The labels ‘born-free’ and ‘rainbow nation’ were meant to liberate a generation. In this essay, Lovelyn argues they did the opposite - papering over the structured inequalities young South Africans still live with, and quietly denying them the chance to name themselves.
This essay however moves beyond critique. Drawing on memory as both a personal act and a political one, Lovelyn makes the case that identity is a story, and that reclaiming it requires going back to find the pieces history scattered. Including, as it turns out, a childhood game that was always functional algebra - they just never called it that.
This essay was written in April 2020 and published in the 2021 Issue No 3 of the Human Factor, a resource from the DG Murray Trust exploring questions of youth, identity formation and the process of South Africa’s becoming.
The full article can be read here.
