This Is Africa - How to protest: Govt only hears when we toyi-toyi

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How to protest: Govt only hears when we toyi-toyi

Wednesday, 03 March 2010

Unless the South African government pulls out all stops in the next 3 months to address the grievances of many township residents, expect to see the World Cup coinciding with regular protests at which the toyi-toyi is performed, and not with much less humour than is displayed in the above video. (Click on “Read More”)

The toyi-toyi may not be the world’s only dance-music-chant format of protest (if you know of any others, drop a comment), but it is the most famous, what with the decades-long existential necessity of protest during the apartheid era.

It’s been 16 years since the demolition of that system, but unfortunately the toyi-toyi is still needed for its political significance rather than for its cultural and historical meaning.

Residents of various townships, frustrated and tired of waiting for the promises of a better life in the “new” South Africa, have been protesting with increasing frequency over the last few years. The last few weeks alone have seen several protests in Orange Farm, Balfour, and Mpumalanga. The most recent protest began yesterday, and the toyi-toyi was the main “weapon” of choice.

Burning tyres at an Orange Farm service-delivery protest in February

What are these protests about? - Human Rights
Poorly built and inadequate houses, street lighting, tarred roads, access to electricity, water, health services, education, the sort of things everyone should be able to take for granted, but which many residents of South Africa’s townships can’t. They are not alone. According to the UN, one billion people live in urban slums, and these are typically overcrowded, polluted and dangerous, and lack basic services such as clean water and sanitation.

Meanwhile, 'Everyone has the right to adequate housing and basic services' (See Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)

Perhaps the toyi-toyi will need to go global.

Vid posted by CraigiejiMakhos

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