You can take a South African out of SA…

FREEDOM means different things to different people. Whenever I hear the word, I can’t help thinking of Mel Gibson’s William Wallace screaming it at the end of Braveheart. C’ mon, shout it out with me m mm mm !!!!”

I also find myself humming George Michael’s classic 1990 hit song, which is a bit easier on the ears than Gibson’s bellowing.

But, more than anything else, what comes to mind is my mom and dad standing in what seemed like an impossibly long queue at a Cape Town polling station to cast their vote in a democratic South African election for the very first time.

I was 17, meaning I just missed out on the chance to make my mark on that historic date of April 27, 1994, but I will never forget my dad’s emotional words to me after emerging from the voting booth: “I thought perhaps this day would come in your lifetime, but not in mine.”

Now, 24 years later, I’ll be celebrating my country’s Freedom Day while living 7 000km away in Qatar. But while you can take the South African out of South Africa, it’s a little harder to take South Africa out of the South African. “Mom, dad, I was telling my class all about Freedom Day at school.

How Nelson Mandela would have been 100 this year and how we’re going to celebrate it with all the other South Africans at the Ritz Carlton Hotel this weekend. And best of all, we’re gonna have a braai there!”

Yep, 8-year-old Saabirah is proudly South African, as are her brothers, 11-year-old Aqeel and 5-year-old Yaqeen. Aqeel was born in Johannesburg, Saabirah in Cape Town and Yaqeen in Doha. Given the Mother City’s reputation as a republic, you could say they were all born in different countries…

But their hearts belong to South Africa, as do those of their parents, wherever we might find ourselves in the world.

And while a weekend of fun in the sun at a fancy hotel might be a slightly different way of spending Freedom Day than we’re used to back home, I’m sure a live performance by South African band GoodLuck and the aroma of sizzling boerewors will make sure the gees is strong. Braai the beloved country, indeed.

The family-friendly Freedom Day celebrations have been organised by the embassy in Doha – which recently welcomed Capetonian Faizel Moosa as its new ambassador to Qatar – with the support of South African companies and the expat community. The celebrations aim to “share the spirit of South Africa and recall the vision and legacy of Nelson Mandela in his Centenary Year”.

And in true rainbow nation spirit, the event is open to everyone in Qatar, not only South Africans. Yep, a massive jol is on the cards, so while we won’t be in South Africa tomorrow, we’ll definitely be celebrating our country’s freedom right along with you.

Bawa, a former newspaper executive editor and magazine editor, is writing a weekly column about the life and experiences of a proud South African living as an expat in Qatar. Follow him on Twitter @ridwaanbawa