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Author: Adv. Sonwabile Mancotywa,CEO of the National Heritage Council
May 25 is Africa Day. This year will be the 46th anniversary, having been initiated back in 1963 to mark the formation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), a predecessor to the African Union (AU). The establishment of the OAU was a historic day, signaling the forging of unity amongst all African peoples, both within the continent and in the diaspora. It symbolized a pledge, both by independent African states and the liberation movements, to lend support to each other in their quest to resolve common problems. Chief amongst such problems was colonial oppression and the underdevelopment of Africa.
South Africa was thus a major beneficiary of the birth of the OAU. Then still under the grip of apartheid oppression, South Africa’s freedom fighters, who had fled home to receive military training, were hosted in the various countries throughout the continent. Such support was granted even to the detriment of the host countries, evidenced by military attacks from apartheid South Africa and the apartheid-supported insurgency against their governments. South Africa’s quest for freedom was vigorously supported by African leaders in the United Nations, where they led calls for sanctions against the apartheid government.
Africa Day thus provides us with an opportunity to pause and reflect on the extent, if any, of our contribution towards the unity and development of our continent. No-one doubts that this country has played a leading role in continental initiatives since joining the free world back in 1994. We host the Pan African Parliament, to which we are the consisting and largest contributor towards its upkeep, our soldiers are deployed in the various hot-spots throughout the continent, we’ve brokered peace and thereafter led initiatives to reconstruct these war-torn countries. South Africa’s Independent Electoral Commission, for instance, has played a leading role in promoting and supporting elections in the continent.
Last year’s xenophobic attacks, however, indicates that perhaps some of our fellow citizens dot not share our government’s Pan-African commitment. It is not far-fetched though to imagine that the violent attacks were not spurred by resentment of foreign nationals, but was a reflection of the social strain that most people still toil under. People may be envious of foreign nationals who’ve made success of their own lives selling goods on the pavements and opening shops, whilst approximately 23% of able-bodied South Africans are without employment. Why should foreign nationals be successful in a country that is not theirs, whilst they remain on the economic margins, may be the question asked by some of our fellow citizens.
Yet, there’s enough evidence indicating that attitudes also had a lot to do with the xenophobic attacks. That we refer to foreign nationals disparagingly as makwere-kwere and to other African countries as “Africa”, as if we fall outside of this continent, does indicate our own sense of aloofness. South Africans do not identify themselves with the continent and its peoples. This is not entirely surprising, given our long history of exclusion from the rest of the world, including from the continent, for the most part of pre-1994.
In other words, popular sentiment contradicts our official predisposition towards the continent. Perhaps this is an indictment of how the officialdom has carried out inter-continental relations since 1994. Contacts have been largely confined within the official circles. Citizens are neither sufficiently informed of such activities, nor brought in to celebrate them in order to develop a sense of ownership that such relations are between the peoples of the various African countries, not just between presidents.
The re-election of the ruling party in government affords an opportunity to deepen our relations with other African communities in a more vigorous manner. Former President Thabo Mbeki’s leadership placed us at the centre of continental activities. A nationalist intellectual of a Pan-Africanist orientation, Mbeki was indeed passionate about celebrating Africa’s common heritage. But, his was an intellectually and officially driven project not backed by society-wide relations.
On the other hand, President Jacob Zuma’s administration has the potential to establish emotional connections between ourselves and the rest of our African brethren, especially in our Southern region. The veterans of the armed struggle, who are now part of the Ministry of Defence and Military Veterans, are likely to be central in this respect. Guerillas established networks with communities in exile. Some still have children and wives left behind. And, graves of fallen cadres are still strewn all over the Southern Africa region. If this project is to succeed, it has to be supported by a conscious effort of mass mobilization.
These networks can be useful to establish emotional bonds with communities across the border. The on-going process of repatriating the bodies of fallen cadres back into the South Africa is one area that could be used to remind ourselves of our common history and debt towards each other. It would specifically remind families and communities in South Africa of the generosity extended to their loved ones whilst exiled to foreign soils. But, to have maximum impact, such rituals should involve both communities across the border. It shouldn’t just be a 21-gun salute affair with uniformed personnel.
The Liberation Heritage Route Project, which was launched by the National Heritage Council less than two years ago, will also be useful in reconnecting our peoples. This project aims to do*****ent and commemorate South Africa’s liberation history, not only locally but across the border. It will identify areas where transformative activities happened in the course of the liberation struggle, and memorialize them. Communities, where guerillas were based in exile, would be invited to tell their own stories of how they were transformed by the presence of South African refugees in their midst. This will be a trans-national, collective process of story-telling.
The xenophobic attacks reminded us of how much more still need to be done to change popular perceptions of fellow Africans. Let us use this Africa Day to recommit ourselves to this task. I am hopeful, however, that next year around this time, we will recount stories of how we’re beginning to find each other.
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