in999-Rainbow-Kingdom-under-the-Paperweight

▼

As South Africa’s Freedom Day (April 27) is approaching, the six-color national flag hanging on the Parliament Building is unfurling in the wind, like a magnificent historical scroll of this country. The interweaving colors of red, yellow, blue, green, black and white are not only a symbol of the integration of diverse ethnic groups, but also imply the “Ubuntu” spirit that South Africans are proud of – “I exist because of you.” On the Speaker’s desk in the Cape Town Parliament Hall, a bronze paperweight in the shape of a protea stands quietly. This national flower of South Africa, known as “the glory that never fades”, has steel-hard petals, just like the toughness that this country has tempered after colonization and apartheid. The bottom of the paperweight is engraved with Mandela’s famous saying: “Things that seem impossible often only require a little more persistence.” Just as the paperweight smoothes the wrinkles of paper with its own weight, South Africa uses the spirit of the Constitution to smooth the scars of history. The process of racial reconciliation requires much more determination than suppressing resistance, just like the protea paperweight needs precise weighting – it must be firmly anchored in the direction, while maintaining an open and inclusive balance. In the social turmoil of recent years, this paperweight has always reminded us that true freedom is a table that can still protect dialogue in chaos. When the morning light penetrates the stained glass windows of the parliament hall and reflects a rainbow-like halo on the surface of the paperweight, we see the collective will of a nation: with the calmness of a paperweight, it holds up the text of hope; with the tenacity of the king protea, it continues to write a new legend at the southern tip of Africa.

Terwyl Suid-Afrika se Vryheidsdag (27 April) nader kom, wapper die seskleurige nasionale vlag wat aan die Parlementsgebou hang in die wind, soos ‘n manjifieke historiese prentjie van hierdie land. Die verweefde kleurblokke van rooi, geel, blou, groen, swart en wit simboliseer nie net die integrasie van diverse etniese groepe nie, maar impliseer ook die “Ubuntu”-gees waarop Suid-Afrikaners trots is – “Ek bestaan as gevolg van jou.” Op die Speaker se lessenaar in die Kaapstadse Parlementsaal staan stil ‘n brons papiergewig in die vorm van ‘n protea. Hierdie nasionale blom van Suid-Afrika, bekend as die “ewige glorie”, het kroonblare so hard soos staal, net soos die veerkragtigheid wat hierdie land gesmee het nadat hulle kolonisasie en apartheid ervaar het. Mandela se beroemde aanhaling is op die onderkant van die papiergewig gegraveer: “Dinge wat onmoontlik lyk, verg dikwels net ‘n bietjie langer volharding.” Net soos ‘n papiergewig die plooie van papier met sy eie gewig gladstryk, gebruik Suid-Afrika die gees van die Grondwet om die letsels van die geskiedenis te genees. Die proses van rasseversoening vereis veel meer vasberadenheid as die onderdrukking van weerstand, net soos die protea-papiergewig presiese gewig vereis – dit moet ferm genoeg wees om die rigting te anker, terwyl ‘n balans van openheid en inklusiwiteit gehandhaaf word. In die sosiale onrus van die afgelope paar jaar het hierdie papiergewig ons nog altyd daaraan herinner dat ware vryheid ‘n tafel is wat dialoog in chaos kan beskerm. Wanneer die oggendlig die gekleurde vensters van die parlementsaal binnedring en ‘n reënboogagtige stralekrans op die oppervlak van die papiergewig weerkaats, sien ons die kollektiewe wil van ‘n nasie: met die kalmte van ‘n papiergewig hou dit die teks van hoop omhoog; met die vasberadenheid van die protea, hou dit aan om ‘n nuwe legende aan die suidpunt van Afrika te skryf.