23/06/2021
As Youth Day comes around, and in the middle of this year’s Youth Month, it is the perfect time to look at the history of this date over the decades. A day that has been molded by its country’s development, Youth Day has held different moods and meanings through the years.
This Youth Month was of no exception to VM family which has very young vibrant so-called ‘born free’ youths, determined to change South Africa to a better place through their enthusiasm in digital marketing.
Youth Day was a turning point in the history of South Africa. June 16, 1976 is the date of the Soweto Uprising. The uprising was a result of students peacefully protesting a law passed by the apartheid government that made Afrikaans the language in which maths and social studies would be taught in schools. This hurt students’ ability to learn and they took to the streets to protest. While on the way to Orlando Stadium, soldiers opened fire on the marching students. The government soldiers committed senseless and unnecessary violence in the name of “maintaining law and order”. The students involved in this tragic incident were acting on what they believed in, and, when the government’s treatment broke all expectations, they paid a price for a bargain they didn’t make. The sacrifice and bloodshed of these students must be remembered for being a turning point in the apartheid struggle, inspiring sanctions from other countries, and increasing the push for true democracy. This is according to, Ryan Thorn, Dylan Baker, author of, ‘History of Youth Day’.
June 16 massacre reminded agents of the day when protesting unarmed students were sprayed with live bullets wearing their proud school uniforms. It was a wonderful atmosphere seeing everyone dressed in their old high school uniforms commemoration the historic day of South African youths.
Enjoy yourself by going through an artistic set of the gallery.
