Umlungu - Youth Day!

from Elliott
Youth Day is a public holiday here commemorating the start of the Soweto riots in 1976. A local youth Hector Peterson was shot and killed by police in an event that exposed the brutalities of the Apartheid system. I have been to the memorial erected in his honor as well as a local church that was the scene of an attack by the police on a group of youth who had fled there from the violence. It certainly brings to life the horrors of the time.

The day before Youth Day I was walking along the road near our ministry site and a group of youth in the back of a truck drove by with their fists in the air and screamed, "Umlungu, Youth Day." 'Umlungu' means 'white man' in Xhosa. At first I thought it was simply a greeting like 'Happy Fathers Day' but as I thought about their facial expressions and body language and the context of the holiday among some youth, it appeared more of an attempt to warn or intimidate.

The day is meant to honor the past and those that gave their lives for the Struggle. It seems though, that some of the current political leadership is focused more on a continuation of the battle with the former white oppressor and not as much on reconciliation as was the goal of Mandela and Tutu. There are some using violent rhetoric that is certain to inflame. Having not walked in those shoes, I cannot claim full understanding; but I wonder if one spends more time in the past than in the present and future, then one won't be able to take advantage of the opportunities of the new South Africa.

Did those young people judge me simply by my color to be the 'oppressor' and worthy of scorn? I winder had they heard my American accent and learned that I came to South Africa to serve God and those in need in the Eastern Cape, would they feel differently? Or is it my responsibility to show them that my motives are different through my actions?

As with any great social and political change, it may simply take generations for the future to take hold. Perhaps, it is only when we see our common heritage in Christ can the barriers and differences not control our lives together.