It’s a world first. It’s possible that the idea is quite mad. But we’ve done impossible things before, and if any country can achieve something remarkable, it’s us. This February, it’s our constitution’s 15th birthday, and we thought we should celebrate a little differently.
The challenge is this: can we get a million South Africans to tell the world why they love our constitution?
On the face of it, it’s a tough one. Say “constitution” and most people switch off. Many of us have only a vague idea of what’s actually written in there. We forget that the constitution is the bedrock of our democracy, the document that defines who we are as South Africans. It is widely considered to be the most advanced constitution of any country in the world, and it’s something we should be proud of.
This is why We The People was born. An initiative of Media Monitoring Africa, We The People is focused on a single objective: educating South Africans about the constitution, in ways that ordinary people can relate to. We know that the ideals enshrined in our constitution are not always reflected in the reality of people’s lives. But getting to understand what our rights are is the first step towards standing up for them.
We don’t often celebrate something as a nation unless one of our sports teams is playing. This is a chance to remind the world of what makes us unique, and an opportunity to relive some of the spirit of 2010.
So from today, February 10 up until February 29, we’re asking South Africans of all ages to make one simple statement telling the world why they love our constitution. There are 5 ways to do this:
• Via SMS 078 949 3735 (FREE SMS’s apply)
• On MXit > TradePost > We The People
• At www.wethepeople.org.za
• On the Facebook page: www.facebook.com/WeThePeopleZA
• On Twitter: @wethepeople_za
To find out why our constitution is worth loving, and to have your questions answered, go to www.wethepeople.org.za
For more information please contact:
William Bird, Director, MMA – Tel: +27 82 887 1370 or williamb@mma.org.za
Or Sarah Britten, Digital Media Strategist – Tel: +27 71 8905510 or e: sarahbritten@gmail.com
Or Thandi Smith, Policy Researcher, MMA – Tel: +27 73 470 7306of e: thandis@mma.org.za
