What does Youth Day mean to you? Apart from it being a public holiday and the lucky ones being allowed to sleep in and attend commemorative events, the day is pretty significant. Here are some Youth Day facts to keep in mind today (June 16)
IN 1976, 20 000 students would come together in protest of the Bantu Education Act as established by the then Apartheid government which would set a different curriculum for black students inferior to that of white students. What was intended to be a peaceful protest soon erupted into chaos.
A clash with the Apartheid police nearby Orlando stadium would result in many students losing their lives that day as they protested to urge the government not to make Afrikaans the main medium in schools across townships.
More than 500 students lost their lives that day, playing a major role in South African history as they fought against oppression by the Apartheid government and inequality.
Today, we celebrate that momentous event that took place on June 16th, in commemoration of those youth who fought for freedom.
And to mark Youth Day, we wanted to share 5 facts that we thought you would find interesting:
- It was originally known as Soweto Day amongst the supporters of the ANC, up until the presidential election in 1994. The government then decided to mark it as a public holiday and renamed it Youth Day after the students who stood together that day.
- Hector Pieterson was one of the first victims of the uprising, his picture is the very symbol of Youth Day, as it shows the extent of oppression the students were facing at the time. A memorial museum now stands in his honour in Orlando West, Soweto. He was only 12 years old.
- Sam Nzima, the photographer who took the picture of Hector Pieterson, was forced into hiding after his picture was published by The World newspaper. It would be years before he would receive the copyright to his picture which is now deemed one of the top 100 most influential pictures of all time according to Time Magazine.
- The 2010 FIFA World Cup mascot, Zakumi, was said to be born on Youth Day according to his FIFA profile.
- 20.6 Million South Africans make up the Youth constituent in South Africa.
After reading all these amazing facts about Youth Day, tell us, how are you going to spend this day?
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