Herstory: Soweto uprising and the erasure of Black women
NOVANEWS
South African History Archive (SAHA)
Thando Sipuye
There are many distortions in the dominant narratives around the 1976 students’ uprising. One of the most critical of these is the persistent, subtle projection of that uprising as the exclusive initiative of young men, to the complete exclusion and erasure of the invaluable contributions and sacrifices of young women. This constitutes epistemic violence against Black women.
Last week Friday marked 41 years since the Soweto students’ uprising that took place on the 16 June 1976, a day that ushered a decisive turning point in the liberation struggle in Azania (South Africa).
Today the day is a celebrated national holiday rebranded as ‘Youth Day’, a day in which contributions of you...