No one could afford to be complacent about freedom, Education Minister Kader Asmal told children from five countries at a Freedom Day celebration on Monday.
He was speaking at the end of a four-day workshop in Cape Town which brought together a hundred pupils from all over South Africa to post their ideas on a special Freedom Day website.
Some of the children had never touched a computer mouse before.
The workshop culminated on Monday with video and audio linkups with children in Northern Ireland, Mauritius, Nigeria and Palestine, to allow them to share their thoughts on the meaning of freedom.
Speaking to all of them, Asmal said the only answer for a South Africa at war with her own people and children had been peace and freedom.
”Today South Africa is looked up to as a model of peaceful negotiation and transition,” he said.
”We have learned about the importance of reconciliation, of tolerance and celebration of diversity, and we’ve learned through the final part of the report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that there is still a lot to do to establish conditions for reconciliation and freedom.”
He told the youngsters that the electronic correspondence they were engaged in was a wonderful resource, and an exciting means to encourage understanding and tolerance among citizens of the world.
”I hope you will continue to correspond with each other, to learn from each other. For we cannot afford to be complacent, whether we believe we have achieved peace, democracy and freedom, or whether we have not. Freedom is a striving towards, not an easy access call.”
A pupil from Northern Ireland said on the video link-up that with the assistance of the British and American governments, his country was slowly moving forward.
”We are a long way from the ideal society, but we are also a long way from where we were ten years ago,” he said.
”To get our freedom is our wish,” said a Palestinian child.
Echoed another: ”We’re very happy because you’ve got your freedom: Hope we get ours soon.”
A South African pupil, Simone Lawrence of Johannesburg, said the demise of apartheid meant South African children were now free to read books that were previously banned, to date children of other colours, and to ask questions in class.
”We are free to know about our country’s painful history, to ensure we shall never go there again,” she said.
The website is www.freedomday.co.za -Sapa