Renowned struggle stalwart, Ahmed Kathrada, Amnesty International’s Edward Ndopu, and attorney and former pupil, Roy Gluckman were invited to address pupils about human rights.
Kathrada, a former prisoner on Robben Island and one of the Rivonia trial accused shared stories of his upbringing and first encounter with racism.
“I spent the first eight years of my life living in a town where I did not know or understand racism,” he said.
“I played with black, white and coloured children and it was nothing out of the ordinary. It was when I moved to Johannesburg and came across signage for ‘Europeans Only’ and ‘Non-Europeans’, that I realised how different things were.”
Kathrada also shared his experience on Robben Island where he was incarcerated along with six other well-known political prisoners, including the late Nelson Mandela. He was the only Indian prisoner among the group and shared how, because of this, he received much better food and prison attire compared to the other inmates.
“I share this information as a way to remind young people that the freedom enjoyed by everyone today would have been impossible during apartheid and the drastic change has meant that all South Africans are treated as equals,” he said.
Ndopu, head of activism and youth engagement in Africa for Amnesty International, touched on the issue of making the world accessible for the disabled and racially excluded. The wheelchair-bound activist also encouraged pupils to be at the forefront of change, citing the ongoing student protests as an example.
“I understand the [student] movement because there are unresolved issues there, especially in terms of inequalities, and I believe that certain systems need to be taken down and you see this happening across the world,” he said.
Gluckman closed off the assembly with words of encouragement to the pupils, urging them to find their voices as young people.
The assembly also included an announcement of an anti-racism campaign to be hosted by the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation from 14 to 21 March. The campaign will see schools across the country encouraged to wear black and white on 18 March as part of the campaign.
Details: www.kathradafoundation.org
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