The greatest failure

Today in my English tutorial, source of all things retarded in my universe, I realised that our government had failed its most basic function. The writing of our history.

Ingrid Jonker's "Die Kind..." was being discussed."What was the Sharpeville march about?" Was the question.

One girl who, sadly, was at Sacred Heart a year below me answers, "like, because of Afrikaans and education and that they had to learn in Afrikaans". OK, people make mistakes. I understand that. But half the class of 20 agreed with her. 

The failure of education systems is well documented. But these kids are privileged, private school, university students. The education has not failed them in the same way it has for those in the rural Eastern Cape.  

What is more pathetic, however, is that the ruling party is expected to set the standards of our national history, and have obviously failed. All incumbents write the past in a way to glorify their ascent, and this is understood and expected. The failure of the ANC to imprint March 21 as Human Rights Day (not, perhaps more appropriately, Robert Sobukwe Day) in the minds of the educated youth is a worrying fact. 

'Winners determine history' is one fundamental rule to any conflict and subsequent victory. What then of "winners" who cannot do even that? The multiple faux pas(es?) of educated students demonstrates the failure of the government to set an agenda that is actually implemented. Can service delivery be achievable when the spoils of victory cannot even be secured? Does the ANC not realise that it has a responsibility to shape our collective memories?

The PAC cannot. Relegated to bystanders they wield no power, despite being on the winning side of the conflict. They happened to be in the wrong camp, thus they have no say - and nor are they expected to. It is up to the ANC to indoctrinate the masses, but they've failed in this regard. 

The issue isn't that it was a PAC/ANC conflict. The PAC has fallen to the wayside, thus the mention of "The PAC and the ANC" leaves one acronym standing. The fact that this event is commemorated on our calenders is enough to suggest the ANC has enough political nous to see the day as significant to their history. Similarly, there is no commemoration for, say, Steve Biko on a national level, simply because his death is not as politically useful. The ANC, therefore, has been able to cherry pick the significant issues in their history. Where they have failed is in the attempt to make their history our history.

For this there is no excuse.