Sierra Leoneans are split over this year’s celebration of African Child’s Day on June 16, with growing tension online and offline fueled by recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
EyeWitnessNews monitoring shows the debate intensifying after reports that some groups in South Africa have issued ultimatums for non-South Africans to leave the country by the end of June or “suffer the consequences.” The threats have triggered alarm across the continent.
Ghana and Nigeria have already moved to evacuate some of their citizens from South Africa, citing safety concerns. That action has reignited painful memories of past xenophobic violence and deepened divisions over whether June 16 should be marked with celebration or silence.
EyeWitnessNews tracked the conversation on social media and found many Africans rejecting this year’s festivities. A common sentiment: South Africa has forgotten how the rest of Africa stood with it during the apartheid era.
“June 16 was about African children fighting for freedom and education. How do we celebrate that while African children are being threatened today?” one user wrote on X. Others argued the day should still be used to educate young people about unity and Pan-Africanism, despite the current crisis.
The division has reached classrooms in Sierra Leone. EyeWitnessNews is in possession of official public notices from several schools in Freetown canceling planned June 16 African Child’s Day activities.
In the notices, school authorities informed parents that the day will be observed as a normal school day. Events, parades, and programs that usually mark the occasion have been suspended.
June 16 commemorates the 1976 Soweto Uprising, when South African students protested for their right to education. The day was later declared African Child’s Day by the African Union to honor children’s rights across the continent.
As the continent reflects, Sierra Leoneans remain divided — some calling for reflection over revelry, others insisting the spirit of June 16 matters more than ever.
