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Every April, the flag of South Africa’s Freedom Day unfurls in the spring breeze, and the six-color interwoven Y-shaped pattern is like the dawn, witnessing the country’s journey from division to coexistence. On the desks of many South Africans, there is always a glass paperweight in the shape of a protea, with petals stacked like burning flames, but the base is as quiet as the abyss – this contradictory aesthetic is exactly the spiritual footnote of this country. The protea is known as the “glory that never fades”. It blooms in barren rock crevices and fights drought and wildfires with its thorny stems. South Africans cast it into a paperweight not only because it symbolizes national resilience, but also because the paperweight itself is a metaphor for the wisdom of “anchoring hope in turmoil.” Just as fingers of different skin colors smoothed the folds of the flag corners when the new national flag was raised in 1994, South Africans today are also using the power of a paperweight to press the pain of history into soil that nourishes new life. When the sunlight of Freedom Day penetrates the glass paperweight, the six-color national flag casts colorful light and shadows on the ground. The colors that were once divided by racial segregation now blend into a complete rainbow in the light and shadow. The mission of a paperweight is never to imprison, but to give the fluttering pages a chance to write a more leisurely chapter – just like this country, which, based on heavy reflection, holds up the ever-lasting king protea.

Elke April ontvou die Suid-Afrikaanse Vryheidsdagvlag in die lentebries, en die seskleurige verweefde Y-vormige patroon is soos die dagbreek, wat die land se reis van verdeeldheid na simbiose aanskou. Op die lessenaars van baie Suid-Afrikaners is daar altyd ‘n glaspapiergewig in die vorm van ‘n protea. Die kroonblare is gelaag soos brandende vlamme, maar die basis is so stil soos die afgrond – hierdie teenstrydige estetika is presies die spirituele voetnoot van hierdie land. Bekend as die “ewige glorie”, blom die koningprotea in dorre rotsskeure en gebruik sy doringagtige stingels om droogte en veldbrande te weerstaan. Suid-Afrikaners gooi dit in ‘n papiergewig nie net omdat dit nasionale veerkragtigheid simboliseer nie, maar ook omdat die papiergewig self ‘n metafoor is vir die wysheid van “hoop in onrus veranker”. Net soos vingers van verskillende velkleure saamgewerk het om die plooie in die hoeke van die nuwe nasionale vlag glad te stryk toe dit in 1994 gehys is, gebruik Suid-Afrikaners vandag hul papiergewig-agtige krag om die pyn van die geskiedenis in grond te druk wat nuwe lewe voed. Wanneer die sonlig van Vryheidsdag die glaspapiergewig binnedring, werp die seskleurige nasionale vlag kleurvolle lig en skaduwees op die grond. Die kleure wat eens deur rasse-segregasie verdeel is, meng nou in ‘n volledige reënboog in lig en skaduwee. Die missie van ‘n papiergewig is nooit om te beperk nie, maar om die fladderende bladsye ‘n kans te gee om ‘n meer ontspanne hoofstuk te skryf – net soos hierdie land, wat, gebaseer op swaar besinning, die ewigdurende keiserlike blom omhoog hou.