Op-Ed: How do we free ourselves?

Despite the government’s attempt to “consolidate and safeguard democratic gains” this Freedom Day, the question “are we really free?” has been unequivocally answered by: the increasing unemployment rates, high levels of poverty and inequality, crippling corruption and theft by the political elite and big businesses, 10-year-long rolling blackouts, inhumane land and housing evictions, political killings of our comrades, lack of basic services for our poor communities, killing of women, children and the LGBTQIA+ community, selling of our environment for profit, dysfunctional spheres of government… and the list goes on.

We have always known the answer to this question: we are not free in real terms, and it is clear that the multitude of crises we currently face are a continuous threat to our freedom, dignity and quality of life as human beings.

Considering the devastating impact this has, not only on our own immediate realities, but the realities of our future generations, this begs the urgent question: what are WE going to do about it?

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