A 'lost generation' by a 'losing generation'

Young people in the democratic South African black neighborhoods are generally referred to as a “lost generation”. This is mainly attributed to African youth’s obsession to western culture, but who is to blame. As a young person myself I can partly agree that indeed we are a lost generation, all thanks to our parents and elders (the losing generation)  in communities in which we grew up at.

For instance, as a black child you are told by an elder not to eat while standing and you ask why? Here is the typical response which creates more questions than answers: “Do not ask me why, that is just how it is my child”. It is human nature that no one accepts as true something with no proper or satisfactory reasoning. It is just impossible!

When African families conduct traditional rituals, young family members are normally sidelined from some “adults and the wise only” secret meetings. Then as a young one you join a charismatic church in trying to make sense of the world and in these churches everything is done in an open and automatically one finds comfort, join in and believe in their teachings. Before you know it, you are labeled the lost generation because you “do not respect African customs.” The people who are on your case are the very same as those who  refuse to provide you answers for your questions on African customs.



Typical of 21st century African youth,
most black parents hate tatoos. Image supplied.

Middle class black families usually enroll their children in former Model C English schools and such pupils are freely allowed to speak English even at home, in fact in most cases parents themselves proudly communicate to their children in English. This obviously prepares a lost generation of poor vernacular speakers and parents are to blame.

It is a rare case for African parents to spend just a minute in the table with their kids, just to share wisdom and some important pointers on African traditions. Confusingly the offspring is a lost generation when the welcoming western culture feeds the youth with all sorts of what is “immorality” in the black culture.

African languages in our land are at a “critically endangered” stage of extinction and black culture is fast losing ground. Yes, black youth is a “lost generation” and the western culture is making huge inroads and offering the warmest reception to this group of lost generation . Thanks to our elders for permitting us to get lost right in their watch.

It starts on top and goes right down to the bottom. Our elders need to change attitude and accept that this is the globalization era and as young Africans we are exposed to too much that we end up getting confused. It is their responsibility to protect African culture by explicitly educating the youth as future citizens about Africanism. With that phenomenon, black youth can without a doubt embrace and celebrate African traditions in today’s global culture.      

Bloody politicians, crewing up SA!

South African politics lost meaning the very same day (April, 27, 1994) hopeful citizens waited in long queues to vote for “a better life for all”. The blood of those who fought for that day was in vain and they must be turning on their graves as I write this piece. Shame on our selfish political leaders.

Nowadays, when the black elite morons who live lavishly in suburbs visit the townships, they feel discomfort over a “group of suspicious youth standing in a street corner.” More often than not, this group of “suspicious” young minds is conversing about their dreams of making it big one day and our visionless politicians who have crewed up our beloved country left, right and centre since the dawn of democracy in 1994. 




Citizens protesting against crippled service delivery,
thanks to our useless politicians. Photo: supplied

  In these street corner conversations, you often hear young people accusing one another: “Do not think you can do better, you would also tell lies if you were a politician; that’s the name of the game.” It is therefore confusing to observe that young people in this day and age look up to people who continuously cripple the country with no mercy whatsoever. South African border gates have become a useless mechanism as dodgy foreign nationals get in and out of our motherland as they please. These opportunists are well-known drug lords in the streets of Hillbrow and many other SA big cities, yet no politician has ever bothered to speak out against such.

Our education system and public health care are mediocre and as such no politician goes to a public hospital when ill, neither none of their children attend public schools. Surprisingly, it is these very politicians who exploit every platform given to them by media calling for “heads must roll” to those responsible for not delivering textbooks in Limpopo schools until forced to do the right thing by a court of law. All they do is talk, talk and talk while deep inside they are laughing at “stupid uneducated masses who can’t smell coffee”.

Masses are not stupid and the day shall come where we shall unite and say enough is enough. Ministers throw expensive birthday parties and establish foundations which their real meaning remains unknown. Some youth leaders say this today and the exact opposite tomorrow but claim to championing the needs of the poor masses, how do we trust such hypocrites? Others misuse public money and insist they are innocent, only to admit the truth when media pressure mounts. One is left with a question: do our politicians have what is called conscious?

A “mistake president” attends an SACP (South African Clowns Party) congress and talks about "many who do not understand democracy. One begs to ask him/herself this: does Zuma himself understand democracy? Our leaders are preoccupied about who will emerge victorious in the next conference while a hopeless graduate struggle to make ends meet. This one tells that one to tie his shoe laces while his remain untied. Its policy conference after another and less execution. We are told “the state does not have the necessary resources to make change overnight,” while on the contrary municipalities and provincial departments return to the national treasury millions of unused money.

Cadre deployment continues to fail the poor, yet we have to argue with SAMWU about getting rid of the system. The first citizen tries to be a sweetheart to everyone in the tripartite alliance; all that is in his head is reelection in the next conference. MPs pitch in the parliament only when it suits them, but fact remains their bank accounts go obese come month end. After all this, when citizens in rural areas and black townships run riot for the below par service delivery, some stupid politician jumps to the stage: “comrades, you must be patient, plans are in place to fast track service delivery in this area and these things take time.” Hello, wake up and smell coffee Mr Liar, it’s been 18 years and you have been singing the same song out of tune. One day is one day and the voice of the masses shall prevail.