The Youth League leader of the African National Congress (ANC) of South Africa, Julius Malema, has been ordered to "refrain from using inflammatory language" about Eugene Terre'blanche, a white supremacist leader who was killed recently. This action arose as a response to Malema's singing of "Ayesama Amagwala," a song prevalent during the apartheid-era. In this song contain the lyrics "shoot the Boer" whose singing served to justify the reprimand of Malema. What I found interesting, however, was the fact that the ANC did see justification in singing the song. The article described the ANC as wanting Malema to "soften his tone." According to this article, the basis for the song's defense lay in the song's role as a part of South Africa's cultural heritage--it recounts the country's legacy of resistance against oppression. The ANC's support of the song and its lyrics became apparent when it challenged a ruling from the high court in Pretoria that barred the singing of the song.

The interplay between language, especially specific words, and culture seems to manifest itself in this particular case. Although the song's lyrics are seen as potentially "instigating violence, discord, and/or hatred between black and white people," there is still motivation to preserve and commemorate its legacy. On the one hand, the song's lyrics explicitly advocates for violence against a certain group, but on the other hand, the lyrics are not meant to be taken out of context. The lyrics show how simple words or phrases can hold considerable power. Especially when considered within the context of a country's culture and history, words take on meanings beyond that of their literal definitions.

However, to what extent can culture justify or compensate for phrases likely to incite hatred or violence? I feel that if the ANC wants to advocate for the song it must be careful in how the song is portrayed. Although many may be familiar with the country's struggle with apartheid, it seems there are also many who do not think beyond what they hear. After hearing the words "shoot the Boer," many may take this to heart and embody this sentiment in their thoughts and actions. Thus, if the ANC wants to maintain the song as a symbol for South Africa's history, it must be explicit in its intentions. Words have different effects on different people and, in order to ensure that the intended effect is achieved, the people must know the motivations for preserving the words.