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<h1 class="gmail-bold">Nelson Mandela's centenary should be a year of radical transformation</h1>
<span id="gmail-spnDate" class="gmail-block gmail-datestamp">2018-02-02 15:03</span>
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<p class="gmail-clr_left"></p><p><strong>Sello Hatang</strong></p><p>As an organisation with a clear mandate to
promote the legacy of Nelson Mandela, the Foundation carries a special
responsibility as we enter the year marking the centenary of Madiba's birth. </p><p>It cannot be a time of focusing only on his
life – 2018 is full of other significant anniversaries, from the 25th
anniversary of both Chris Hani's assassination and the 1993 negotiated
settlement to the centenary of Ma Sisulu's birth. </p><p>Already the year has seen us mourning the losses
of four prominent South Africans who strove for excellence and made their mark
in contributing to the realisation of a truly liberated South Africa - bo-ntate
Keorapetse Kgositsile, Hugh Masekela and actor Sandy Mokwena (popularly known
as Bra Eddie on TV), and Mme Rica Hodgson. We hope their passing can serve as a
reminder that transformative change can come through the sounds of music, art
that challenges us and the ink of a poet. </p><p>As we ask South Africans to "Be the
Legacy" in 2018, it means using our gifts and tools, wherever we are
stationed in life, in a way that dismantles the unequal structures of power and
protects the most vulnerable.</p><p>2018 should also not be the year of simply
celebrating Madiba. For the Foundation it has to be primarily about continuing
his work. He and his generation of leadership had enormous impact and
contributed much. But there remains unfinished business. </p><p>Through the centenary year the focus of the
Foundation's endeavour will be in three main areas – fighting poverty and
inequality, striving to eradicate the scourge of racism, and reckoning with our
country's oppressive pasts. </p><p>We take to heart the critique of NGOs
offered by Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng – while there is a need and a role for
NGOs related to the socio-political contingencies of the day, their calling is
to address the deep structural dimensions of oppression which South Africa has
only begun to grapple with.</p><p>Recent events at the Overvaal school
illustrate this well. It is too easy to jump in to situations like this, to
demand quick-fix solutions and to use the vulnerable (in this instance young
children) in the frontlines. </p><p>In my own engagements with Overvaal,
including a visit to the school, I realised that many advocates of change aren't
really interested in including African languages in the curriculum, but rather
in promoting the dominance of English. </p><p>Equally, constructive discussion has been
undermined by those who perceive multilingualism as a threat to their 'way of
life'. Communities can be brought together by the flourishing of multilingual
schools. But this has been hampered by language policies that do not put
adequate pressure on institutions to use more than one of South Africa's eleven
official languages.</p><p>Language is crucial. It is through language
that communities interact and integrate and build social cohesion. And it is
through language that we find liberation. This is why Madiba prioritised it and
strove for a strategy that would be inclusive.
</p><p>I am reminded of his words: "We do not
want to abolish any language; we want to raise the African languages which have
been side-lined through the policy of apartheid to equality with English and
Afrikaans. That doesn't mean to say that we are actually downgrading Afrikaans
and English; we are merely saying that the other languages must be put on the
same basis."</p><p>South Africa has waited too long for radical
transformation. For too long we have been held back by the normalisation of the
abnormal and the embrace of mediocrity. For too long we have been betrayed by
leadership at all levels and in all sectors which has prioritised
self-enrichment rather than societal liberation. </p><p>I welcome the signs that 2018 has already
given us of a sea-change in this scenario. From hearings in Parliament to investigations
by security structures, from commissions of enquiry to disciplinary
interventions within institutions, we are seeing those in positions of public
trust being held accountable. </p><p>In many ways this represents an insistence
that nothing less than excellence is acceptable. May 2018 be remembered as the
year in which radical transformation gained traction in our beloved country. </p><p>Not just as a populist slogan but a call to
action for doing differently!</p><p>- Hatang is the chief executive officer of the Nelson Mandela Foundation.<br><br><em>Disclaimer:
News24 encourages freedom of speech and the expression of diverse
views. The views of columnists published on News24 are therefore their
own and do not necessarily represent the views of News24.</em><br></p><p></p>
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<br><div class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature">=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+<br><br> Harold F. Schiffman<br><br>Professor Emeritus of <br> Dravidian Linguistics and Culture <br>Dept. of South Asia Studies <br>University of Pennsylvania<br>Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305<br><br>Phone: (215) 898-7475<br>Fax: (215) 573-2138 <br><br>Email: <a href="mailto:haroldfs@gmail.com" target="_blank">haroldfs@gmail.com</a><br><a href="http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/" target="_blank">http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/</a> <br><br>-------------------------------------------------</div>
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