At Last, Hope For The Children
Correspondent | Monday June 6, 2016 15:39
They took it to the streets, activists from all corners of the country joined the ear-piercing cry of the innocent, gao tsholetswe mo lekeishaneng o tla itse gore street fight go tewa eng (if you are born in the township, you will know what is meant by street fight) and the street never loses.
Contemplating on the march I remembered the Biblical fight between a small boy David and a muscular warrior Goliath.
The #IshallNotForget movement is David and Goliath is all perpetrators and all forms of child abuse.
When David stood before Goliath, he said you come to me with a sword, spear and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord.
Today I shall cut your head and give your carcass to the birds of the air.
The movement came up with just simple words #IShallNotForget, and that made every Motswana to turn, look and pin their ears back to what is being said more over to the cry of the innocent and blameless souls.
This simple tagline made giants to freeze, shake and get in to a panic mode. All perpetrators known and unknown got shaken to the core of their beings because they knew ‘I’m next in line’, ‘they are talking about me’.
As for the victims/survivors rays of hope shone in their dark hidden souls and emotions.
Healing and restoration started to take place.
The voiceless leaped with joy from within because now the fight is taken to the streets and the street never lose.
The #IShallNotForget march will be documented in the chronicles of Botswana to say in the 50th year of Botswana, the voiceless were liberated and for once after many years their voice was heard. As the streets started to rumble, those who for long turned a blind eye to signs of child abuse and turned a deaf ear to the cry of the victims started to pause and rethink.
They also began to watch in awe of how radical Batswana can be when it comes to the protection of their children.
Batswana are known to be sweet konyanas (lambs), but after the march, it shall be known godidimala ga go ree go dumalana (silence does not mean agreement).
At last children can be confident in the knowledge that there are those who care and want this country to be violence free, and the homes too to be a place of nurturing and care for these innocent souls not habitation of abuse.
The march will be a remembrace in the hearts of many.
The silence is broken there is hope at the end of it all.
Maipelo Tshepang Mangwane