A thousand drums for Palestine: in South Africa, support for Gaza continues unabated
This was the event organized on Thursday March 21 in Johannesburg to continue to raise awareness about the massacre of civilians in Gaza and call for a ceasefire.
Demonstration of 1000 drums for Palestine at Constitution Hill, Johannesburg, for South African Human Rights Day, March 21, 2024. © Romain Chanson / RFI
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With our correspondent in Johannesburg,
Romain Chanson
Making noise so they could hear us was one of the mottos of this musical event. There were a thousand djembes and even more, distributed to amateur musicians who wanted to convey a message in unison. Organizers used the occasion of South African Human Rights Day to express their support for the Palestinian people. This cause is dear to the hearts of South Africans who compare Israel to an apartheid regime from which they suffered until 1994.
Make noise to “
wake up the world
”
“
I have rhythm in my skin and I just want to express it and make noise by playing the drum, having fun while sending a message
,” says one woman. “
Drumming is making noise to wake you up, to wake up the world, so that they can hear us. Because we talk, we talk, we talk, but we cannot make ourselves heard under the sound of the bombs
,” declared a man from the podium.
This new type of demonstration, very different from a parade organized by a political party, appeals to these two sisters aged 16 and 23: “
It was my first demonstration and I really wanted to be with people who share my ideas and see this beautiful moment where South Africa contributes to finding a solution
", "
it can attract more people and that is what matters for us to be numerous to make ourselves heard.
»
South Africa also continues to make noise
On the diplomacy side, South Africa also continues to make noise. Traveling to Washington, the Minister of Foreign Affairs was outraged that the measures imposed on
Israel
by the International Court of Justice to prevent genocide had been ignored.
Read alsoGaza: facing South Africa, Israel counterattacks before the ICJ
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