SA must create a shared vision for of all its youths

It is well known worldwide that the student uprising of June 16 1976 heralded a new age in SA’s history.

And as the nation commemorates the tragic events of that day this month, I am reminded of Noor Nieftagodien, professor of local histories and present realities, who in his book titled The Soweto Uprising rightly put it: “Undoubtedly, the historic Soweto student uprising of 1976 not only inspired subsequent rebellions but also played a crucial role in producing a template for contentious politics that would be emulated in the 1980s and beyond.”

Those students not only inspired the oppressed masses to challenge the apartheid system. They made significant contributions in the educational and political landscape as they confronted the state machinery intended to undermine the dignity of the African child.

Looking to the future, we should stop seeing Youth Month as an exclusive month for the class of 1976, and adopt an approach that amalgamates the contributions of all generations of young people, including the young lions of the “revolutions” of the 1980s and 1990s. Although their conditions were different in many ways, their struggles, visions and triumphs were, in the long run, intertwined.

Thus, as we celebrate Youth Month, there is a need to reflect on the lessons learnt from all generations and to suggest ways their significance can be sustained.

We should seek to promote intergenerational values by bringing onto the agenda diverse historical moments and shared experiences.

It is crucial to understand the role played by various generations in shaping our history, thus our future, and how each generation coped with formidable challenges to promote the broader societal goals of peace, justice and equality.

This idea requires the country to adopt an inclusive multi-layered approach and identify local, regional, national heroes and heroines, past and present, of all races and different political and religious persuasions.

In this way we can create the South Africa that the young deserve. Additionally, this will greatly help in the creation of a shared vision.

The force of my argument is that, if South Africa is to succeed in its attempt to produce more visionary young leaders, it will have to ensure that the contributions of various youth movements are fused in a comprehensive plan of action.

While these dialogues must instil those values whose purpose is improvement of the character of an individual and leadership values as young people yearn for more credible leadership, it is equally critical to focus on chronic challenges facing today’s youth such as alcohol and substance abuse, gender-based violence, teenage pregnancy, HIV and Aids, and the use of violence as the only means of resolving differences, as well as different types of bullying such as physical, emotional, cyber and sexual abuse.

There is a dire need to initiate dialogues on how to fuse the values and perspectives of an assortment of generations as our country pursues the dream of nation building. All stakeholders should be amenable to constructive dialogues to create new meanings and realities out of diverse lived experiences, as Phillip Stokes put it: “The greatest danger to both society and the individual, we learn from Socrates, is the suspension of critical thought”.

Paying tribute to the memories of June 1976 and recognising the importance of this watershed in our history is a step in the right direction, but it requires augmentation. As the old adage goes, “There is nothing as important as an idea whose time has come.”