I've been watching the World Cup coverage for the past few days, and they often cover human interest stories related to the matches. Today's is a heartbreaker.
The games are taking place in South Africa, and today, the South African team had a match against Uruguay. Apparently, today is Youth Day in South Africa, as well. Here's the sad history of this day as told by Wikipedia. If you don't feel like looking at the link, I'll give you a quick synopsis.
So, hopefully you know that South Africa doesn't exactly have a glamorous past (then again, in this world, who does?). There was a long period of time (characterized by a social governance called Apartheid) when the mostly Dutch whites who "discovered" and settled South Africa imposed terrible sanctions on the native Africans, keeping them oppressed and threatened by violence. In 1976, thousands of children and teenagers joined together in Soweto and protested a particular element of Apartheid. Though originally protesting peacefully, many were massacred when police were called in to quell the uprising. Estimates range from 200 to 600, though government communications first said only 23 had died.
Today is the 34th anniversary of the Soweto uprising. Today, the fallen and surviving protesters are honored through the national holiday of Youth Day. The World Cup coverage is rife with images and stories that wrench tears right out of my own staid and guarded heart.
How shocking that we are capable of such coldness and violence. How more shocking is the juxtaposition of the history of today with the national and international pride and harmony exhibited in the World Cup games. Mmm. The human race is an amazing thing.
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