Students spill the beans at the We Are No Longer at Ease: The Struggle for #FeesMustFall book launch
SANDTON – Students who were part of the #FeesMustFall movement launched a book to tell their side of the story.
Students who were part of the #FeesMustFall movement in 2015 have written a book to tell their side of the story and how they felt about the movement. We Are No Longer at Ease: The Struggle for #FeesMustFall was launched at Exclusive Books, Sandton on 26 March.
The book is a collection of personal articles, essays, speeches and poetry mainly from voices of young people who were part of the student-led protest movement known as #FeesMustFall. It tells the journey of the youth who participated in a movement that redefined politics in post-apartheid South Africa and is evidence of a ‘born-free’ generation telling their own story and leading the discourse and action on transforming South Africa.
At the launch, some contributors to the book were there including co-editor Wandile Ngcaweni,
“The title of the book, We Are No Longer at Ease: The Struggle for #FeesMustFall, is meant to provoke thoughts and feelings about what the movement was, what it stood for and to whom it belonged,” he said.
Wandile edited the book alongside Busani Ngcaweni, head of policy and research services in the presidency and non-resident research fellow at the University of Johannesburg. “We tried our best to compile the stories of the students who were part of the movement in the archive, we do hope that if there are gaps, other authors come forward and write their own books to further educate the public.”
On the cover of the book, is a young woman by the name of Tshepiso Modupe. In her essay, she talks about being sexually violated within the movement. “My speaking out was to basically highlight how patriarchy exists within organisations,” she said.
“That, however, has not silenced me. I will continue to fight for what’s right,” Modupe continued with the crowd cheering at her.
Fundzani Mutsila, an attendee who was also part of the #FeesMustFall movement, commended the contributors of the book and attendees at the launch “What you guys have done is beyond amazing. Even though some of us are left traumatised and our hearts are still heavy, I admire that we still have the spirit.”
The book launch was closed in song, to commemorate students that have lost their lives during the protests and those who were directly or indirectly affected by it.
Related article:
https://www.citizen.co.za/sandton-chronicle/221428/adam-habib-shares-his-view-of-the-fees-must-fall-protests-in-his-new-book/
