27 April 1994: South Africans vote in the nation’s first free and democratic general election.
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Freedom Day needs to be used by South Africans to renew their commitment to correcting their country’s faults.
Students chanting slogans during a protest in Johannesburg in 2021.
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South Africans are increasingly dissatisfied with democracy because of its failure to address inequality.
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Experts in viral immunology, ethics and computational biology share their thoughts on England sloughing off the last of the COVID restrictions.
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The “Freedom Day” rhetoric around the end of COVID-19 restrictions can be best understood through the lens of propaganda.
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A philosopher of public health ponders whether taking your mask off on July 19 is like punching someone in the face or like riding a bike.
Protesters descended on the seat of government in 2017 to demand former South African president Jacob Zuma resign.
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To build a political culture that supports democracy in South Africa, civic education needs to move beyond voter education.
Skyscraper buildings in the Sandton area stand on the skyline beyond residential housing in the Alexandra township in Johannesburg.
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In the country’s insider politics, the majority who try to survive outside the formal economy are talked about, but are never heard.
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For the first time since the end of apartheid in 1994, citizens have had to accept stringent restrictions on their normal civil liberties.
Many South Africans have yet to see freedom bear fruit.
EPA/Kim Ludbrook
As South Africa marks 25 years of freedom, many citizens have to contend with the harsh reality that they can’t eat democracy.
Freedom day marks the first time all South Africans cast their vote for a democratic government.
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This years’ Freedom Day in South Africa can signify a difference: a renewal and return to the values of the 1994 social contract
The ANC has had an exceptionally poor track record of governance.
EPA/Cornell Tukiri
The removal of Jacob Zuma from power is to be welcomed but, it’s not the answer to South Africa’s problems.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. Quiet, but decisive action.
EPA-EFE/Andy Rain
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s term in office so far, makes it seem that South Africa can hope and dream again. That’s quite a gift for Freedom Day.
A woman holds a placard reading “No to decree, yes to work!” in the town of Bobruisk in Belarus on March 12 2017.
Vasily Fedosenko/Reuters
President Lukashenko’s recent reconciliation with Putin is unlikely to help Belarusian citizens caught up in post-Soviet economic and social turmoil.
A woman cheers during Freedom Day celebrations in South Africa.
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South Africa’s transition to democracy was based on the values of inclusive politics, reconciliation, human rights and constitutionalism. Twenty-two years on, how has the country fared?