Youth’s time to blossom
EDITOR’S VIEW OMETIMES it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation. Let your greatness blossom.” These were the words of Nelson Mandela – a rallying call for each generation to chart its own path in trying to make a positive impact on society.
In this edition, we have been given an opportunity to produce a paper that attempts to highlight issues that we believe speak to the state of our young people.
We compiled it in honour of the youth of 1976; a generation that let their greatness blossom by re-igniting the anti-apartheid Struggle’s flame, which had been dimming owing to the repression meted out by the oppressive regime to progressive movements rebelling against a crime against humanity.
It is well documented how the Class of ’76 felt their parents had been browbeaten into submission by the Nationalists, who used violence to induce black South Africans’ subservience to the cruel system they had concocted.
That generation was emphatic that it would not kow-tow to the absurdities of DF Malan, HF Verwoerd, PW Botha and company.
Armed only with a dustbin lid and the ubiquitous stones found on gravel roads across townships – areas designated by the oppressors as reservoirs of cheap labour and mental enslavement – they faced the might of apartheid’s army in order to bring about change in the plight of millions of black people.
We pay homage to these heroes by trying to talk frankly about the challenges the youth grapple with today.
We celebrate the successes, but also our failures, because .................. 031 308 2332 .............................. Yogas Nair .. Philani Mazibuko ...... Kamini Padayachee ............. Garth Johnstone Staats .................. Greg Hutson it is through the celebration of failures that we get to learn from them and force a reversal of the afflictions that are holding us back. And there are many of them: a legacy of Bantu Education that lingers over us and perpetuates the intergenerational nature of a lack of universal, quality education; gross unemployment; debilitating substance abuse; crime and many other issues .
We were mindful of the criticism we might receive from people who think the edition is a publicity stunt.
“Why doesn’t The Mercury regularly produce content specifically aimed at the youth?” we hear some readers ask.
We accept this critique, but offer reasons why we have not produced enough youth content to our, and our readers’, liking.
First, the Audit Bureau of Circulations of South Africa showed in its first quarter analysis that newspaper circulations were down a collective 31.7%. This has resulted in the major newspaper media companies, including ours, downscaling staff numbers.
This has led to smaller newsrooms and the so-called “juniorisation” of newsrooms, which some purists (read old people) have said would be the death of our industry. We respectfully disagree. The dedication, exuberance and talent at The Mercury is prepared to take up the baton bequeathed to us by the glorious ’76 generation with stories from our wonderful country.
This we do in the knowledge that nothing is more important for our democracy than a wellinformed and active youth. It is time for South Africa’s young people to blossom into greatness. ............... 031 308 2004 ................... 080 020 4711 .......................................... 031 308 2022 ................ mercnews@inl.co.za www.facebook.com/themercurysa www.twitter.com/themercurysa