Intellectuals Under Fire‪.‬

The nation is awash in 'ten years of democracy' celebrations and, perhaps predictably in an election year, the ruling party has ensured that the enormous accomplishments of 'the rainbow people of God' cover all fronts and are attributed to this act of covering that conceals the disturbing ferment percolating wildly just below the thin surface membrane of our young democracy. I speak of the unprecedented attacks on intellectuals, the widespread self-censorship among the black elite, the quiet but effective ways of silencing dissent- and the uncritical reflections on what this might mean for the future of our young democracy. I do not come at this debate from the position of the cynic--in its politely liberal or aggressive racist tones. Indeed, to dismiss the enormous strides taken since the early 1990s in building this young democracy as fictitious rainbowism is unfair and misleading. Much has been attained. On the other hand, to celebrate mindlessly the achievements of the state is to render this young democracy acutely vulnerable to the very stresses and strains that destroyed some of the most promising democratic movements on the continent. I enter this debate via personal stories of my own experiences in the past ten years as an independent critic loyal to the democratic project for which so many paid the ultimate sacrifice.