What can you do for Marikana Day

What can you do to help South Africa remember Marikana? We have put together a list of events and actions you can do on the 16th of August to help commemorate the 4th anniversary of the Marikana Massacre.

Candlelight vigil:

Bring your community together, light 44 candles and read out the names of those who lost their lives. Talk to your community about issues around a living wage and police brutality.

Documentary screening:

There are a number of powerful documentaries about Marikana that ensures the voices of those most affected are heard. Hold a screening of Marikana documentaries in your home, community centre or place of worship. Contact hola@amandla.mobi and we can try send copies of the documentary to you.

• Miners Shot Down: The documentary is also online here and you can download a resource pack here to facilitate a discussion after the documentary.
• Imbokodo is a powerful documentary by SERI, you can watch it here. Also for more information on the miners, click here
• Media for Justice has a series of videos about how mining affects women, and broader issues facing mining communities. Click here to see videos.

Public commemoration or memorial:

Organise a public commemoration, with 44 white crosses and green blankets to show Lonmin and the police we will not forget Marikana. Don’t forget to invite the media and promote the event far and wide.

Rename streets in your area/ city:

To honour those who were killed at the Marikana Massacre (names, pictures and stories available here http://www.seri-sa.org/images/Deceased_Miners_Marikana_Nov14.pdf

Picket or march to police stations:

Draw attention to the issue of police brutality in your community. Here is a list of people killed by police and security during protests. You could also screen a Marikana documentary on to the side of a police station, but don’t put your life in danger doing this.

Hold a solidarity sermon in your church or place of worship

It’s an opportunity for those in your faith community to show solidarity with the widows, family members and surviving miners of the Marikana Massacre.

Public art

For some inspiration check out Tokolos stencil http://tokolosstencils.tumblr.com/stencils or this mural

Flashmob in a public place

Get a group of people together and in a crowded place such as a train station, taxi ranks etc, draw attention. Don’t forget to engage the crowd after your flashmob.

Create a graveyard of 44 white painted crosses in a public place.

You can put miners’ helmets or names on the crosses to clarify the connection

Hang banners over highways depicting commemorative messages:

#RememberMarikana, We are all Marikana etc.

Make Green felt badges – that can be handed out/sold: “Remember Marikana”
Other events that have been organised in the past include: Rap battles, art exhibitions etc.