As general elections draw closer, we begin to hear a lot of criticism of the government and unfortunately from the ruling party’s point of view, blaming Apartheid.
While we cannot deny the fact that we have inherited Apartheid, we cannot keep referring to its injustices when issues are being raised. We need to start looking forward, hoping for a future we have in mind – without being limited by the ideas of the past.
Yes, apartheid happened – it is about time we got over it. We need to realise that South Africa’s challenges go far beyond the issue of race. Although the reality is that black people are the majority and most of them still live in poverty – South Africa needs an inclusive government.
Although there may be reason in our insecurities, what should matter more is our common ground… What is our South African dream?
Instead of preaching Mandela’s ideals, we need to carry them out. At the same time, we need to also shape our new ideals. That is why the message of how much we have progressed since apartheid is beginning to sound like a broken record.
We should not care about redressing the issues of Apartheid by trying to ‘fix’ what happened already. Yes, we need to ‘fix’ something to move forward; but until we define what the future is we cannot fix anything because we would have no idea of life afterwards.
We need to start looking forward, hoping for a future we have in mind – without being limited by the ideas of the past.
South Africa needs to paint a picture of life outside the hole of racism. More than ever before, vision needs to outweigh memories of the past and the sight of our challenges today.
The South African story is a challenging one to tell because while there is something worth celebrating – we should not rest until we have defined what our inclusive future is.
Our aim should not be to better the lives of black people, but to continuously improve the standard of living among all South Africans. Imagine your dreams not restricted because you are a white man or labelled previously advantaged – or you are given an opportunity because you are black.
We should not speak words because they make us feel good, but we should speak words because they inspire us to dream.
Imagine a South Africa where each South African is able to access every opportunity the country offers; it may be business, jobs or a level of education; every South African deserves an environment which allows them to openly choose a career or business opportunity whether or not they are affiliated to a specific organisation.
Our politicians should not dream in ‘black and white’, but develop a rainbow dream for the rainbow nation. We should not speak words because they make us feel good, but we should speak words because they inspire us to dream.
The challenge of race is not that difficult to overcome, start defining your future then you will see how race is nothing but a scapegoat. For black people it is a way to play victim for the past, while white people use it to play victim of today’s challenges.
Although there may be reason in our insecurities, what should matter more is our common ground… What is our South African dream?
