.

Without the perseverance of those who are deemed as South Africa’s heroes, this abhorrence would have continued, and like a malignant tumour grown. Until - there were tears of sorrow, revenge, disgust and horror. Until there came such a time when the citizens of South Africa and the world could no longer idly stand and stare. The silent weeping filling the land of South Africa, crying out for justice, democracy, and freedom was heard.

It is to those brave men, women and children, to whom we owe our country. Their names, 13 years on, whispered with such respect; Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, FW de Klerk, Oliver Tambo…I owe my country, and the life I lead to these sagacious leaders. I owe my colourful rainbow of friends and culture that surrounds me, to them and to the South Africans who supported their vision. Nelson Mandela once described the future he saw for his country. “I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.” It was the love for his country, and its potential, that led Mr. Mandela to succeed in achieving his ideal, and fuelling his passion. Today, in the heart of a young South African girl, along with many others, it is our love for our country that continues encouraging us to respect our nation, what it stands for, and the passion that allowed us to be colourful - instead of just black and white.

Just as dull as black and white is, is as dull as South Africa was during Apartheid. One voice, one opinion, one belief, one culture and one colour. Today, when we look at South Africa we see diverse shades of colour. We listen to different opinions, each voiced in indigenous tongues. We sing each others songs; be they Hindi, Xhosa or English. We value each other’s differences and rejoice in them. Without this acceptance I wouldn’t have been able to learn the Zulu ‘click’ from Thandi, the Islamic greeting “Assalamu Alaikum” from Matheena, or how to dance to Mahi Ve from Sajal. My delicious variety of friends illustrates the pattern that lives without the stifle of Apartheid. Without my friends my life would be banal. South Africa would lead a dull existence without African song, Eastern cuisine and Coloured humour. Through the prism of acceptance the rainbow nation shines, despite its sorrows.

Today, we hear songs of praise from all religions and we don’t judge, we don’t demean, we don’t disapprove, rather we delight in our diversity. If Apartheid was to still hold power over our religions, we would be blind to the beauty and deaf to the chorus of the myriad of religions that exist in South Africa. There is a part of Durban, which I love so, because it truly elucidates how far we’ve come. St Anthony’s Catholic Church with its traditional architecture and innocent statues faces the modern Orient Islamic School, which shares a wall with the colourful Kendra Temple. It is with these simple observations that one begins to realise how much we, as a nation have healed the racist wounds Apartheid caused. In many countries with histories far less turbulent than our own, it is rare to see such spiritual harmony. Yet in a country that suffered through Satyagraha, the Sharpeville Massacre and the Soweto Uprising, such understanding exists.

During Apartheid, South Africa served as an example to the world, of what not to do, and what not to become. Sanctions were placed on our country, and rightful judgement was passed. Through death, sorrow and violence, we battled. And the world watched. Without the releasing of Nelson Mandela and the abolition of Apartheid, the world would have watched as a potentially beautiful nation collapsed and self combusted under the evil reign of White Supremacy. Instead, the world watched as in 1990, the year of my birth, Nelson Mandela was released from prison, signalling a ‘New South Africa’ as I began life. When I began learning to write my name, and make my mark on the world; South Africans all over the world were making their own mark in the first free and democratic elections in 1994. We were moving forward.

And we did indeed move forward, taking strong strides towards our democracy. It was one small step taken by each citizen, a small step to forgiveness and acceptance, a tiptoe towards pride in our country and a non-racial nation. Each step was taken, placing strong confidence in our country’s ability to live in freedom. Together, we walked. Walking the same path as Mahatma Ghandi did in his march for freedom, walking the same path of those women and children on 9 August 1956. We knew the road, we knew the distance, we knew the hardships we would face. But despite all that, we could see our goal. We could see our nation holding its first democratic elections. We could see us winning the 1995 Rugby World Cup. We saw the first African in space. We saw our future. And it kept us motivated and enthused to fight for our future. And today we continue to move onwards.

I began school, colourfully and began to learn about human interaction, growing slowly, making mistakes and learning from them. I made new friends, learnt new languages, and understood new cultures. I grew up and saw my best friend - not colour. As I was gaining knowledge and learning, so was my country. People learnt to forgive. Citizens made new friends, learnt new anthems, painted new flags, tried new foods and accepted new cultures. Healing began to take place, scars appeared. And today they still remain. However not as gruesome reminders of the hatred and anger felt in our past, but rather, as symbols of the toil it took to make our country the peaceful nation it is today. They are symbols of our love, the love that gave us the strength to keep on fighting for freedom.

Without the desire for democracy and the abolition of Apartheid, I would not be who I am today and my country would not be the radiant nation it is. A nation that stands for forgiveness, acceptance and democracy. I would not have my friends, in all their colourful glory. Each day wouldn’t bring new knowledge, new experiences, new languages and culture. Each morning’s African sunrise would never be as colourful to South African citizens as it is today. Overcoming Apartheid and living in the new South Africa has taught me and the world some of the oldest lessons in life. We are all equal. We are all beautiful. We are all worthy. We can all forgive. We can all stand together. And we do, our hearts swelling with love and pride for our country as we sing a song of unity through diversity. Nkosi sikelel' iAfrika…Morena boloka setjhaba sa heso…Uit die blou van onse hemel…Let us live and strive for freedom, In South Africa our land.


Micaela de Freitas