, April 22 -- While we're living, learning and thriving (and, well, sometimes, surviving) in a democratic, multilingual South Africa, we also have the responsibility to grapple with the concept of freedom and the responsibilities that true freedom brings with it, particularly when we reflect on what Freedom Day, celebrated on 27 April, means to us.

According to Article 19, an international think-do organisation concerning itself with freedom of expression, "freedom of expression enables dialogue, builds understanding, and increases public knowledge". We as the Language Centre agree: Being able to sharing ideas and information freely makes us all smarter and helps our communities thrive.

As South Africans we have the benefit of many hard...