Continued……Hope was in the air - ‘Free at last!’ - or so they thought…

Three decades on, many are questioning whether the transition fulfilled the hopes and aspirations of the people who stood in the long queues outside voting booths in 1994. The economic conditions for most of the Black citizens have remained unchanged. According to a 2021 report by the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), 64% of the country’s Black people live in poverty - a figure significantly higher than the poverty rate among the White population, standing at only 1%.

Unemployment also remains disproportionately high among Black South Africans. Data released by the country’s official statistics agency in early 2024 showed that the unemployment rate among Black people stood at 37.6% - versus 7.9% among White people.

The land question also remains unresolved. White people still own the lion’s share of the country’s arable land (over 72%, according to the last major land-ownership census in 2017) - despite making up less than 8% of the population. Black people, who account for about 80% of the country’s citizens, own less than 4% of the land. These statistics raise the question of whether freedom really did arrive in 1994.

Credit: Apartheid Museum

Sources

https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/099125303072236903/pdf/P1649270c02a1f06b0a3ae02e57eadd7a82.pdf
https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/racial-divide-south-africas-economy-2024-09-23/#:~:text=The%20official%20unemployment%20rate%20was,South%20Africans%20of%20mixed%20race.
https://www.sahistory.org.za/dated-event/south-africas-first-democratic-elections

S’ LEONE FIRST LADY: BIG BRO RULES OUR MINERALS

On 27 April 1961, Sierra Leone proudly raised its green, white and blue flag, declaring independence from British colonial rule. As the nation celebrates 64 years of sovereignty, voices like that of First Lady Fatima Maada Bio remind us that the fight for true independence is far from over.

Bio has tried to engage with the pressing issues facing her nation. In this video, she cautions against the pervasive influence of external powers - or Big Brother, as she brands them.

The reality is stark: every mining enterprise in Sierra Leone is under foreign ownership. Even after gaining independence from British colonialism, the UK continues to manage the nation’s electricity supply.

Continued……. What pathways lie ahead? Bio says that any attempt to disrupt the existing power dynamics invites external funding for opposition movements, leading to instability and chaos. This turmoil renders governance nearly impossible. Yet, she also says that the status quo cannot persist. After all, if a nation cannot secure its own energy resources, how can it hope to empower and educate its citizens?

But let’s focus on freedom from British rule today. Happy Independence Day to all Sierra Leoneans - at home and around the world.

Video Credit: Havard T.H. (YouTube)

Sources

https://rootstoglory.com/happy-independence-day-sierra-leone-april-27-1961/?utm_sourc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMuk82iVUxw&t=2s

ZAMBIA 1993 PLANE CRASH: FROM TRAGEDY TO GLORY

Today, Zambia remembers its golden generation of footballers - killed in a plane crash thirty two years ago. On 27 April 1993, the country was only one game away from qualifying for its maiden FIFA World Cup tournament. Carrying the dreams and aspirations of an entire nation, the team flew out to Senegal to play that crucial fixture. They never arrived as their plane crashed off the coast of Gabon’s capital, Libreville, where they had stopped to refuel.

Continued……. Three decades later, the nation still mourns loss of the side widely considered the best to have worn the national jersey. But their memory has inspired future generations. In a symbolic and poignant fashion, Zambia won the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations held in Libreville, a few miles from the crash site.

Sources

https://www.impactnetwork.org/latest-news/it-was-written-in-the-sky

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/czrgm6grxvlo

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/feb/14/weekly-sports-diary-17-february

https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-04-30-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-1993-plane-crash-that-ended-the-dreams-of-zambias-national-soccer-team/

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/czrgm6grxvlo