Hope in the time of Covid-19, plus five highlights from 'Vrye Weekblad'
Here's what's hot in the latest edition of the Afrikaans digital weekly
Decades from now, today's youth will tell their children and grandchildren about 2020.
What are they going to say about the strange and traumatic year that was?
Of course they will talk about the coronavirus. Maybe they will have forgotten about the silly ban on tobacco and alcohol, Woolies chicken and open-toed shoes. However, the fear of an invisible enemy that used human interaction to threaten our lives will never be forgotten.
We won't forget how we wore masks and washed our hands obsessively, and that we were not allowed to hug or shake hands. (The elbow greeting never really caught on.)
Most of us know at least one person who died from illness related to Covid-19.
Many jobs were lost. Businesses closed down. Poverty increased.
Read more about the year that was in this week's issue of Vrye Weekblad, our last edition of 2020
The virus that brought us physical distancing also reminded us that we are part of the bigger humanity. We learned how the coronavirus affected communities all over the world, and how poorly the US, the most successful country on the planet, handled the crisis while other, lesser countries did much better.
In a few years, we'll look back and ponder how the coronavirus affected our behaviour.
We will remember how 2020 showed us how gullible many of us are. There are still those who believe Covid-19 is a hoax, and an elaborate, evil plan by the dark forces to make money and control the masses.
But 2020 was not all catastrophe. There was also hope.
And hope is our most precious possession.
Must-read articles in this week's Vrye Weekblad
11 IDEAS | Some ideas were born out of need during the pandemic, while others are still in the dream phase. These 11 ideas show the way to our future.
LETTER TO A COVID-19 CHILD | Her name is Avery, a name that speaks of wisdom. Her second name is Joy. This is a letter to her about the masked year into which she was born
ANOTHER SCANDALOUS YEAR | It was a busy year for crooks. From our old favourites, the Guptas, to the newbies who got their itchy fingers in the Covid-19 till.
OUR PEOPLE | Our best profile writers brought you a closer look at some of SA's most remarkable movers and shakers this year: Jeanne Goosen, Rachel Kolisi, Errol Tobias, Glynnis Breytenbach, Kirvan Fortuin, Imtiaz Sooliman, Jaypee Malherbe, Phumzile van Damme, Mia Arderne and Mark Barnes.
FESTIVE OFFER | Get a fabulous discount if you subscribe to Vrye Weekblad now.