National Women's Day

On the 9^th of August it’s national women’s day here in South Africa. It became an annual public holiday in 1994 (after the Apartheid regime disappeared). It became a date to remember on the 9^th of August 1956. On that day 20 000 women marched to protest against one of the many laws that were carried out during the Apartheid regime; the pass laws. It commanded black, colored or Asian people to carry passbooks or “dom pas” in Afrikaans meaning “dumb pass”. They were forcibly moved to certain areas commonly known as the black’s homelands. If they moved outsides these areas they had to carry this pass as a documented proof that they were allowed to move in the “white South Africa”. The women marched to protest against this and collected more than 100 000 signatures.

They had made a song especially for this occasion, and pay attention, it is beautiful: Wathint'Abafazi Wathint'imbokodo! Now you have touched the women, you have struck a rock.

Saturday South Africa beat Australia 29 to 17 in rugby. The match was played out in a stadium approx. two kilometers from where I live. It was a big deal. Great deal of passion, screaming, painted faces, flags and beers. With other words: just like any other match played anywhere in the world. In order to get away from it all, Ruth and I went shopping. I found a dress that reminded me of my own way of expressing women power: the Betties. And I also walked by a very funny sign in Wimpy, one of the many Fast Food chains down here. The last picture is a statue of Virgin Mary by the pool in our garden and my lonely umbrella.

To women power!