Democracy and freedom? Language and meaning in post-apartheid South Africa – The Mail & Guardian

Democracy and freedom? Language and meaning in post-apartheid South Africa – The Mail & Guardian

In Setswana, democracy is rendered kgololosego, which translates directly to freedom. Similarly, when academic Hlengiwe Ndlovu asked local historians what democracy means in isiXhosa, respondents used the word inkululeko, which also directly translates as freedom. These translations reflect a deeper, more freedom-orientated expectation of democracy. Freedom is the condition to which an agent can think, choose and act without undue external coerc…