How come every time Youth Day comes around, all we ever hear about is how Hector Peterson was the first one to get shot and how young he was. How he got carried by some guy who's never been seen since?
What about the first girl that was shot? Does anyone ever think of building a First Girl to be Shot Memorial? Let's face it. Chances are, Hector wasn't the first one to get shot. He is probably the first one to get shot and have his picture taken moments after.
Why is it that all we're bombarded with is how bad the day was, but always from the same people. Same people every year. Honestly, can we make these people any richer? People are making money from all these interviews and magazine covers and whatnots.
What about the first policeman to get hit in the head by a flying brick fresh from an angry student's hand? What about the policeman who actually tried to save lives on the day. Lest we forget that most of the policemen involved in the student shootings were black. Because all the black man and woman was "good" at was either being a teacher, a nurse or a policeman. And yet all you ever hear about is how much the black youth emancipated themselves from Afrikaaner oppression. Why?
Why don't the other "Struggle heroes" ever get some airplay? You can't tell me the ones gracing our screens every year are the only other ones left.
How come we're only getting the story from only one side of Soweto? I mean, being the largest township in the country (if not the world), you would expect to at least get coverage of the uprising from all angles. But all you ever hear about is the riots that started at Morris Isaacson High School, and very little is said about Naledi High Shool.
Do you even know who Hastings Ndlovu is? If I ask you the same question about Hector Pieterson, will your answer be the same?
- Paper
2 killa comment(s): on "June 16, 1976"
Wow! Love the fresh perspective. Gets one to thinking.
Thx A!
;)
Post a Comment