The debate about the national anthem has opened old and fresh wounds that need to be cleaned. The question that we should concern ourselves with is what it is that defines us as a nation.
Is the anthem in its current form relevant to who we are, or does it not reflect our daily realities?
We should also ask what it is that we seek from an anthem.
What unites us a nation and will take the country forward?
The current anthem is a combination of worlds that have come to be the South Africa of today. But there are those who reject it completely.
The call by the Economic Freedom Fighters to drop Die Stem from the anthem should not be dismissed as just hot air. It is not their opinion alone.
There are those who hold a third view, that we should adopt a new song that encompasses both where we come from and where we are post-independence.
They say if we are to drop Die Stem, we should also drop Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika.
They argue that we should look beyond God and accommodate those who do not believe in Him.
There are those who say that their languages are not represented by the anthem and if it is to be changed, they should be included.
What we should always be mindful of is what kind of future we are seeking as a nation. Nkosi Sikelel' will never be erased from our history and Die Stem, too, is part of who we are.
All sides should seek to find a middle ground. One without the other fails to appreciate the past.
Whether we change the anthem or not, we should first afford South Africans an opportunity to have a say about it.
What we love about this country is that there is dialogue and things are thrashed out in public.
Former president Nelson Mandela was driven by the realities we face to endorse the composite anthem, but that should not stop us from debating its future.
Do we need to change our national anthem?
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