Times Of Swaziland: SPIRIT OF INDEPENDENCE DAY

SPIRIT OF INDEPENDENCE DAY
================================================================================
Editor on 05/09/2024 08:17:00


Sir,
Tomorrow is a very important day for Eswatini. It is Independence Day, the day
to celebrate our freedom as a country. It marks the day when, as a nation, we
were declared independent from our colonisers. As a democratic country, we
celebrate these very ideals of democracy - liberty and the pursuit of happiness,
and it particularly means more for anyone who finds faith in the words ‘all
men are created equal’.
Celebrating
But the spirit of Independence Day is not only about the Kingdom of Eswatini
officially becoming a country. It’s about celebrating the values that the
country was founded upon. The Constitution states that every person has rights,
whether young or old, male or female, and this day signifies the celebration of
those rights. As exciting as it is to celebrate the freedom of the country, it
is not so thrilling to celebrate the current state of this country as a woman. A
lot has been/is being done, in contribution, towards development, and some
highly respected public figures have done a lot for this country, and for women.
But we are nowhere near where we should be in terms of equality. Women still
hold second class status in society.
Then one might wonder; who is really celebrating Independence Day in this
country? Is it the society, and who is the ‘society’ in this case? Frankly,
as women, we find less and less to celebrate about Independence Day. We are
still not free to choose what to wear, as we are harassed and abused when we
dress the way we want. Oppression, demeaning acts and cruelty against women is
the order of the day, but then there’s a day put aside to celebrate
independence? Who is really meant to celebrate this day?
Thankful
We are really thankful for all forms of freedom; however, freedom of choice is
what should really be celebrated in a broader sense, than just the
constitutional right for women to choose, as it relates to bearing children. 
Overall, our ability to make choices for what we want and what’s best for our
lives is a freedom every human being of sound mind should be afforded. The
foundation and sole purpose of this day should be to fight against all forms of
oppression and sexist norms, so that  both women and men can be equal and can be
who they are without fear of persecution. This should be the basis of our
country’s Constitution!
This day should really be about encouraging society to regard equality as a
virtue, as the best of who we are as humanity, rather than a day to skip work
and come together to celebrate the freedom of ‘some’ people. On this day,
the women of this country owe it to themselves, and to their country, to make
the contribution they were born to make. The world deserves to hear from them!
Some may say Independence Day has lost its meaning, but that is not true – the
meaning attached to it has simply aged. As much as we celebrate liberation from
colonialism, we should also celebrate respect, appreciation and love towards
each other as a nation, and similary ceclebrater the country’s economic,
political and social achievements. When everything in this world advances and
changes, why shouldn’t the meaning of Independence Day?