Al-Qalam 
By Azra Hoosen
The Palestine Solidarity Alliance (PSA) will take to the streets of Lenasia this Heritage month for their 13th annual ‘Palestine Walk for Freedom’ to raise awareness on the plight of over five-million Palestinians living under Zionist Occupation.
The PSA has invited individuals and organisations to participate in the ‘Palestine Walk for Freedom’, set to take place early on Sunday morning, September 25th. The 7.5km walk will commence at Rose Avenue Park in Lenasia.
The aim of the project is to facilitate community engagement, conscientise people and encourage dialogue on the Palestinian cause. After the walk, the PSA has lined up several local and international guests to address the crowd about the current situation in Palestine. The speakers will also address the participants on injustices affecting Muslims in other parts of the world.
Chairperson of the Wits Palestine Solidarity Committee (PSC), Humairaa Mayet, said: “The people of Palestine are forced to live in what is called, ‘the world’s largest open-air prison’ and this horrific situation is all too familiar to South Africans and people from formerly colonised countries.”
“Whilst, many countries are victorious in their struggles for self-determination and national liberation, Palestinians are not yet there. So, to fight to ‘Free Palestine’ is a continuation of the fight that our parents and grandparents conducted against apartheid and colonialism. It is a fight we continue today for the Government to remain true to their ideals that we imagined when we were fighting for democracy in SA. One can only hope that democracy and liberation are in the future for Palestine,” she added.
Activism
Phemelo Motsoekae, from the Socialist Youth Movement (SYM) emphasised the need for the youth to get involved in social causes, adding that their energy and activism is what is needed in society. “This is more than just activism; this is a cause for a free world. We do not want to do this forever but we cannot afford not to fight this sick system that is desensitising us against oppression and brutality that has caused people to lose their sense of empathy towards each other,” Motsoekae said.
Motsoekae’s pleads not just to the youth but to everyone “to refrain from becoming apathetic and engage with other activists and get involved in causes, big or small, that matter to you,” she added.
Noor Ahmad, Coordinator for the PSA, said “when people think of the youth, they think of university students but it is actually young school-going kids who are the drivers of change and we saw this recently when the Pretoria girls protested against the racist rules around black girls and their hair. It is about young people realising that the way things are going is not working, it is not right and they choose to take an active stand – and that is the kind of energy we need to see.”
Campaigns such as the Palestine Walk for Freedom, creates a safe space for the youth to get involved in community-building work. “People need to make an active effort to engage with community-based organisations, solidarity-based organisations and Human Rights organisations,” said Ahmad.
