After-apartheid kids

SA has had democracy for 12 years now. That means that there's a whole new generation who wasn't alive during the apartheid. The Mail&Guardian tried to find out what these kids now about the nations struggle and went to different kinds of schools and talked to kids from all colours and background. Here are some of their findings:

A 14 year old girl from Soweto was asked which foreign country she would love to travel to. Answer: "Robben Island, because it has all the history I want to see, where Nelson Mandela stayed and more about the way they lived"

A white boy from Jo'burg "Black people are cool. I like their music and I like how they dance. Its better than white culture. They got sangomas (traditional healers) and stuff and we only have churches"


A black boy from Pietermaritzburg responding to what was apartheid . "A white person would buy first in a shop even if you were there first". He also wasn't a fan of politics " Political matters have resulted in many councillors getting killed. I just heard on the news that some councillors got killed recently"

A boy from Soweto shares his thoughts about the USA. "There are better opportunities there and less poverty. There are no hobos and street kids. I also would like to see how celebrities like Mario and Chris Brown live".
A boy from Jo'burg agrees with him "I think people there don't steal like in SA. There's crime there, but it's not worse like ours. i think I'd feel safer there". Another boy would love to go to the USA to "see lots of things and learn about them and then come back and help black people. The economy is big there".

(source: Mail & Guardian, April 28 2006)