“What does Freedom Day mean to you? This was the question 15 Grade 10 pupils from Rand Girl’s pondered over for a week before joining the Gautrain management agency (GMA) for an open dialogue in celebration of the day.
Their top 15 English students were treated to a ride on the Gautrain from Park Station to Midrand Station where they met with GMA representatives as well as a speaker from Constitution Hill.
As part of their presentation, the pupils sang, recited poetry and even shed a few tears, all in remembrance of 27 April 1994.
The facilitators of the dialogue were two GMA staff members, Lerato Mokoena, and Abigail Khumalo.
“The objective was to have discussions on what freedom means. The learners demonstrated in many ways how freedom is interpreted and what it means to them,” explained Tlago Ramalepa from GMA. She added that the pupils also quoted the struggle heroes such as Nelson Mandela, Ahmed Kathrada and Walter Sisulu about the role they played in the national liberation, and even quoting Martin Luther King. They based what they knew on what they had read and heard about.
Rand Girl’s pupil Mikaela van de Vent explained that Freedom means that we, as the people of this country, must feel free. “But are we really free? Free from fear? When now we have to have a security fence, beams, alarms and government is spending a lot of money on security services, but we still don’t feel safe. Freedom means the rights of women and children were liberated; during the apartheid era, young girls were forced into marriages.”
She explained that freedom is having a choice, a choice to do whatever we want and be who we want to be. “Let’s not make this a one-day celebration, we ought to make it a culture for all South Africans.”
Pupils were informed on freedom and the responsible use of social media. Some shed a tear while defining what freedom means. The dialogue was ended by the singing of the National Anthem.
“The learners were excited about the opportunity of presenting the concept of freedom and what it means to them and also getting views from the older generation on what freedom means, and understanding that freedom was not free,” concluded Ramalepa.
Details: Rand Girls’ School 011 642 4347.
