Panellists and attendees at the HSRC Connect dialogue, “Echoes of 1976: Youth then and now”, held in Cape Town ahead of Youth Day. The discussion reflected on the links between the 1976 Soweto uprising, #FeesMustFall and the struggles facing young South Africans today.
As South Africa prepares to mark Youth Day, a Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) dialogue has reflected on how the struggles of young people have shifted from the open repression of apartheid to what speakers described as the slower, more complex battles against bureaucracy, inequality and exclusion.
The HSRC hosted the dialogue, titled "Echoes of 1976: Youth then and now," at its Cape Town office and virtually on Thursday, June 11, as part of its HSRC Connect series.
The discussion brought together voices from different generations of youth activism, including Sibongile Mkhabela - the only female member of the Soweto 11, who was tried and detained by the apartheid state - former #FeesMustFall activist Nompendulo Mkhatshwa, clinical psychologist Mr Kgabe Molepo, and HSRC youth specialists Professor Sharlene Swartz and Dr Adam Cooper.
Opening the discussion, the HSRC said the session was aimed at reflecting on the 1976 Soweto uprising, while also looking at the future of young people in South Africa.
