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Reflecting upon the concept of freedom today (27 April 2024), Minister of Social Development Ms. Lindiwe Zulu made the point that freedom was never free. The Minister highlights the cost of the achievement of freedom, including the many people who lost their lives in pursuit of that freedom for all South Africans, and buried in surrounding countries - as she points out, little is heard of how the families of the deceased have fared during the past 30 years. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWWz1ADwSIw
So the question is: what have we - individually and collectively - done with our 30 years?
One of the achievements of the post-apartheid period is basic education – a Constitutional right in terms of section 29 (1) (a). Granted implementation of basic education is not without problems, amongst others: the quality of education, and school facilities, which are not yet evenly distributed. Children are in school, however, and early childhood development has moved from the Social Development Department to Basic Education, providing a vision of early preparation for the school years.
https://www.justice.gov.za/legislation/constitution/saconstitution-web-eng.pdf
For skills development practitioners, the previous lack of a basic education – particularly the absence of mathematics and science, hampers the implementation of workplace based training. Again, not without problems, the post-school education and training landscape raises issues of quality, but also of suitability: what are learners being trained for; do occupational qualifications provide the ability to fulfill the job role in the workplace; and at higher education particularly, to what extent have we decolonized the curriculum?
Our colonial history does provide a base for entry to the so-called developed global economies, but we should not overlook – or under-value – knowledge and skills traditionally developed by indigenous African communities. What differentiates us from the animal kingdom? Our language, our art, and our music.
https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/celebrating-freedom-language
Although there were many constraints during the apartheid era, there are individuals, who stand out in ensuring that tradition knowledge and skill is not lost. One of these is Dr. Esther Mahlangu, who has not only kept her Ndebele art alive by practising and teaching others, but also brought the beauty of her creations to international attention.
Please see the article by Professor Sifiso Mxolisi Ndlovu published in the Conversation, and reprinted under Creative Commons licence, on the following link:
https://www.skills-universe.com/forums/topic/dr-esther-mahlangu-ndebele-art
For the full beauty of her art follow the link at the bottom of the article, and if in Cape Town, visit the exhibition of her art in the National Gallery.
Finally, for all our problems of poverty, unemployment, and inequality, one of the values of our 30 years of democracy is the free media – the ability to speak and be heard.
