Thursday 9 August 2012

09 AUGUST 1956


WOMEN'S DAY

It was on the 9th of August 1956, 20 000 South African women staged a march to the Union Building in Pretoria to fight against what was commonly known as the “pass laws”, the law that was forcing African Persons to carry their identification documents at all times.

They stood outside the building silently for 30 minutes, most of them carrying their babies on their backs. They sang a protest song, composed in honor and especially for the occasion “Wathint'Abafazi Wathint'imbokodo(Now you have touched the women, you have struck a rock)”, they also left bundles of petitions containing thousands of signatures of the protesters...over the years the very song has come to represent women's courage and strength in South Africa.

Shouts to all the strong, courageous women all over the globe...on this day we'd also love to honor those who made this day possible, Mama Albertina Sisulu, Lillian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Sophia Williams-De Bruyn and all the women who took charge and decided to stand and fight for their rights and that of Africans as a nation.

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