UnFreedom Day is an unofficial annual event that is marked every year on or around 27 April. UnFreedom Day is organised to counter the official South African holiday called Freedom Day, an annual celebration of South Africa's first democratic elections in 1994. UnFreedom Day was started by

Abahlali baseMjondolo Abahlali baseMjondolo (AbM, , in English: "the residents of the shacks") is a socialist shack dwellers' movement in South Africa which organises land occupations, builds communes

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

in 2006. It has become a day of education in which films, discussions, speeches and performances play a major role along with marches and rallies, attracting thousands of participants.The point of the day is to contest the claim that the poor are free in South Africa ave attracted crowds of thousands. The day is now marked in different parts of the country and by various organisations. In 2023 Abahlali held UnFreedom events in the KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and

Gauteng Gauteng ( ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. The name in Sotho-Tswana languages means 'place of gold'. Situated on the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province by land area in South Africa. Although Gauteng accounts for only ...

provinces.'Unfreedom Day' marches planned to highlight plight of shack dwellers
MAHLOHONOLO MAGADLA, ''The Sowetan'', 25 April 2023-

Attempt to band UnFreedom Day

In 2009 the South African police initially tried to ban the UnFreedom Day event held by Abahlali baseMjondolo, together with the Anti-Eviction Campaign, the

Landless People's Movement The Landless People's Movement was an independent social movement in South Africa. It consisted of rural people and people living in shack settlements in cities. The Landless People's Movement boycotted parliamentary elections and had a histor ...

, the Rural Network and the eMacambini Anti-Removal Committee (all of these movements supported the

No Land! No House! No Vote! No Land! No House! No Vote! is the name of a campaign by a number of poor people's movements in South Africa that calls for the boycotting of the vote and a general rejection of party politics and vote banking. The name is meant to imply that i ...

campaign) in the Kennedy Road settlement in

. However the police ban was seen off, those who had been arrested were released and the event went ahead with a police helicopter circling low above the assembly.UnFreedom Day 2009
/ref> A number of popular musical groups performed at the event including the

Dlamini King Brothers The Dlamini King Brothers are an isicathamiya choir from the Kennedy Road shack settlement in Durban, South Africa.

References

{{Political history of South Africa

External links

Dear Mandela: A film about unfreedom
by Jared Sacks, ''Mail & Guardian'', 2012
ENCA Television news report on UnFreedom Day
2013 April observances Society of South Africa Unofficial observances Politics of South Africa Housing in South Africa Housing protests