Twenty years ago only a hand full of people would have expected the world would be as connected as it is today. 13 years old ago Twitter was founded by Jack Dorsey, Noah Glass, Biz Stone and Evan Williams. A far cry from what it looked during the Blackberry era, Twitter’s layout and the whole feel of using the app developed with the years. It has not only become a social networking device but an online news platform as well. It has become a platform for many people to air what has been inside their head out into the world. However, the world was never ready for this exact thing. However, this has come with its negatives.

Twitter during the Blackberry era.

The concept of a hometown has eluded me throughout my life. As defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary a hometown is a city or town where one was born or grew up also the place of one’s principal. Growing up in a working-class home in the Eastern Cape placed me into many different situations. The shortlist for the areas I found myself in are East London, King William’s Town, Zwelitsha, Bhisho, Berlin and Phakamisa. The majority being in the former Ciskei homeland and Cape Province. I was born and schooled for the majority of my life in East London. Most of my time was spent in the Selborne suburb of the Slummies. However, my hometown would probably be a forty-five-minute drive away in Zwelitsha.

Hlaudi Motsoeneng’s controversial SABC 90% local music quota may have come to an end, however, I am beginning to understand his thought process now. Growing up in the newly democratic South Africa meant a lot of things. The arts and music scene were developing and the phrase “local is lekker” was the campaign for the next few years. The music on radio and television sounded authentically South African. Music genres like Kwaito and Afropop dominated the sounds of the streets. Artists like TKZee, Danny K, Mandoza, Brenda Fassie, Hugh Masekela, Johnny Clegg and the members of Kalawa Jazmee Records filled the airwaves. The music formed part of our identity. I never looked at American content because I didn’t relate. However, things would change in the mid-2000s. I would become ostracized for listening to local music and soon the content providers would mainly play American content until we assimilated. The next generation lost their South African art identity.

The political atmosphere in South Africa has been in decline amongst the youth in recent years. South Africa entered its sixth national and provincial democratic elections this year. The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) recorded the highest number of registered voters since democracy. However, what the IEC forgot to mention is how the youth registration rate has dropped by 47% in the 18 and 19 age group. It is also down in the twenty to twenty-nine age group. With the fast rate our youth population is growing, this does not look good for the future of South Africa. Since the IEC launched a youth communication campaign, called X’se targeting the youth of South Africa, it can be stated they have failed at attracting the youth into the political side of our country.

Twenty-two years ago, Papa Wemba and Youssou N’Dour made the music world bend the knee when they dropped their joint album So Why? The concept of the album was to unify Africa after the massive tribal genocide throughout Africa. The song I couldn’t get out my mind from this album is the title track, ‘So Why?’. The song features Jabu Khanyile, Lagbaja and Lourdes Van-Dunem. What grabbed my attention to this song was their live performance on SABC2 at Sun City, South Africa.

The sunset as an ordinary day comes to an end. Around 8 pm on a Tuesday evening, several students head up and down the hills of Makhanda (formerly known as Grahamstown) to reach their destinations. People arrive outside St Andrew’s Lowlander with tickets in hand ready for an unforgettable night. Beneath the prevailing smell of burning tobacco, conversations begin between familiar-looking students. The energy levels are high in anticipation as the cool nineteen-degree weather sets the mood. There is something different in the air tonight in Makhanda. The 12 Views Tour by Beatenberg with The World of Birds has arrived in town. The doors open as the soothing sounds of jazz music echo outside.

Music contributes a large part to humanity at large. It has a way of disconnecting one from life for even a moment. It brings together people from different backgrounds all for a common love, whether it be the artist or a song. Everyone interoperates music in a different way. Music is completely subjective and special to each individual. Music has a different meaning for different people. I sat down with a few students for their opinion on music and identity.

I am a South African with a passion for my country. Raised by a family who believed in Christianity and democracy – this perhaps makes me see everyone as equal. The term “Rainbow nation” was a constant fixture throughout my upbringing. In recent years the term has lost the flavour it used to carry. I write to unite a dividing South Africa. I write for a new South African identity.