Podcast Summary: "Acontece que no es poco | La masacre de Soweto"

Podcast: Todo Concostrina
Host: Nieves Concostrina (with Carla)
Date: June 16, 2022
Episode Theme: The Soweto Massacre – Remembering violence against children and the struggle for their rights during apartheid South Africa.

Overview

This episode, hosted by Nieves Concostrina with Carla, dives into a critical yet often overlooked event in history: La masacre de Soweto (the Soweto Massacre). On June 16, 1976, hundreds of South African children were killed during a peaceful protest against apartheid education policies. The discussion explores the historical context, the brutal reality of apartheid, the hypocrisy of global child rights observances, and why this chapter must never be forgotten.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Hypocrisy and Disunity around El Día del Niño (Children’s Day)

• Nieves launches the episode with an "indignant prologue" about how countries inconsistently celebrate Children’s Day, ignoring the date set by the UN (20th November), which commemorates the Declaration of the Rights of the Child in 1959.[01:25]
• She criticizes the hypocrisy of celebrating children’s rights while simultaneously ignoring or violating them:
  • “Podría leerla, pero poniendo además mucho sentimiento... Mientras llevo en los pies unas magníficas deportivas que han hecho unos niños de Bangladés con sus manitas, o sea que no las voy a leer.” [02:08]

2. The Context and Reality of Apartheid in South Africa

• Carla introduces the magnitude of the topic, highlighting that today's story is about a global treasure: children and their rights. [00:57]
• Nieves details how Soweto was purpose-built by white authorities to segregate black South Africans, describing the daily humiliations and limitations imposed through apartheid:
  • “Soweto es un distrito enorme, gigantesco, de Johannesburgo, uno de los más grandes creado a posta por los blancos para concentrar allí a los negros.” [04:18]

3. The Trigger: Imposition of Afrikaans in Black Schools

• The students were forced to receive half their lessons in Afrikaans, a language foreign and largely inaccessible to black children, effectively narrowing their future prospects.
• Nieves explains why this policy was so crushing:
  • “El afrikans era el idioma del opresor... Nadie hablaba en Soweto la frikans. Nadie. ¿Para qué quieres que estudie Nafrikans? Pues para que esos estudios no me sirvan fuera.” [08:11]
• Imposing Afrikaans further marginalized black students and blocked them from upward mobility even if they excelled academically.

4. The Peaceful Demonstration and Brutal Response

• On June 16, 1976, approximately 15,000 students and teachers marched peacefully in Soweto, defending their right to study in English and their native languages.
• Nieves recounts:
  • “La mani de aquel miércoles... era tranquila, con los gritos propios de una mani, pero sin violencia. El lema era 'Abajo el afrikans'. Y otro muy gracioso que decía 'Si aprendemos afrikans, que Borsters aprenda Zulú.'” [09:13]
• The protest ended in horror as police released dogs, fired on demonstrators, and killed an estimated 700 students and teachers. The South African government only acknowledged 23 deaths.
  • “La policía ordenó que se disolvieran... Soltaron perros de presa contra los niños. Hubo niños despedazados por los perros. Dispararon indiscriminadamente... Y aquel precio fueron 700 estudiantes muertos.” [10:08]

5. Complicity, White Power, and Historical Memory

• The episode singles out B.J. Vorster, the then-minister and later prime minister, who decreed Mandela’s life sentence and further radicalized apartheid policies:
  • “Este es el que decretó cadena perpetua para Mandela. Por eso tuvo mucho que ver... cuando ya llegó a primer ministro, endureció a lo bestia, las medidas aparte, pero a lo bestia.” [09:58]

6. The Importance of Memory and What We Choose to Remember

• Both speakers reflect on how Spain’s collective memory of South Africa is dominated by the 2010 World Cup:
  • “Es fantástico que a cualquier español de cualquier tipo y condición, le preguntes ‘¿Sudáfrica?’ Y te diga ipsofacto España campeona del mundo en 2010. Perfecto... Pero dime otra cosa de Sudáfrica.” [12:49]
• Nieves urges not to forget tragedies like Soweto amid more palatable memories:
  • “Hay asuntos que no deberían caer tan fácilmente en el olvido. Hay demasiados dramas así.” [12:43]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Nieves Concostrina (on hypocrisy of Children’s Day):
  “Mientras llevo en los pies unas magníficas deportivas que han hecho unos niños de Bangladés con sus manitas, o sea que no las voy a leer.” [02:08]

• Nieves Concostrina (on apartheid’s linguistic oppression):
  “El afrikans era el idioma del opresor... Nadie hablaba en Soweto la frikans. Nadie. ¿Para qué quieres que estudie Nafrikans? Pues para que esos estudios no me sirvan fuera.” [08:11]

• Nieves Concostrina (on the massacre):
  “Soltaron perros de presa contra los niños. Hubo niños despedazados por los perros. Dispararon indiscriminadamente... Y aquel precio fueron 700 estudiantes muertos.” [10:08]

• Nieves Concostrina (on Spain’s memory):
  “Perfecto, bien, Goldinies, muy bien. Pero dime otra cosa de Sudáfrica... Pues que al menos la cuarta cosa sea. Y no olviden lo que pasó en Soweto.” [12:54]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:25] – Critique of Children’s Day hypocrisy and international inconsistency
• [04:15] – Historical context: apartheid, Soweto's creation, and educational segregation
• [05:59] – Afrikaans and systemic oppression
• [09:13] – The protest’s slogans and escalation
• [10:08] – Description of the massacre, official numbers vs. reality
• [12:28] – Reflections on memory and what we choose to remember

Conclusion

The episode stands as a potent reminder of the brutal realities children have faced—and still face—when systems of power deny them basic rights. Nieves Concostrina’s style blends historical rigour with acerbic commentary and vivid storytelling, ensuring that Soweto’s tragedy is not lost to amnesia or overshadowed by more glamorous national memories.

Last word:
"Que al menos la cuarta cosa sea. Y no olviden lo que pasó en Soweto." [12:54]