Why celebrating Youth Month matters today

Why is Youth Month important and why should it be celebrated? These are the questions many young people ask themselves every year in June.

The answer is simple: it should be celebrated not because of its heritage or political significance, but because of the role it can play in the lives of young people. And it should be commemorated properly.

Youth Month is aimed at celebrating the brave youth of 1976, who participated in the Soweto uprising. On 16 June of that year, about 30 000 pupils from different schools around Soweto converged on Orlando Stadium in protest against Afrikaans as a teaching language.

Some were shot and killed by the police during the unrest.

So, 16 June is an important day on South Africa’s calendar: the day youths died for their beliefs.

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And their struggle was a success because they did manage to stop the government from implementing the language policy they were fighting against.

But most of those who died on that fateful day are unknown but for one: Hector Pieterson became the symbol for the dead through an iconic picture by Sam Nzima, sent across the globe, of him being carried by then political activist Mbuyisa Makhubo, with his sister Antoinette Pieterson crying and walking at his side.

Makhubo was continuously harassed by the police after that and, in 1979, he disappeared…

Another teenager who made headlines was the then 15-year-old Hastings Ndlovu, who was believed to be the first kid to be shot in the back while trying to scale a fence running away.

In 2015, I had the privilege of meeting the late Nzima, the photographer who captured Pieterson’s picture.

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Nzima was a humble person. When I met him, he was one of the dignitaries who were giving journalism appreciation awards to Mpumalanga journalists, but he allowed me to ask him about that event… May his soul rest in peace.

I believe those pupils bravely fought for what they believed was right and their struggle was not in vain because it caught the attention of international media and forced the now-defunct apartheid government to do the right thing.

This was not an easy task because blood was spilled – and that is why the event should be celebrated eternally; it inspires the youth.

Today’s young people are facing many challenges – unemployment, drug abuse – so it is imperative for them to emulate those pupils’ courage and enthusiasm to address the challenges.

Even though the struggle of the 1976 youth was one of the most difficult, some completed high school and even managed to further their studies at institutions of higher learning.

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As a former history student, I believe in preserving our heritage. But instead of teaching children what happened in the past, teach them to use the same strategies to deal with the challenges they face daily.

Statistics show that South Africa is one of the countries with a high unemployment rate, so young people need to use the same courage used in 1976…

Bravely use a similar team spirit to start a business and create employment for yourself instead of resorting to drugs.

Today’s youth need not confront armed forces like in 1976. To address unemployment, the government has established entities such as the National Youth Development Agency, Small Enterprise Development Agency and many youth-orientated business chambers nationwide. Young people must just use it.

So celebrate Youth Month – effectively and fruitfully.

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