Introduction: The Soweto uprising was a series of demonstrations and protests led by black school children in South Africa that began on the morning of June 16th 1976 in Soweto, a poor township close to the city of Johannesburg. Students from numerous schools began to protest in the streets of Soweto in response to the introduction of Afrikaans as the language of teaching in local schools. It is estimated that 20,000 students took part in the protests. They were met with fierce police brutality and many were shot and killed. June 16 has later become a national holiday in South Africa called Youth Day. In this speech, Mandela addresses several issues that the South African youth was struggling with in the early pre-apartheid years, including AIDS, homelessness, children in prison and conflicts between the police and civilians. In this excerpt focus is mainly on challenges in the educational system. […] When the tragic events of 16 June 1976 erupted in Soweto, the question posed itself to the whole of South Africa: "So whereto now? In the sacrifices that were borne by Hector Peterson and many other young people, there seemed to lie an answer. That the destiny of the youth was the grave and the hangman's noose, detention and long terms of imprisonment, exile and banishment . That is what those who arrogated to themselves the status of slave-master sought to achieve. In the false comfort of their ill-gotten power, they convinced themselves that the answer to South Africa's problems was to murder, to maim and to persecute . But they had typically closed their eyes to the historical truth that it is a God-given right that the slave should revolt . To the question, "So whereto now?", the answer of the youth and people of South Africa was: to battle, to struggle, to more bravery. Today, we mark the 18th anniversary of June 16th as a free people, proud and full of joy for taking the resistance of that generation and others before and after it to its final conclusion. Yet we mark this day also with a feeling of sadness: that the thousands who deserve to be here with us today are no more. We salute them all. We commemorate this day, not with the song of defiance on our lips. This is no longer a day of protest by an excluded majority. We have elected a government of our choice, at the head of which is the African National Congress.

Indledning: Soweto -oprøret var en række demonstrationer og protester ledet af sorte skolebørn i Sydafrika, der begyndte om morgenen den 16. juni 1976 i Soweto, en fattig by tæt på byen Johannesburg. Elever fra talrige skoler begyndte at protestere på gaderne i Soweto som reaktion på indførelsen af ​​afrikaans som sprog for undervisning i lokale skoler. Det anslås, at 20.000 studerende deltog i protesterne. De blev mødt med voldsom politibrutalitet, og mange blev skudt og dræbt. 16. juni er senere blevet en national helligdag i Sydafrika kaldet Youth Day. I denne tale behandler Mandela flere spørgsmål, som den sydafrikanske ungdom kæmpede med i de tidlige præ-apartheidår, herunder aids, hjemløshed, børn i fængsel og konflikter mellem politi og civile. I dette uddrag fokuseres hovedsageligt på udfordringer i uddannelsessystemet. […] Da de tragiske begivenheder den 16. juni 1976 brød ud i Soweto, stillede spørgsmålet sig for hele Sydafrika: "Så hvad nu? I de ofre, der blev båret af Hector Peterson og mange andre unge mennesker, syntes der at ligge et svar. At ungdommens skæbne var graven og bøjlens løkke, tilbageholdelse og lange fængselsstraf, eksil og forvisning.Det var det, de, der anmodede til sig selv om slavemesterstatus, ville opnå.I den falske trøst ved deres dårligt opnåede magt overbeviste de sig selv om, at svaret på Sydafrikas problemer var at myrde, lemlæstelse og forfølgelse. Men de havde typisk lukket øjnene for den historiske sandhed om, at det er en gudgivet ret, at slaven skulle gøre oprør. På spørgsmålet, "Så hvad nu?", Svarede ungdommen og befolkningen i Sydafrika: at kæmpe, kæmpe, til mere tapperhed. I dag markerer vi 18 -årsdagen for den 16. juni som et frit folk, stolt og fuld af glæde over at have taget den generations og andres modstand før og efter den til sin endelige konklusion. Alligevel markerer vi denne dag også med en følelse af sorg: at de tusinder, der fortjener at være her hos os i dag, ikke er mere. Vi hilser dem alle. Vi mindes denne dag, ikke med trodsens sang på læberne. Dette er ikke længere en protestdag med et udelukket flertal. Vi har valgt en regering efter eget valg, i spidsen for den afrikanske nationale kongres.