A profound review of MEMOIRS OF A BORN FREE by gogo Skomolo, a woman who gave up her youth for the struggle, and who continues to be an activist even as shes a grandmother. It says: I have just finished reading a very inspiring book, Memoirs of a Born Free. The inspiration comes from the fact that it is a story told by one of them- the so called born frees. The vast vast majority of this population has not attained the level of telling these personal stories that are an indictment of our new democracy and its government. The author is ahead of her time. With time we shall hopefully hear more of this sordid indictment of the society we live in, from those who personally experience it. There are 3 issues from the book, in my opinion, which come out like a sore thumb: 1. The grueling hard and painful life that impacts a child who grows up in abject poverty in a squatter camp, which our freedom has not been able to ameliorate up till today. Many of us like myself work amongst the shack dwellers, but we only imagine the suffering of this folk. The reality of it is far beyond what we imagine. These peoples freedom is only in as far as no policeman demands a pass from them on the streets. Otherwise, they are not free. 2. The hard glass wall that exists between the world of opportunity for all espoused by our democracy, and the world of confinement to poverty, frustration and despair that exists for the majority of people in our democracy. One needs the biggest of all hammers to crack this wall and create a small hole enough for only a few persons to pass, of which the author happens to be one. In my opinion, this wall is getting thicker instead of thinning. 3. The challenges that confront efforts aimed at attempting to bring change. Issues of egos and inability to resolve conflicts and move forward. This we have observed from a distance since the days of UDM onwards. It has been a feature of the South African political landscape. Her inside experience is revealing. This is the biggest enemy of CHANGE. (I have inboxed a personal message to the author). Enkosi, gogSkomolo.
Posted on: Mon, 21 Jul 2014 13:57:16 +0000
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