Opening Remarks

Welcome to Democracy & Delusion
I see you Bosco
Sithembiso Twala on the keys ladies and gentlemen
Give him a round of applause
A reading from the introductory chapter of the Democracy & Delusion book

Two decades of rainbow mythology have soothed South Africa into a state of soothed complacency. We were sold a lie, that the vote would resolve our country's fundamental problems
If only we had the patience to wait. Somehow over the last two decades we've replaced a vision for dramatic social change with one soaked in the "tranquilizing drug of gradualism". Today South African are confronted with an ironic problem, appreciating the scale of our problems. What follows argues we require painstaking reappraisal of the first two decades of the so called freedom in South Africa. A hard look at the image thrown back at us. To move forward, we must have the courage to scrutinize our situation [?]. We must break free from the comforting confidence of orthodoxy. Only then can we begin a long and difficult struggle for a deeper freedom that lies ahead. Though what follows is designed to be provocative, I hope you'll suspend outrage long enough to give it a fair hearing