Chris McEvoy is apprehensive about celebrating Africa Day, as he doesn’t fully understand the relevance to a white male like himself.
Today marks Africa Day, a tremendous day in African history. It’s a shame that most South Africans - including myself - know very little or nothing about this day, not even when it is. I mean, in theory, it sounds great: “Happy Africa Day, I’m proud to be African”, but what does it really mean? The 25th of May marks the founding of the Organisation of African Unity. On this day, we celebrate the unity of a continent, which I think is a pretty big deal. Even so, a handful of African countries acknowledge the day as a public holiday.
I feel like Africa Day should be announced and promoted better in South Africa. People need to know the meaning behind the day to truly get behind and celebrate it. On that note, make the day a public holiday as people remember days and dates they didn’t spend at work.
With regards to celebrating Africa, I am rather apprehensive. Being a white male, where do I stand regarding Africa Day? Yes, I live in South Africa, with a green South African ID book. South Africa is located in the continent of Africa. In that sense, I am African. On the other hand, from an ancestral and historical point of view, there is nothing African about me.
This question of whether I am an African or not, makes celebrating Africa Day a little trickier than I initially anticipated. If I feel I am African and celebrate the day, I honestly believe that certain individuals would shoot me down and interrogate me on the matter. Alternatively, if I feel I am not African and decide not to take part in the festivities of Africa Day then I am very mindful of people branding me as a “typical white boy” and seeing my decision to have some racial undertone. But at the same time I understand, due to the past, that certain senses are heightened.
Africa Day exists because different countries, made up of different cultures, languages and beliefs, came together to unite the second largest continent in the world. That’s an impressive task to facilitate, let alone execute, and more people should know what happened on the 25th of May all those years ago.
*McEnjoy is an intern at Independent Media.
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