Youth Day

The Soweto uprising, also known as June 16, this is the day when students from numerous schools in soweto started a protest.

They were protesting against bantu education, against apartheid and against Afrikaans as a medium of instruction. 

What is bantu education?

It was the kind of education that was provided for black people during the apartheid era, blacks were not supposed to receive the same education as whites, blacks were not supposed to receive the kind of education that would enable them to be lawyers, nurses, engineers etc...the kind of education they received was the one that prepared them to do labour work, to work in factories, etc. 
They were forced to learn in a language they could not comprehend, in Afrikaans, teachers were poorly skilled, most of them didn't qualify to be teachers, they themselves couldn't speak nor read afrikaans, but they were required to teach their subjects in it. Classes were overcrowded, they didn't have labs, libraries or sports fields compared to schools designed for whites. 

When high-school students in Soweto started protesting for better education on 16 June 1976, police responded with teargas and live bullets. It is commemorated today by a South African national holiday, Youth day, which honors all the young people who lost their lives in the struggle against Apartheid and Bantu Education.

The first person to die on the scene that day, was a 12 year old boy... Hector Peterson.

http://whatkevinisupto.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/464px-soweto_riots.jpg

Mbuyisa Makhubu carrying the body of 12-year-old Hector Petersen, who had been shot, with Hector's sister running next to him. 

Mbuyisa Makhubu disappeared on the very same day, running away from the police, and since today he has not been found, no one knows his whereabouts.

People in South Africa were segregated into categories of white, black, Coloured, Indian (or Asian). Blacks were deprived of their citizenship. There were separate schools, buses, shops and hospitals for blacks and coloured people and the services available were well under the standard provided for the minority whites. Even laws were different. A black man found raping a white woman for example could expect years in prison, whereas a white man raping a black woman would probably be fined a small fine.

A special thanks to people like Nelson Mandela, who helped bring apartheid to an end.

http://www.black-collegian.com/news/images/ph_mandela1.jpg

Under apartheid, Mandela served nearly 27 years in prison but he never gave up the fight. When Mandela was imprisoned at Robben Island he continued his work and teachings. In South Africa and around the world, Nelson Mandela's anti-apartheid messages gained in popularity. 

There is probably no one who has done so much to end the rule of apartheid as Nelson Mandela. He has been the voice of the people and made the message heard right around the world. Certainly Mandela did not act alone but his voice and actions held real power and the battle was eventually won. 

After his release from prison in 1990 Nelson Mandela went on to become president of South Africa. Apartheid was officially ended though there is no doubt that much of the racism is still deeply rooted in the country. While Nelson Mandela is no longer president, he is highly respected and his voice is still heard. As a leader and a peacemaker Nelson Mandela was the leading force in the battle against apartheid. A battle worth fighting for and a battle won.

A special thanks to Steve Biko, one of the people who also helped bring apartheid to an end. 

http://colorlines.com/archival_images/biko_091311.jpg

Ìn September of 1977, Biko was detained, tortured, and ultimately killed by police. For many, he’s become a martyr, and his philosophy is still strong in political activism today.

Steve Biko was one of the most prominent activists in the struggle against the apartheid regime in South Africa and a leader of the Black Consciousness movement.

In 1973, together with seven other student leaders, he was banned and had to return to his home town in Cape Province. There his movements were restricted and he was not allowed to travel, speak in public or write for publication. Despite this, he busied himself in community organisation until, at the end of 1975, his banning order had an added clause inserted so that this activity was also prohibited to him.

In January 1977, he was appointed Honorary President of the Black Peoples Convention, and six months later, he was arrested under Section 6 of the Terrorism Act. He was taken to Port Elizabeth where he was kept naked and chained. He was tortured by the police and he finally died about four weeks later whilst still in detention, aged 31. 

I'm writing this journal because I want to show my appreciation to the 1976 students who sacrificed their lives to make South Africa as it is today, these students fought for our freedom, ensuring that the coming generations will have a better life and future compared to the one they lived. 

http://www.toptenz.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Soweto-uprising.jpg

http://www.downtheavenue.com/images/2008/12/10/uprising014.jpg

http://www.sa-venues.com/attractionsga/images/hector-pieterson-memorial.jpg

In South Africa today, June 16 is a youth holiday, where we honour the men and women, but mainly students who fought against apartheid.
These students and leaders made South Africa as it is today, and if it wasn't for them, our rights as Africans wouldn't be recognized and we wouldn't be granted the freedom we deserve. 

References 

http://www.infed.org/thinkers/biko.htm

http://www.nelsonmandelas.com/apartheid.php