Human Rights Day

by Katherine Terry

The 21st March is Human Rights Day in South Africa, and is a Public Holiday.

Since Human Rights Day is not an international Public Holidays, the Rhino Africa offices will be staffed with a skeleton staff to answer the phones and assist with enquiries.

For the rest of us, I think its vital that we take a moment to reflect on the historic reasons for the Public Holiday and give some thought to what historically happened and why we're not a work on this particular day....

Human Rights Day commemorates the day that the South African Human Rights Commission was established, which in turn remembers the day in 1960 when many protestors were killed and wounded when they protested in Sharpeville near Johannesburg. They were protesting about the injustice of the passes which in Apartheid South Africa, all Africans were required ,to prove they were allowed to enter ' white areas'. In Apartheid South Africa this day was not an official holiday, but became known amongst the Anti Apartheid movement as Sharpeville Day.

Its history like this that is covered & discussed in detail, in many of the Township Tours and Cultural Tours throughout South Africa . A trip to a Township Tour or Robben Island Trip, gives you a fascinating insight into where South Africa has come from. However, I believe, more importantly, it gives our guests and overseas visitors an idea of the positive steps that South Africa is now taking. I encourage as many of my guests to take the time to see a township, and the tours are conducted in such a way that guests do not feel clumsy or patronising.

2007/03/13 | permalink |

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Human Rights Day

by Katherine Terry

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