National Holiday in South Africa

June 16 in is national holiday in South Africa. Youth Day commemorates June 16, 1976, when students in Soweto rioted in protest against the introduction of Afrikaans as the language of instruction of half their school curriculum, sparking eight months of violent uprisings across the country. Youth Day is a national holiday in honor of all the young people who lost their lives in the struggle against Apartheid and Bantu Education.