Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Living is feeling
There are times in life where you invest everything that you are, you believe, wait and hope then you get nothing in return. Sometimes you give everything and expect nothing at all and then you receive everything or much more than in your wildest dreams. Perhaps one must always live in expectation because then in that place of expectation you can be found alive. You do not become dull, you remain young in every way. You mourn your disappointments and rejoice in your appointments. There is nothing more tragic that a life that is unmoved by the niether good nor bad and perhaps that is the difference between one who is alive and one who is dead. The dead do not feel therefore they do not respond. Perhaps if we allow ourselves to be unmoved by bad or good then we are slowly dying.
Monday, July 26, 2010
The Righteousness of Nepotism
Nepos from Latin word meaning “nephew or grandchild”
A story is told of a missionary teacher; let us call him Mr Smith. Mr Smith came from a faraway country in Europe to give himself to a life of service to God in a country in South America. Mr Smith was appalled by the despicable behavior of his young learners who cheated during tests and examinations. They would cheat by showing each other the answers during the tests in class. Mr Smith was of course distressed as no amount of rebukes or punishments put an end to this wickedness or brought any amount of repentance from this communal sin. One day Mr Smith asked one of the children why they would not stop cheating. The boy was perplexed that this teacher could be so cold; “Sir, if someone does not know the answer and you have it, you share it with them.” It was that simple to this child, what sort of human being would want to do anything different? Mr Smith now felt like the devil for trying to enforce the evils of selfishness.
We are fortunate to be living in a democratic South Africa in a time where information is literally at hand the moment the first person seems to know about it. We might even think that this government is more corrupt than the previous government. The previous government had the great fortune of governing before internet which meant that they had even more control over what the media reports or does not. If you thought you were clever of course you could always be tortured, banished or your memory permanently erased from the earth. If you wanted to protest, don’t worry the police will be waiting for you with real bullets. Living in the times we are living in with information so readily available begs the question what was SAA boss thinking, was he even thinking? Of course the whole world would quickly find out what he was doing with the taxpayers’ money. According to reports SAA boss is being accused of mishandling and abusing taxpayers’ money while having wasted it randomly on friends and family. I saw another headline about a business deal that has gone to yet another one of the president’s children and recently a nephew. Again I saw Danny Jordaan making headlines about how his brother struck gold through Danny’s 2010 connections. I did not read any of these articles at great length nor investigate further; these are simply stories that have been on our headlines just these two months if we looked closer we would find many more such stories.
What is the connection between Mr Smith, the children and our corrupt leaders? My question is how much of it is actually corruption? How much of it is a world view, a deep sense of a conscience of right and wrong that is simply in conflict with our newly adopted definitions of right and wrong?
Let me infuriate you by telling you of yet another story. Actually I will quote this one word for word and I understand that it comes from a holy book. “So Joseph settled his father and his brothers in Egypt and gave them property in the best part of the land, the district of Rameses, as Pharoah directed. Joseph also provided his father and his brothers and all his father’s household with food, according to the number of their children.” You must especially hate the last bit provision according to the number of their children! We do have a president with a fair number of children do we not? I am not saying anything here I am just noting what those words said. One must also note that this provision for the extended family as my foreign tongue calls it, happened during the time of famine, maybe something as bad or worse than recession. I could tell you of the ancient Queen Esther’s uncle who also rose to a great position of power under the great King Xerxes’ rule, and many other stories in this great book riddled with family members rising together, maybe you may think that Jesus must have put an end to all of that nonsense after all wasn’t he the original hippy, preaching love and peace? No, no friends, most of Jesus’ disciples were siblings. Nepotism, nepotism, nepotism!
Earlier I posed the question how much of our problems with the above mentioned cases is actually corruption? Perhaps it is. How can you eat and be fat while your own flesh and blood is starving? How can you grow and become powerful and not lift up those who instructed you as you were growing up? It is simply asking one to go against their very nature. I will give you a personal example. I remember as a student we organized the finest end of year functions for our residence, it was hosted in a five star hotel, we had a live jazz band we wanted everything of the best and we did it. I went out of my way to influence and convince the committee members to use my brother as the MC because he is brilliant, I told them. Now, I had never seen my brother on stage before then in fact he did not like me very much at the time. They were not convinced but eventually they yielded and he did a fantastic job. Now when they look back they see themselves as the people who contributed to the story of his stardom even though he might have forgotten about the gig. Those guys used to mention it to me everytime they saw him on TV patting themselves on the back for giving him an opportunity to be on the grandest stage they could have offered. It was nepotism on my part and you do not have to be best buddies, it is better if you are but family is family.
Family can get tricky and complex just like anything else. Since the days of mining when mining laborers left their homes to find work the South African family has long been sacrificed on the alter of business. Had fathers and father-figures not been removed from their family and society then I believe we would not have childheaded households today. So, why can’t business invest back to the South African family? Yes we need to know when it is time to say no or allow people to find their own routes however, there is something fundamentally wrong with not assisting your family when you know that you can. What we are in conflict with here is a system that crowns individualism and confuses it like the teacher for righteousness when it is not.
The culture that crowns individualism is the standard that we have set for ourselves and I am afraid it is a threat to the African spirit. A person’s measure of success should not be measured by how much they have individually accomplished for themselves but on how many people they have empowered in order to rise together and never alone. In practice, we know that those who only think of themselves are those who climb the ladder of success the fastest and become the best and the brightest. Steve Biko or Oliver Tambo or Nelson Mandela or many greats like them who laid down their lives for the benefit of a corporate dream. They dreamt of something larger than themselves, they also dreamt for those who could not dream for themselves and they used their own gift to make up for those who had given up on the possibility of freedom. Mandela knew that to think of yourself alone is to be very short-sighted and your success ends with yourself. It was after 27 years of suffering that his light shone and filled the earth. He has become so glorified in his old age that we often fear that it is far too much for one man. His present glory completely overshadows any amount of suffering that he endured his entire life. On the contrary Mandela could have never endured for a bigger dream and become a successful lawyer, raised his children and the world would have never known him.
I know the dear former President Mbeki would possibly disagree with the interpretation of African renaissance I would like to propose in my next few sentences. Let us not destroy the generous nurturing African spirit by exerting the Western world-view over ourselves as there has been an apparent struggle to completely adapt ourselves to the standards of the good West. The West gave us good things however it is collapsing why should we adopt everything? Many of our relatives are poor and we often feel overwhelmed and unable to assist as we are determined to do right as prescribed by another view of right. If one is in a better position let them be empowered to be able to lift those around them and how about starting at home? Relationships are the deepest and most meaningful ways to transform our society. I am convinced that we will be more effective in our poverty elevation if we focus on those we know first and then move beyond those we do not know. Let us rebuild Africa by using the structures of family government we always had because outside of those is a dog-eat-dog-eat world. Will there be abuses of power and corruption in this system? Absolutely, so let the wise and skilled craft better laws of how to monitor abuse within such structures. (I do not in anyway commend the abuse of state money for luxury flights for friends and family this is not what this is about.) Thus we shall no longer be just a number in the structures of government but we have family names and we know exactly whom to approach when we are failed or called upon when we have because when we have failed we would have failed our very selves. This will not be a difficult thing to do because we will not be adopting a new system but simply being allowed to be our best selves by acknowledging what already is. Being African has always been about belonging to a people and playing your part to strengthen the whole rather than just being a lone shining star.
This is an idea that should rather be explored in further detail through conversations, research or many articles as so much can be argued and more explanations would be necessary but for now I am writing to those who are able to hear and see be it to challenge the idea or to take it up seriously.
Africa this is for you. You are your best when you are yourself. Too often you have been told to change, that you are not good enough, that your ways are backward and your ways are unacceptable because your culture does not suit the modern day culture. I am saying that in you is hidden your greatest treasure and way to move much further than using any other culture’s system or definitions of progress. We have only seen a little of that because it has not been embraced but pushed down, abused, misunderstood and like those children there is a deeper more righteous secret hidden in sometimes even in the shame of your corruption – there lies a glory to be unveiled, when you find gold it first needs to undergo an intense process of purification. This too must be viewed in the same way. Africa arise, shine ‘tis time.
Sikelelwa Africa! Be blessed Africa!
by Sikelelwa Dlanga or Madame Madiba
published in The Thinker 21/2010 edition
A story is told of a missionary teacher; let us call him Mr Smith. Mr Smith came from a faraway country in Europe to give himself to a life of service to God in a country in South America. Mr Smith was appalled by the despicable behavior of his young learners who cheated during tests and examinations. They would cheat by showing each other the answers during the tests in class. Mr Smith was of course distressed as no amount of rebukes or punishments put an end to this wickedness or brought any amount of repentance from this communal sin. One day Mr Smith asked one of the children why they would not stop cheating. The boy was perplexed that this teacher could be so cold; “Sir, if someone does not know the answer and you have it, you share it with them.” It was that simple to this child, what sort of human being would want to do anything different? Mr Smith now felt like the devil for trying to enforce the evils of selfishness.
We are fortunate to be living in a democratic South Africa in a time where information is literally at hand the moment the first person seems to know about it. We might even think that this government is more corrupt than the previous government. The previous government had the great fortune of governing before internet which meant that they had even more control over what the media reports or does not. If you thought you were clever of course you could always be tortured, banished or your memory permanently erased from the earth. If you wanted to protest, don’t worry the police will be waiting for you with real bullets. Living in the times we are living in with information so readily available begs the question what was SAA boss thinking, was he even thinking? Of course the whole world would quickly find out what he was doing with the taxpayers’ money. According to reports SAA boss is being accused of mishandling and abusing taxpayers’ money while having wasted it randomly on friends and family. I saw another headline about a business deal that has gone to yet another one of the president’s children and recently a nephew. Again I saw Danny Jordaan making headlines about how his brother struck gold through Danny’s 2010 connections. I did not read any of these articles at great length nor investigate further; these are simply stories that have been on our headlines just these two months if we looked closer we would find many more such stories.
What is the connection between Mr Smith, the children and our corrupt leaders? My question is how much of it is actually corruption? How much of it is a world view, a deep sense of a conscience of right and wrong that is simply in conflict with our newly adopted definitions of right and wrong?
Let me infuriate you by telling you of yet another story. Actually I will quote this one word for word and I understand that it comes from a holy book. “So Joseph settled his father and his brothers in Egypt and gave them property in the best part of the land, the district of Rameses, as Pharoah directed. Joseph also provided his father and his brothers and all his father’s household with food, according to the number of their children.” You must especially hate the last bit provision according to the number of their children! We do have a president with a fair number of children do we not? I am not saying anything here I am just noting what those words said. One must also note that this provision for the extended family as my foreign tongue calls it, happened during the time of famine, maybe something as bad or worse than recession. I could tell you of the ancient Queen Esther’s uncle who also rose to a great position of power under the great King Xerxes’ rule, and many other stories in this great book riddled with family members rising together, maybe you may think that Jesus must have put an end to all of that nonsense after all wasn’t he the original hippy, preaching love and peace? No, no friends, most of Jesus’ disciples were siblings. Nepotism, nepotism, nepotism!
Earlier I posed the question how much of our problems with the above mentioned cases is actually corruption? Perhaps it is. How can you eat and be fat while your own flesh and blood is starving? How can you grow and become powerful and not lift up those who instructed you as you were growing up? It is simply asking one to go against their very nature. I will give you a personal example. I remember as a student we organized the finest end of year functions for our residence, it was hosted in a five star hotel, we had a live jazz band we wanted everything of the best and we did it. I went out of my way to influence and convince the committee members to use my brother as the MC because he is brilliant, I told them. Now, I had never seen my brother on stage before then in fact he did not like me very much at the time. They were not convinced but eventually they yielded and he did a fantastic job. Now when they look back they see themselves as the people who contributed to the story of his stardom even though he might have forgotten about the gig. Those guys used to mention it to me everytime they saw him on TV patting themselves on the back for giving him an opportunity to be on the grandest stage they could have offered. It was nepotism on my part and you do not have to be best buddies, it is better if you are but family is family.
Family can get tricky and complex just like anything else. Since the days of mining when mining laborers left their homes to find work the South African family has long been sacrificed on the alter of business. Had fathers and father-figures not been removed from their family and society then I believe we would not have childheaded households today. So, why can’t business invest back to the South African family? Yes we need to know when it is time to say no or allow people to find their own routes however, there is something fundamentally wrong with not assisting your family when you know that you can. What we are in conflict with here is a system that crowns individualism and confuses it like the teacher for righteousness when it is not.
The culture that crowns individualism is the standard that we have set for ourselves and I am afraid it is a threat to the African spirit. A person’s measure of success should not be measured by how much they have individually accomplished for themselves but on how many people they have empowered in order to rise together and never alone. In practice, we know that those who only think of themselves are those who climb the ladder of success the fastest and become the best and the brightest. Steve Biko or Oliver Tambo or Nelson Mandela or many greats like them who laid down their lives for the benefit of a corporate dream. They dreamt of something larger than themselves, they also dreamt for those who could not dream for themselves and they used their own gift to make up for those who had given up on the possibility of freedom. Mandela knew that to think of yourself alone is to be very short-sighted and your success ends with yourself. It was after 27 years of suffering that his light shone and filled the earth. He has become so glorified in his old age that we often fear that it is far too much for one man. His present glory completely overshadows any amount of suffering that he endured his entire life. On the contrary Mandela could have never endured for a bigger dream and become a successful lawyer, raised his children and the world would have never known him.
I know the dear former President Mbeki would possibly disagree with the interpretation of African renaissance I would like to propose in my next few sentences. Let us not destroy the generous nurturing African spirit by exerting the Western world-view over ourselves as there has been an apparent struggle to completely adapt ourselves to the standards of the good West. The West gave us good things however it is collapsing why should we adopt everything? Many of our relatives are poor and we often feel overwhelmed and unable to assist as we are determined to do right as prescribed by another view of right. If one is in a better position let them be empowered to be able to lift those around them and how about starting at home? Relationships are the deepest and most meaningful ways to transform our society. I am convinced that we will be more effective in our poverty elevation if we focus on those we know first and then move beyond those we do not know. Let us rebuild Africa by using the structures of family government we always had because outside of those is a dog-eat-dog-eat world. Will there be abuses of power and corruption in this system? Absolutely, so let the wise and skilled craft better laws of how to monitor abuse within such structures. (I do not in anyway commend the abuse of state money for luxury flights for friends and family this is not what this is about.) Thus we shall no longer be just a number in the structures of government but we have family names and we know exactly whom to approach when we are failed or called upon when we have because when we have failed we would have failed our very selves. This will not be a difficult thing to do because we will not be adopting a new system but simply being allowed to be our best selves by acknowledging what already is. Being African has always been about belonging to a people and playing your part to strengthen the whole rather than just being a lone shining star.
This is an idea that should rather be explored in further detail through conversations, research or many articles as so much can be argued and more explanations would be necessary but for now I am writing to those who are able to hear and see be it to challenge the idea or to take it up seriously.
Africa this is for you. You are your best when you are yourself. Too often you have been told to change, that you are not good enough, that your ways are backward and your ways are unacceptable because your culture does not suit the modern day culture. I am saying that in you is hidden your greatest treasure and way to move much further than using any other culture’s system or definitions of progress. We have only seen a little of that because it has not been embraced but pushed down, abused, misunderstood and like those children there is a deeper more righteous secret hidden in sometimes even in the shame of your corruption – there lies a glory to be unveiled, when you find gold it first needs to undergo an intense process of purification. This too must be viewed in the same way. Africa arise, shine ‘tis time.
Sikelelwa Africa! Be blessed Africa!
by Sikelelwa Dlanga or Madame Madiba
published in The Thinker 21/2010 edition
Thursday, June 17, 2010
June 16 Soccer Doom
Was it too much a day of gloom
For it to be a day of games?
Was there too much blood shed
For it to be a day for our boys to play?
Was hector crying
Don't dance on my brothers blood!
Is the blood still calling
Justice! justice!
Was it too much to play
Were the women's cries
Still heard above
Who still do not hold their babes
To this day
Was there already too much loss
That red cards flew
We lost our cool
Because june 16
Never was lovely yet,
Should we have waited
For another day
Give respect to the young
Were we gambling with our past
Or is this just another excuse
About why we just could not play
(c) siki dlanga
17.06.2010
For it to be a day of games?
Was there too much blood shed
For it to be a day for our boys to play?
Was hector crying
Don't dance on my brothers blood!
Is the blood still calling
Justice! justice!
Was it too much to play
Were the women's cries
Still heard above
Who still do not hold their babes
To this day
Was there already too much loss
That red cards flew
We lost our cool
Because june 16
Never was lovely yet,
Should we have waited
For another day
Give respect to the young
Were we gambling with our past
Or is this just another excuse
About why we just could not play
(c) siki dlanga
17.06.2010
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Welcome! Welcome!
The women have swept the stage
AmaNdebeles have completed their artwork
The Greatest African Calabash is ready
Men, women and children are seated around
The visitors are here
The meat has boiled
The Soccer City Calabash is swirling with umqombothi
The women have had a sip
There is no poison in Soccer City
The hooves of Bulls have Stormed the grounds
Bayavuma!
Bavumile!
The South African Vuvuzela trumpets have sounded
The heavens are opened
Heaven's been waiting
Thank you Lord
The Godhead has heard
The rain has fallen
INkos'ivumile!
INkos'ivumile!
Amapantsula' shoes are ready
Izicathamiya are ready
Imbongi igrhamzile
Rhemrha Heha!
His tail is in midair
Sepp Blatter knows it
He has been feeling it
The angels have ascended and descended
Lifting the greatest calabash to heaven
Heaven's taken a big whiff
Heaven likes this
Heaven likes this
Madiba is coming!
Madiba is witnessing this!
Madiba lived to see this!
Madiba gave us this.
Thank you Tata
And to those who went before us
Thank you Khosa
Thank You Danny
Thank you Safa
Thank you Carlos
Thank you Bafana our golden boys
Jabulani is awaiting the first kick
President Gedleyihlekisa
Will you dance for us
Will you sing for us
Will you dance for us
Like King David danced
Before the Lord
In this historic party
Just this one time
(c) siki dlanga
10.06.2010
AmaNdebeles have completed their artwork
The Greatest African Calabash is ready
Men, women and children are seated around
The visitors are here
The meat has boiled
The Soccer City Calabash is swirling with umqombothi
The women have had a sip
There is no poison in Soccer City
The hooves of Bulls have Stormed the grounds
Bayavuma!
Bavumile!
The South African Vuvuzela trumpets have sounded
The heavens are opened
Heaven's been waiting
Thank you Lord
The Godhead has heard
The rain has fallen
INkos'ivumile!
INkos'ivumile!
Amapantsula' shoes are ready
Izicathamiya are ready
Imbongi igrhamzile
Rhemrha Heha!
His tail is in midair
Sepp Blatter knows it
He has been feeling it
The angels have ascended and descended
Lifting the greatest calabash to heaven
Heaven's taken a big whiff
Heaven likes this
Heaven likes this
Madiba is coming!
Madiba is witnessing this!
Madiba lived to see this!
Madiba gave us this.
Thank you Tata
And to those who went before us
Thank you Khosa
Thank You Danny
Thank you Safa
Thank you Carlos
Thank you Bafana our golden boys
Jabulani is awaiting the first kick
President Gedleyihlekisa
Will you dance for us
Will you sing for us
Will you dance for us
Like King David danced
Before the Lord
In this historic party
Just this one time
(c) siki dlanga
10.06.2010
Monday, June 7, 2010
The Cape Town Akon Concert
I should be in church right now hugging sisters, holding bibles and talking about the great sermon but alas O sisters it is the night after attending an Akon concert and I am not shouting halleluas with you. I can see all the sisters shaking their heads in disgust and others muttering prayers of redemption for the great that has fallen. Instead here I am on a beautiful Sunday having woken up late. My lift is gone and I was left to recover from the Akon experience. Had I ever even been to a club before? It occurred to me that I had only ever gone as far as watching it in the movies so often that I thought I had but Akon was the one who introduced me and what an experience it was indeed. It’s a pity though that my Jesus experiences by far surpasses and outweigh anything spectacularly fun even Akon could have thrown. I however understood why so many are swallowed up into the night life.
A friend from out-of-country who is down here for a short period invited me, when she asked me if I will go with her I thought; “Are you serious? You’re asking me to go to an Akon concert? Do you have any idea how much I have been wanting to rest and that is the night I was finally going to rest. Akon, is not even on my list of things I want to do even on a day I do not want to rest.” I did not say that, I am a good friend at times. She has come from such a faraway country and she is doing such a serious job maybe she can do with some serious fun. I could not believe this, tired as I am but I am going to say “yes” even though the next day I had to go through yet another baby shower in my life after church, when does this woman finally get her rest? How I feel about baby showers is a topic for another day. This is about Akon. What do people even wear to these things? I decided that I will go in world cup fever style with my usual creative way of pulling madness together.
It was a bunch of kids who went to the concert. Where we sat mostly we seemed to be around people the same age as us and on a rare occasion people who look like older mothers (perhaps responsible parents who want to know what their teens are up to). What do I know about concerts I have only been to a few free concerts at the Waterfront, jazz festivals in Cape Town and street parties. I am a good Christian girl to top it all. There are boring sinners and there are boring saints and I am neither.
After waiting and waiting Akon eventually appears on stage tall, dark, really dark and with a handsome voice. Initially when I had been thinking about this invitation to go to an Akon concert I was rather tormented. I was thinking O no, Akon. Give me jazz, a certain kind of hip-hop, almost anything South African, Latino, House, rock my world I will be happy but this. This. Let me explain to you what kind of tormented thoughts Akon gave me prior the concert. I have been a diligent commuter in Cape Town taxis mainly Wynberg to Cape Town route. Need I say more. I had seen far too many toothless gatjies fighting for me to get into their taxis and the music blurring. Here I would be in these unfavourable circumstances of being in taxis with blurring speakers and it always seemed to be the same one. A toothless smile singing to me “Lonely, I am so lonely” so loud would be the music you could hardly stop the taxi and somehow you always manage to stop it at the right stop in spite of what you have suffered. By the time you are out of the taxi you are praying for the gift of loneliness and wanting to curse the guy who is responsible for releasing that cd.
My younger brother Nganga helped prepare me gradually not to despise Akon. He does not know how I felt about him though. I hope Akon returns the favour to my brother one day. However having listened to my brother it gave me some kind of hope that I can perhaps attend this concert and see what happens. I have a sense of adventure and have a way of taking myself places I do not really want to go. I did not tell my friend of my apprehension – I had decided to be in the same spirit as hers. I was the first to dance. I danced to “Lonely” and found justice and peace in “I am sorry you can put the blame on me”. I accepted the apology as Akon's music was something I blamed him for from that moment I enjoyed the concert even more before Akon took things to the next level. A level I was uncertain I wanted to go to. He had the craziest DJ, he was crazy I loved him, he was the modern day Mr. T. To qualify to be a Mr. T you need a serious beard to go with your Mohican hair cut. He had these white framed sunglasses and wore a waist coat that matched his skirt or was it a kilt. He would every now and again jump ontop of his DJ table. He was crazy crazy crazy. A black man in a designer skirt was quite a sight. He is a brave man. Brave or a complete show off which he seemed as though he is both and both suit him.
The next thing Akon arrived walking inside of what had the appearance of a bubble. He sang as he walked in this really cool bubble before he rolled the bubble over the crowd as hands of fans pushed him along. Then he sang the forbidden song “Take it Off” urging all to take something off and wave it around. He was at that time half naked showing off how fit his upper body was. It was at this moment that I thought of our beloved Benny McCathy. I was so glad he wasn’t seeing this because if he only looked like that he would have been part of the squad. His heart would be aching if he saw Akon’s figure and muscles all just for singing - well, I should not have felt sorry for Benny as the photographer found Benny’s face in the audience. The fans forgot about Akon for a second. It must have been a humbling moment for Akon. Benny stole some of his show. Benny a man after our former minister of finance’s heart (Trevor), Alan Boesak and following after the famous footsteps of men like Chester Williams and in it together with men like Brian Habbanah was shown standing next to a blond woman. At that point I made a quick prayer for our beloved golden boy Steven Pienaar and said: “O please we need him focused for this world cup please let no blond woman cross his path. Please, maybe later but not now, please. Amen.”
When the screen found Benny he beamed besides the pretty blond as crowds screamed. I can assure, Benny did not look troubled. Why would he be troubled if every newspaper is writing about him and every commentator talking about him and people’s brothers calling him Benny MacDonalds. He must think that kind-of has a ring to it, Benny Mac. He kind of likes it. I was thinking of writing a book called Lessons learnt from Benny’s dismal exit. Benny would then sue me and realise that he will not smile all the way to the bank if he sues me and looks at me and thinks, why destroy a sweet black woman with small aspirations. I would thank Benny with another book called Lessons learnt from Benny’s great moments and from hence forth I would sit with the blond and the brown and we will all live happily ever after.
Akon made a speech about how he is not part of the world cup artists because he will not be a part of something that exploits Africa once again. What does the World Cup song have anything to do with Africa? Viva Akon. As I sit here listening to the river and about to leave for the babyshower, I am thankful for my experience. I secretly tried to release fireballs. I kind of thought it worked more on me than on the crowd. It was fun. It was most certainly not a wasted ticket and I will smile back at the toothless guy in the taxi as he sings to me "Lonely, I'm so lonely".
A friend from out-of-country who is down here for a short period invited me, when she asked me if I will go with her I thought; “Are you serious? You’re asking me to go to an Akon concert? Do you have any idea how much I have been wanting to rest and that is the night I was finally going to rest. Akon, is not even on my list of things I want to do even on a day I do not want to rest.” I did not say that, I am a good friend at times. She has come from such a faraway country and she is doing such a serious job maybe she can do with some serious fun. I could not believe this, tired as I am but I am going to say “yes” even though the next day I had to go through yet another baby shower in my life after church, when does this woman finally get her rest? How I feel about baby showers is a topic for another day. This is about Akon. What do people even wear to these things? I decided that I will go in world cup fever style with my usual creative way of pulling madness together.
It was a bunch of kids who went to the concert. Where we sat mostly we seemed to be around people the same age as us and on a rare occasion people who look like older mothers (perhaps responsible parents who want to know what their teens are up to). What do I know about concerts I have only been to a few free concerts at the Waterfront, jazz festivals in Cape Town and street parties. I am a good Christian girl to top it all. There are boring sinners and there are boring saints and I am neither.
After waiting and waiting Akon eventually appears on stage tall, dark, really dark and with a handsome voice. Initially when I had been thinking about this invitation to go to an Akon concert I was rather tormented. I was thinking O no, Akon. Give me jazz, a certain kind of hip-hop, almost anything South African, Latino, House, rock my world I will be happy but this. This. Let me explain to you what kind of tormented thoughts Akon gave me prior the concert. I have been a diligent commuter in Cape Town taxis mainly Wynberg to Cape Town route. Need I say more. I had seen far too many toothless gatjies fighting for me to get into their taxis and the music blurring. Here I would be in these unfavourable circumstances of being in taxis with blurring speakers and it always seemed to be the same one. A toothless smile singing to me “Lonely, I am so lonely” so loud would be the music you could hardly stop the taxi and somehow you always manage to stop it at the right stop in spite of what you have suffered. By the time you are out of the taxi you are praying for the gift of loneliness and wanting to curse the guy who is responsible for releasing that cd.
My younger brother Nganga helped prepare me gradually not to despise Akon. He does not know how I felt about him though. I hope Akon returns the favour to my brother one day. However having listened to my brother it gave me some kind of hope that I can perhaps attend this concert and see what happens. I have a sense of adventure and have a way of taking myself places I do not really want to go. I did not tell my friend of my apprehension – I had decided to be in the same spirit as hers. I was the first to dance. I danced to “Lonely” and found justice and peace in “I am sorry you can put the blame on me”. I accepted the apology as Akon's music was something I blamed him for from that moment I enjoyed the concert even more before Akon took things to the next level. A level I was uncertain I wanted to go to. He had the craziest DJ, he was crazy I loved him, he was the modern day Mr. T. To qualify to be a Mr. T you need a serious beard to go with your Mohican hair cut. He had these white framed sunglasses and wore a waist coat that matched his skirt or was it a kilt. He would every now and again jump ontop of his DJ table. He was crazy crazy crazy. A black man in a designer skirt was quite a sight. He is a brave man. Brave or a complete show off which he seemed as though he is both and both suit him.
The next thing Akon arrived walking inside of what had the appearance of a bubble. He sang as he walked in this really cool bubble before he rolled the bubble over the crowd as hands of fans pushed him along. Then he sang the forbidden song “Take it Off” urging all to take something off and wave it around. He was at that time half naked showing off how fit his upper body was. It was at this moment that I thought of our beloved Benny McCathy. I was so glad he wasn’t seeing this because if he only looked like that he would have been part of the squad. His heart would be aching if he saw Akon’s figure and muscles all just for singing - well, I should not have felt sorry for Benny as the photographer found Benny’s face in the audience. The fans forgot about Akon for a second. It must have been a humbling moment for Akon. Benny stole some of his show. Benny a man after our former minister of finance’s heart (Trevor), Alan Boesak and following after the famous footsteps of men like Chester Williams and in it together with men like Brian Habbanah was shown standing next to a blond woman. At that point I made a quick prayer for our beloved golden boy Steven Pienaar and said: “O please we need him focused for this world cup please let no blond woman cross his path. Please, maybe later but not now, please. Amen.”
When the screen found Benny he beamed besides the pretty blond as crowds screamed. I can assure, Benny did not look troubled. Why would he be troubled if every newspaper is writing about him and every commentator talking about him and people’s brothers calling him Benny MacDonalds. He must think that kind-of has a ring to it, Benny Mac. He kind of likes it. I was thinking of writing a book called Lessons learnt from Benny’s dismal exit. Benny would then sue me and realise that he will not smile all the way to the bank if he sues me and looks at me and thinks, why destroy a sweet black woman with small aspirations. I would thank Benny with another book called Lessons learnt from Benny’s great moments and from hence forth I would sit with the blond and the brown and we will all live happily ever after.
Akon made a speech about how he is not part of the world cup artists because he will not be a part of something that exploits Africa once again. What does the World Cup song have anything to do with Africa? Viva Akon. As I sit here listening to the river and about to leave for the babyshower, I am thankful for my experience. I secretly tried to release fireballs. I kind of thought it worked more on me than on the crowd. It was fun. It was most certainly not a wasted ticket and I will smile back at the toothless guy in the taxi as he sings to me "Lonely, I'm so lonely".
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Are you ready for an African World Cup?
The world cup is upon us. We do not guarantee you 100 percent safety. If you are a journalist we do not guarantee you that one of our country’s youth leaders will not throw you out if you ask a question that displeases him. We cannot guarantee you that we will not have any form of political drama or any kind of drama for that matter. No one is ever sure what will happen next here. The climate hardly fails us. The action never stops. The only real trauma you should experience in South Africa is too much excitement.
The people are warm and friendly. There are no animals on the road we actually boast one of the best cities in the world. When you get here your mother will drag you away you will be so stunned. We guarantee that you will have an amazing experience in South Africa. The only way to bored in this land is if you are dead and that is the only way I can think of boredom is death because I have never been there. It is hard to imagine that even the dead in our land could be possibly bored because we have the most exciting dead. At their death they have caused much controversy. In fact so interesting is our dead that some of them are still on trial. Let me assure you that you are not just coming here for football or soccer as we call it you are coming here for the time of your life. You will live to tell of your experience here to your children, their children and the story will become a legacy.
Let me prepare you a little bit more; South Africa is such a beautiful country you might not want to leave. I have spoken to countless tourists who get here and once they are here they do not want to leave. The women are all so beautiful you might just be dazed and eventually you will not be able to pick one your best bet is a foreign woman because at least you can pick her out among the rest. I have seen tourists smiling in the streets I would swear they must be in heaven. In fact I remember once as a student; I was a waitress and my German customers could not stop looking at me smiling from ear to ear. Their eyes collectively could not leave me. I eventually became concerned as I thought surely something must be wrong but they are shy to tell me perhaps they thought that I would finally get it. I gathered up courage and asked if all was well. They answered in unison “Oh, you are just wonderful. We are not used to such friendly people.” I feared that they might just take me with. The honest truth is that I am not that amazing there are better South Africans far friendlier than I could ever wish to be and yet the least one in the nation was something to marvel at.
I have told you of our imperfections. You will see our mess, you will see our poor, and you will see our rich. We have a third world and a first world in one country. We have the largest inequality gap in the world the last time I checked. One more thing; please do us a favour if you are white please, please do not criticize our white people. Do not do that. We do not like it because we can do that all by ourselves we do not appreciate it when outsiders think they are more righteous because we know they are not. I know you will be tempted just bite your tongue when the temptation comes, at that moment just think about your own history and you will realise that your history is possibly the same. Yes there is crime here but I know people who never encountered crime while they lived here until they moved to England, Paris or Italy then they got mugged. My fear is not that you will be mugged, you might be but security promises to be tight and I truly hope it will not happen to you as it would be sad if it does happen to you.
My only real fear about your visit is that you will not want to leave. Am I arrogant? Am I overconfident? I will prove to you that I am not. I have encountered numerous foreigners who are still yearning and dreaming of seeing this land again. It is as if they must return here or move here. This too has happened and still happening.
The famous Jan van Riebeeck never left this land when he landed on its shores today we still have thousands of his descendants that testify of his love for this country. History tells us he was destined to the East but he landed here and he could not get himself to go any further. He remained. The rest is history. I will not mention Britain or Germany. I am eternally grateful that France never made it South because it would have been a terrible thing if we spoke French like some West African nations. We fortunately did not loose our own mother tongues unlike our West African countries and those Colonised by the Portuguese. This means that you will have more to see because our culture is preserved with the languages. Where was I? Ok, sorry this is about why it will be difficult for you to leave this country as I was saying - our country is so beautiful and so rich Britain fought a bloody war all along the South African coast line. There was 100 years of battles in the Eastern Cape against Xhosas. There were wars fought against Zulus. There was a war between the English and Dutch for the same land today the descendants still remember that war. Blood was spilt for a piece of this magical land. Blood my friend. Do you still think I am exaggerating?
I know that you will not spill any more blood however you will be met by very loving warm South Africans who love this country. The battle will be however a little different this time; the nations will battle against each other. The war will be over a small piece of green land and the weapon will be the Jabulani ball. Whoever wins gets to walk away with a chunk of our gold. I hope we will walk away with the gold. Those who know soccer know that this is a giant leap of faith - but this land begs me to believe. South Africans love being South African but we are delighted that we will be hosting the nations. We have been waiting for you and you will feel it. Do not believe those who have told you that it will be a disastrous event.
We live in the edge of excitement. We are hospitable people and you will be very entertained. If you are expecting elephants and lions in the street I am sorry you will be very disappointed we actually have roads and street lights and tall buildings and things like that you know. I have only seen a lion in my dreams and photographs so do not get your hopes up. If you want to see lions we will tell you where to find them so do not worry - we are ready for you, are you ready for the African experience? The party is on!
The people are warm and friendly. There are no animals on the road we actually boast one of the best cities in the world. When you get here your mother will drag you away you will be so stunned. We guarantee that you will have an amazing experience in South Africa. The only way to bored in this land is if you are dead and that is the only way I can think of boredom is death because I have never been there. It is hard to imagine that even the dead in our land could be possibly bored because we have the most exciting dead. At their death they have caused much controversy. In fact so interesting is our dead that some of them are still on trial. Let me assure you that you are not just coming here for football or soccer as we call it you are coming here for the time of your life. You will live to tell of your experience here to your children, their children and the story will become a legacy.
Let me prepare you a little bit more; South Africa is such a beautiful country you might not want to leave. I have spoken to countless tourists who get here and once they are here they do not want to leave. The women are all so beautiful you might just be dazed and eventually you will not be able to pick one your best bet is a foreign woman because at least you can pick her out among the rest. I have seen tourists smiling in the streets I would swear they must be in heaven. In fact I remember once as a student; I was a waitress and my German customers could not stop looking at me smiling from ear to ear. Their eyes collectively could not leave me. I eventually became concerned as I thought surely something must be wrong but they are shy to tell me perhaps they thought that I would finally get it. I gathered up courage and asked if all was well. They answered in unison “Oh, you are just wonderful. We are not used to such friendly people.” I feared that they might just take me with. The honest truth is that I am not that amazing there are better South Africans far friendlier than I could ever wish to be and yet the least one in the nation was something to marvel at.
I have told you of our imperfections. You will see our mess, you will see our poor, and you will see our rich. We have a third world and a first world in one country. We have the largest inequality gap in the world the last time I checked. One more thing; please do us a favour if you are white please, please do not criticize our white people. Do not do that. We do not like it because we can do that all by ourselves we do not appreciate it when outsiders think they are more righteous because we know they are not. I know you will be tempted just bite your tongue when the temptation comes, at that moment just think about your own history and you will realise that your history is possibly the same. Yes there is crime here but I know people who never encountered crime while they lived here until they moved to England, Paris or Italy then they got mugged. My fear is not that you will be mugged, you might be but security promises to be tight and I truly hope it will not happen to you as it would be sad if it does happen to you.
My only real fear about your visit is that you will not want to leave. Am I arrogant? Am I overconfident? I will prove to you that I am not. I have encountered numerous foreigners who are still yearning and dreaming of seeing this land again. It is as if they must return here or move here. This too has happened and still happening.
The famous Jan van Riebeeck never left this land when he landed on its shores today we still have thousands of his descendants that testify of his love for this country. History tells us he was destined to the East but he landed here and he could not get himself to go any further. He remained. The rest is history. I will not mention Britain or Germany. I am eternally grateful that France never made it South because it would have been a terrible thing if we spoke French like some West African nations. We fortunately did not loose our own mother tongues unlike our West African countries and those Colonised by the Portuguese. This means that you will have more to see because our culture is preserved with the languages. Where was I? Ok, sorry this is about why it will be difficult for you to leave this country as I was saying - our country is so beautiful and so rich Britain fought a bloody war all along the South African coast line. There was 100 years of battles in the Eastern Cape against Xhosas. There were wars fought against Zulus. There was a war between the English and Dutch for the same land today the descendants still remember that war. Blood was spilt for a piece of this magical land. Blood my friend. Do you still think I am exaggerating?
I know that you will not spill any more blood however you will be met by very loving warm South Africans who love this country. The battle will be however a little different this time; the nations will battle against each other. The war will be over a small piece of green land and the weapon will be the Jabulani ball. Whoever wins gets to walk away with a chunk of our gold. I hope we will walk away with the gold. Those who know soccer know that this is a giant leap of faith - but this land begs me to believe. South Africans love being South African but we are delighted that we will be hosting the nations. We have been waiting for you and you will feel it. Do not believe those who have told you that it will be a disastrous event.
We live in the edge of excitement. We are hospitable people and you will be very entertained. If you are expecting elephants and lions in the street I am sorry you will be very disappointed we actually have roads and street lights and tall buildings and things like that you know. I have only seen a lion in my dreams and photographs so do not get your hopes up. If you want to see lions we will tell you where to find them so do not worry - we are ready for you, are you ready for the African experience? The party is on!
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
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
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