This is personal. It’s a reflection of growing up in apartheid South Africa where society was segregated by skin colour and freedom of association and peaceful assembly was forbidden.
The history of that abhorrent & inhumane time has been well documented since the changes that took place. Under the then President FW de Klerk, in 1990–91 social legislation that provided the legal basis for apartheid was repealed. Even though pigmentation of the mind was entrenched – the rocky road of transformation started to take shape.
What it felt & looked like
Growing up in a home where ‘we are all equal in the sight of God’ was taught and lived, the entire system was an assault & afront to that very basic precept. Removing the freedom to associate, touched every aspect of life from education, transport, religious gatherings, access to legal systems, where one lived, who one played with, separate outdoor spaces, the types of work one had access to, shops you could go to and where and with whom you could eat.
In reality, it meant one had little or no exposure to anyone who was not like you. The system denigrated people, crushed dreams, demonised hope, stripped dignity and destroyed any semblance of equity or equality. It robbed us of hearing other points of view, experiencing the wealth of cultures making up the mix of society and denied many the chance to flourish as human beings.
Fear is also a word that comes to mind. At one end there was calculated & violent suppression of vast swathes of society. The other end was the constant drip feed of ‘them & us’ and hearing or seeing those who fought back or spoke up silenced, disappeared or locked away. Once the transformation started taking place, people started to talking about activities they’d been involved in, who they’d worked with or how they’d supported networks of people trying to leave South Africa. My own father was one of them.
I was recently reminded about indoctrination camps ‘white’ schools had to send their fifteen year olds to. It was years later that I learned about the brainwashing intent of these camps & the efforts of our Headmistress (and others) to forbid others attending & end the practice all together. For many of us though attending my particular camp, it was the first foray into out right rebellion against authority. We collectively, in fairly childish ways, challenged every instruction, refused to speak Afrikaans & ran interference during all activities. While insignificant in the greater things of South African history, there was evidently something in our collective DNA that resisted the notion of separateness & inequality.
It has a domino effect
At the heart of it and why it matters is that the absence of freedom of association takes away the individual freedom to organise, to form and participate in groups, either formally or informally. It stifles free speech, the right to express oneself and peaceful assembly.
In the microcosm of a workplace, the absence of freedom of association is pronounced and ultimately stifles the workforce ability to express themselves. Whether in an individual or collective capacity, removing this basic right curtails workers’ participation in work related activities and silences those who we need to hear from most.