The American Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, began an African tour on Sunday 07 August 2022. In South Africa, the first stop on the tour, the US diplomat visited Soweto Township where he paid tribute to the heroes of the anti-apartheid struggle. Antony Blinken will also have to travel to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda to discuss with the authorities of these two countries.
Both the United States of America and South Africa have experienced brutal segregationist regimes in the past. The victims of this tragedy numbered in the thousands and the story is far from being forgotten.
During his stay in South Africa as part of his African tour, the head of the American diplomacy Antony Blinken went this Sunday, August 7, in the township of Soweto where he went in front of a monument paying tribute to Hector Pieterson, a 12-year-old boy shot by the police in 1976 during the anti-apartheid struggle. Together with Antoinette Sithole, Hector’s sister, Antony Blinken realised how often South African families still mourn their dead, those who fought with their lives for a free and equal South Africa for all.
“Hector’s story is a story that really resonates, because we have our own struggle for freedom and equality in the United States and South Africa’s story is unique. But there are also so many common elements, and it resonates powerfully,” the US chief diplomat said.
Nelson Mandela, a reference point for youth.
Alongside Antony Blinken, Antoinette Sithole, Hector’s sister, gave a solemn message to future generations in these words: “Don’t forget that young people have taken a stand to make our lives better today.This means that we have paved the way for young people, the generations to come, to take a stand on the problems they face.”
It calls on young people to look to Nelson Mandela, the former president of South Africa and a tireless defender of human rights, as a role model. The man who dedicated his life to the fight for equality and helped dismantle the apartheid policy.
It should be recalled that for some political specialists, the tour undertaken by the head of the American diplomacy has only one objective: to counter the Russian influence on the African continent.
Charbel Ahouandjinou(stag).
