Thursday, April 29, 2010

A poem for my country

South Africa

You who is robed in multi-coloured robes
You whose unity shows best in times of division
Whose peace reigns when they say you are at war
You Mzantsi my country
Whose love shines best when they talk of hatred
South Africa
Lend me your robe
Let me wear it
I want to shine brightly too like you
You whose languages are poetry
The least clan is like a mighty tribe
Whose tribes are unique in their culture
And rich in tongue
Mzantsi; nations within a nation
Whose wealth is not its gold
Nor is it bright coloured sun
Nor is it her vast seas
Vuka mzantsi vuka! Awake in your beauty!
Awake in your strength
Awake in the fullness of the magnificence
Of your many coloured robes.
South Africa whose glory is
You at your best;
You
Lend me your multi-coloured robe!

©siki dlanga
for my country with love
29.04.2010

Where is the song that will unite the nation

You promised us a song.

Why aren't you singing?

Where is the musician?

Where is your drum?

Why are you not beating your drums,

We want to dance to your tune.

We want to sing with you.

The world is waiting for

our own song.

They heard that music

comes from our shores.

They heard that all sound

was birthed from our valleys and our hills

where the Zulu dancer shakes the earth

Where the Xhosa Mbongi bellows poetry

and directs the course of kings

where chiefs cannot speak until

he has sung his poetic song

The horses of Lesotho beat the earth

calling us to a new world

and see the world from mountain tops.

The miners have seen the gold

but we are still waiting for

a song that will cause us to bear

that gold with our bare hands.

Where is the musician?

(c) siki dlanga

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

If a song killed ET then sing a new song! "One Boer – One Love"

"A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave." - Mahatma Ghandi

If a song killed Eugene Terreblanche then a song can fix this.

If ET was truly killed by the power of a song then with all due respect do not blame Juju, blame the musicians for failing to come up with a better song – a song that advocates a united beautiful land. As far as I recall Juju has never received a SAMA nor has the president though their songs have caused the most upset.

We are obviously a musical nation. Our rise and fall all seem to depend on the power of the note. We are moved by songs and we act and we dance according to that bewitching beat. I use the word bewitch because if a song caused those youths to murder Terreblanche they were bewitched by the beat. What gain is it for them to kill the man? These young men's hands are now stained with the blood of a man many of us do not think he was wonderful anyway. Those youngmen too deserve a chance. I hope someone will reachout to them. Some might disagree about the power of the song, however when ‘a dangerous song’ is sung then there is a major reaction which once again proves how the one who has the beat rules this land. The apartheid government understood the power of the song and censored every song so that it said exactly what they wanted people to hear. A lawyer commented that we are a free nation now why should we return to those pathetic apartheid controlling tactics?

If you do not sing for us we will simply not vote for you in this country. If you do sing it is he who has the most powerful beat that wins and President Jacob Zuma could not beaten in dance or in song. It is all in a song. We sit in our homes and we sing, when we leave our homes we are still singing. When we work we sing when we are in difficult times we sing, when we are victorious we sing. We’re a nation that believes in the power of a song. JZ sang his Mshini wam song there were complaints and the song only stopped when he became president. JZ’s song would work best when Bafana Bafana takes on Mexico – I can promise you that Mexico will fall before the sound of the vuvuzelas combined with that song that placed JZ as President of this Republic. Now the death of ET has been blamed on Julius’ song. The truth is that Julius did not sing the song alone his followers sang it with him. If we believe so deeply in the power of a song then I beg you politicians who have no song on their lips but good reason that is easily lost because it comes with no beat. Please stop complaining about the songs because the songs will continue start a new song.

I suggest a new song called “One boer. One love.” Other suggestions from elsewhere are “Kiss the boer – kiss the farmer”. Someone hopefully will organize a march and sing the song in Terreblanche’s funeral and all across that famous AWB town. The love could finaly make them change those depressing khaki clothes to some bright coloured ones and then just maybe they will will see the light of this beautiful rainbow nation and carry the right coloured flag. Someone’s got to win those hearts and a little love and a little lightness could go a long way. All we need are a few crazy blacks whose minds work like the character in The Hurt Locker who disarms bombs. Some hearts are worse than bombs and all they need is love. Now wouldn’t that be wonderful. Come on let us start a revolution of love to heal this broken land. Let us be jealous over it with love. Let's love ourselves out of our mess.

If you live close to that area and want to make this difference please do it don't stop. Hatred is easy but loving your enemies is for the brave.

"Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you." - Jesus, King of kings

By Siki Dlanga

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