I AM AN AFRICAN SPEECH - 8 MAY 1996. Thabo Mbeki. Celebrate Africa on Africa Day 25 May

AFRICA Day- 25 May 2015




Its Africa Day on Monday,25 May and what better way to reflect than through this powerful piece of something like this? This man here was just on another tip!

Coming Out-confessions of a writer

Coming out-confessions of a writer

Writing pours in me waters of fulfillment, lights up a fire in me, engages me and challenges me, why make up excuses to do something that offers me that?

I think it will help me to start this piece by a confession; I have long neglected my gift. And this goes without any reasonable excuse. Some of the “excuses” for my negligence have really been the good, old and tired excuses; I don’t have enough time; or the extra afternoon classes with the children in my community on Mondays and Wednesdays take up most of my time, that is minus two days of my week every week, coupled with ministry commitments; bible studies with the children on Tuesdays, Saturday services and Sunday school on Sunday mornings, that is another three days out of my week because all these assignments require intensive preparation. Then I have my degree, which I do via correspondence at the University Of South Africa, this requires me to draw and stick to an intensive study plan since it is far more demanding to study via distance learning than through a residential university. I also have my own personal relationships that need my attention and above everything else I also need to always be committed to availing myself to spend time with God in solitude.

Armed with a list of “excuses”, I led myself into thinking that I really did not have time for this gift.

The truth was that I was actually making excuses for my own laziness and defending my own lack of self management.

But then as I began writing this piece, I also realized that there were also a plethora of hidden and secretly buried issues of fear and lack of confidence in my writing. I secretly and unconsciously avoided exposing my work with the fear of being judged and the fear of not delivering on my own self imposed standards of excellence. In my own mind, my writing could not pass the quality tests I have set. My thinking tank was filled with wrong thoughts or beliefs that interfered greatly with my writing process and ultimately put out the fire in me.

I wanted to write from my ego. I wanted the reader to perceive me as intelligent; I wanted to be well versed in every topic under the sun.  I wanted to write like the likes of Chimamanda Adichie Ngozi, Chinua Achebe, and the late Bessie Head. After reading books such as Half of the Yellow Sun, Things fall apart, The Madonna of Excelsior, I would secretly mimic their style and follow in their ideas and pattern of thought. All these dimmed my light, drained my appetite to write, dampened my voice, derailed my progress, impede my growth and did absolutely nothing for my gift!

As I was, a time ago in a space of prayer and meditation, I experienced a renaissance in my spirit and a breakthrough in my mind that stirred up a new hunger to write. To write without fear and reservation. Take responsibility for this gift. To experience this gift and share it with the world as authentically as I can.

As in prayer and meditation I was awakened to write, to commit to the gift, to be true to the giver of the gift and allow him to be my source of inspiration, I hope this piece helps you realize how important it is to discover and pursue your talent at all costs because we all owe it to the creator to fully embrace what he has freely given to us. And in that we know he will be glorified.

With this, its 11:18 pm CAT, as I wrap up this piece, I’m pleased to announce that nothing in my schedule has changed, I still have the same responsibilities and commitments I mentioned in the start of this piece. I am the difference; someone taught me that  in my 20’s , my greatest asset is time and we are all given 24 hours to decide what we do with it, no less or more to any one.

See you later…

Welcome To Democracy - A façade of freedom: 2nd Experimental Documentary

Music Is The Window To The Soul of Society-an experimental documentary

Music is the window to the soul of society is an experimental documentary that desired to understand the ordinary people's views on music. We sought to understand the influence of music and its culture on people, behaviour and society. Through out our journey in this documentary, we got see and learn just how influential and powerful music is to people from different walks of life. Having interviewed a whole lot of people from concert to concert we saw that music is like a companion to people.

We made  bucket lots of mistakes and some are visible on the documentary but it was an eye opening experience to the heart and soul of society.

The Sekhukhune Series: Land of my origins-part 1

Like any other soul in in this side of Africa, Sekhukhune is governed by the African National Congress a party that has reigned for 20 years. In a democracy that has left its puberty years behind, the truth is that somewhere in the privacies of our own souls we are going through our own insecurities that the old government has left us. The insecurities in fighting the demons of who we were, who we are becoming and who will lead us?

When they let us go, our nativity story was told all over the world, a very rare nation was born, rainbow people. Never seen anywhere in the world. Black and free.

We knew that we were always destined for something greater than what we were told. Yes we were “black” but by blood, custom and tradition we were always royalty. Before blacks became presidents, our statesmen were prince; sons of chiefs, descendants born of kings and heirs of the African kingdom in the homelands of South Africa. Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi, whom his mother was the daughter of King Dinizulu and granddaughter of King Cetshwayo of the Zulu royal family is the leader of Inkhata Freedom Party, Madiba-our first stateman his father Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa, was the chief anointed by blood and custom of Mvezo of abaThembu nation, and the notorious customs of Msholozi that transcends into Nkandla and the sum of 20 broods from his loins has always seen himself as king than a president. Even before democracy was unveiled, we were always kings. It has always been in us to lead.

So with the freedom in my heart and the history in my mind I choose to return to Sekhukhune. I have not registered to vote instead I am choosing to return to Sekhukhune. I am going back to seek understanding. Yes these are age old African politics, and to some it will sound like tales that should remain in school novels. But this leadership battle I am speaking about has so much in the palms of its hands. This is what has held Sekhukhune from being more. More like the Royal Bafokeng Nation and others. The government has not completely saw to it that they pay attention to the indignation that we walked in for so long the indignity that we- the people in Sekhukhune walk in division because of the two kingdoms clashing, two heirs fighting for the same throne. To this there are mines and investments that are chowed behind closed doors and development is no where to be found. And we need that development to feed our selves and take care of our land. Deep down this conflict and the greed involved ceases us.  

Much of the development in Sekhukhune is wrapped around this conflict. It is the war of the people; elders advanced in age and prickled with grey hair and tribal loyalists who are content to treat the truth with contempt. Maybe voting for someone different like Helen (DA) would have brought with it a positive change to the unresolved politics in my land. Or Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi of IFP would understand better the situation and do something about it. That perhaps I will find out later.

For now, the soul of the people is wounded. And I know getting my young self involved in this; I will also have a wound somewhere under my skin.

The manifestation of a promised Africa

                       Burundian Women Supporters at CHAN 2014, Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane, South Africa

                                                                                                                                                                     

Football like politics is a personal affair. Football fans take to the game the way political party supporters take to the affairs of their affiliations. I have heard stories of men in the townships who place their homes and wives as bets in vouching for the victory of their favorite soccer teams, while others battle for their sanity after the loss of their teams in a soccer match. Here in Africa, soccer is not a game. It is a hope, a love, a coming of a special chosen time and an event followers deem worth to pray to their sovereignty for a win and victory of their members.

As a testimony from a lover of Africa, what CHAN 2014 provided in the soccer stadiums It’s like cultures collapsing on each other and melting away. Omens, spells, negative meditations, xenophobic mentalities and diplomatic issues against one another as a people are taken away by the spirit of football, capturing a picture of a promised Africa visible and rolling in each of our eye balls in that moment. People literally breath the same air. No prejudice. People come to such unity in the body of football that lines between strangers and genders become undefined.

I may not be a devoted soccer follower but what I witnessed in soccer matches is real and solid definition of what my Africa is and is to become. FIFA, AFCON and now in the moment CHAN amongst others are big moments, shadows of things to come, symbolic of a unified body of Africans. A coming together of a body of believers, chanting for victory for teams and victory for their nations.

We have hosted so many sporting moments here in South Africa; the 1995 Rugby World Cup, the 1996 African Nations cup, 1996 World Cup of Golf, 2003 Cricket World Cup, 2006 Paralympic Swimming World Championships, the 2010 FIFA World Cup, 2012 Africa Cup of Nations and the current 2014 Africa Nations Championship or Chan amongst others and time has arrived for us to acknowledge and accept the grace with which these acts of sports wish to teach us and show us. Perhaps to our expectations and hopes in certain areas of development these events have left us labouring in vain, but in our character as South Africans and Africans a little we have been transformed into knowing that we are as a body, a people called Africa.

Though only 6307 occupied the 45 000 sitting capacity of the Peter Mokaba stadium to support DR Congo versus Mauritania and Burundi versus Gabon. I saw a glimpse of a Africa I know we sometimes silently know it can become. This is the revelation that Mandela had long before the rest of us, about what this kind of gathering does for a people. Seeing Sport for what it truly is, a unifier.

In the interests of his efforts in the struggle against apartheid, Peter Mokaba if he was there to witness in the same lenses what I saw, he would have smiled a rainbow smile for what his name was carrying inside the open hands of the stadium.

Pictures: Rent Minds

  

Africa Insider: The Beginning

https://soundcloud.com/africainsider/africa-insider-the-beginning

There is always something about the beginning that is empowering. It is more than a phrase. It is a wholesome and liberating feeling that fills everything with hope.

This is the beginning of something that began a long time in secret places. A vision to unveil a  new day in this continent.