The June 16 Student Uprising Memorial at Avalon Cemetery in Soweto.

These photographs were taken on 17 December 2010 at Avalon Cemetery in Soweto.
I do not recall 16 June 1976 as well as I should and had no idea of the politics that were happening around me. I do remember that it was a scarey and very violent priod in our history, and that many people lost their lives in what was the start of the beginning of the end for the Apartheid Government. The images of Hector Pieterson being carried by Mbuyisa Makhubo, a fellow student, while his sister ran beside them is the iconic photograph from that fateful day in 1976 and it is etched into the psyche of South Africa.
It is not my place to tell that story, I only photograph the memorials and the graves. Yet, I cannot help but wonder what this spot where I was standing was like on those fateful and bloody days so many years ago. A good explanation of the events of that fateful day may be found at South Africa.info
The entrance to Avalon cemetery can be found at the Google Earth co-ordinates 26°17'18.29"S , 27°52'25.85"E or download the KMZ file
This memorial is just inside the left hand gate opposite the office.
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The Poem "Young People" by Mzwakhe Mbuli (aka "the People's Poet") is inscribed on this memorial