Monday, February 25, 2008
poetical musings from madibaland
in salt river,
observatory,
delft, the former district six
all neighbourhoods
of the scenic
and storied cape town
i encounter
kenyans and friends of kenya
all perplexed and concerned
about the carnage,
the uncertainty
and other consequences
of kibaki’s
electoral theft
in bez valley, bruma,
kensington
yeoville, hillbrow
and even within
pockets of leafy, plush sandton
and exclusive suburbian mid rand
all locales within
the city
nicknamed jozi and egoli
i accost
south africans
and kenyans in south africa
all hankering and wondering
about what we can do
do to heal kenya
do to restore democratic hope in kenya
do to reignite the forward march
of the justice train in kenya
this evening
i proceed to durban
where i hope to meet
sturdy dennis brutus
and his veteran comrades
exuding stubborn, hopeful determination
decades ago
kenyans
tanzanians
mozambicans
zambians, nigerians.
libyans
algerians
somalis
ethiopians
rwandese
cubans
americans
italians
japanese
and all those millions of people
rallied across the globe
for madiba and the fighting south african people
singing mayibuye i afrika
intoning nkosi sikilela
chanting amandla ngawethu
shouting
an injury to one is an injury to all
today it is the world’s turn to say to the kenyan nation
a people united shall never be defeated
solidarity forever
we shall overcome
a lutta continua
pambana!
kenyans
let us not wallow
in depression and desperation
let not give in to defeatism and despair
think of kenya as one giant prison with all our people
as political prisoners
as a former political prisoner
i can assure you
that the cold and massive maximum penitentiary walls
can not shut out
the warm and passionate strength
of international solidarity
today is a continuation
along the inevitable path
to our eventual national victory
victory over state terrorism
victory over cabinet level grand corruption
victory over elitist engineered tribal rancour
victory over post electoral thieves
so, let us this day
smile from ear to ear
right across from mombasa to malaba
moyale to namanga
onyango oloo
johannesburg, south africa
11:04 am local time