If you are wondering what on earth I am talking about, this is the brainchild of several business people who feel this ”event” heralds another beautiful chapter in the history of South Africa.
Basically, it is envisioned that South Africa Day will focus on making a contribution to the country and putting South Africa first, while creating social cohesion and celebrating the country, its people and achievements.
To put it in a nutshell: taking pride as a people and country in being South African.
There are, however, similar efforts to promote social cohesion and to celebrate the history of our land – one is called Heritage Day, during which National Braai Day is also celebrated.
And then we also have Nelson Mandela Day, on July 18, which is another effort to promote unity and for societies to take hands in the promotion of goodwill.
The question is: will South Africa Day find its feet among South Africans, or will it be dismissed as another valiant attempt to instil a sense of national pride?
Here is the big problem: What does it mean these days to be a South African?
The vision of Mandela was a Rainbow Nation, where all men are equal under the blazing African sun, even in times of drought and rising daily expenses. Does the concept of a Rainbow Nation even exists anymore?
The EFF, after all, is making it quite clear that there is not much place for the white population within the new political dispensation and, thus, we rather need to get onto the nearest plane and return to the home of the colonial powers.
Therefore, according to the man with the red beret, the white population – be it the Afrikaner or the European or whatever – should not be classified as a South African.
Years ago, during the Apartheid Era, sadly the black population was, sadly, being marginalised to the point that they probably did not feel like South Africans.
And then, of course, we have our President, whose latest comments about party politics make you think that to be a true South African means being an ANC member.
Also consider, technically, before we are South African, we are African, because we all share this continent, but it seems there is even a lot of confusion about what it means to be an African.
We are, thus, talking about an identity crisis in our country.
We cannot, therefore, really celebrate South Africa Day if people do not even feel like a South African, or if they remain confused regarding their identity.
As in all countries of the world, South Africa consists of many different ethnic and cultural groups and, somehow, we have to all find our feet together to make this country work.
Yet, to return to Heritage Day; you will find that this day, for example, is hardly celebrated by the white population, because they feel their heritage is being destroyed.
For this reason, National Braai Day was introduced to broaden the field of celebration.
Talking about being a proud South African, consider the Proudly South Africa campaign.
First conceived at the Presidential Job Summit in 1998, the Proudly South African Campaign was born out of socio-economic necessity to create jobs, under the leadership of the former South African President, Nelson Mandela.
The Proudly South African “buy local” campaign simply encourages the nation to buy local products and make use of local services, in an effort to stimulate the local economy and help to create jobs.
Proudly SA also, like the idea behind South African Day, promotes national pride, patriotism and social cohesion.
While this is a great idea, the reality is that not a lot of people are even aware of it or support it. Why? Is it because they are not really proudly South African, because of a prevailing identity crisis coupled with prevailing threats to one’s traditions or culture?
You will, after all, support such a campaign if you truly have a love for your land, but there is this general feeling that this land does not belong to all, which perpetuates the identity crisis.
The general support for the Proudly South Africa campaign should serve as a barometer that not everything is really kosher in our land, where the dam is full but the reservoirs are dry (go figure).
It is actually rare to still find in the world one culture or one nation that truly shares a strong identity and together takes pride in its history and heritage.
There are, however, a few nations that are still to be found on the global stage, and such nations have proven to fight tooth and nail to preserve their identity and place in the world.
Why? Because there is a pride that comes with a strong identity.
South Africa, however, is self-destructing, because there is no real cohesive effort from all ethnic groups to preserve our place in history, largely due to a diverse opinion and perspective of what it means to be a South African.
For now, it seems the only things that are bringing this nation together are sporting events, but maybe that’s just because there are food and drink on offer.
So, again, you have to ask the question: What does it mean to be a South African?
Personally, that is not an easy question to answer anymore, because even though we carry IDs that proclaim our citizenship, our hearts speak a different, sordid tale of rejection and betrayal.
