it is afrika day. afrika liberation day.
and as afrikans we can do one of two things. one: pontificate about how there’s nothing to celebrate and go on like it’s just another friday. or, two: we can recommit ourselves to working for the true liberation of afrika and afrikans.
we know that there’s work to do. none of it can be done through whining and pessimism.
afrika is my beginning and afrika is my ending. like a tree, i can’t uproot myself. and i want my children to have something to celebrate. so, i’m going to do the work that needs to get done to make Afrika truly free.
Africa My Beginning, Africa My Ending by Ingoapele Madingoane
Africa my Beginning
They came from the west
Sailing to the east
With hatred and disease flowing
From their flesh
And a burden to harden our lives
They claimed to be friends
When they found us friendly
And when foreigner met foreigner
They fought for the reign
Exploiters of Africa
Africa my beginning
And Africa my endingThey asked Mugabe
Unataka nini hapa
Wewe mwenyewe
He said binadamu zote
Ni ndugu zake za Africa
Nimefika nirudishie
Nchi zazimbabwe
Mimi ni mwenyewe
In Africa my beginning
And Africa my endingSuckers of my country
They laid their sponges
Flat on its soil and absorbed its resources
To fill their coffers
Agostinho had spoken in the language of poets
That they went away in multitudes
And forgot their hearts behind
But late is never a bad start in
Africa my beginning
And Africa my endingNo easy way to freedom
Ten lonely years black hopeful men
Food being their wish
Courage their pay
Until Africa was respected
For a leader had emerged
From the bush to Maputo
Viva frelimo
Africa my beginning
And Africa my endingI remember ja toivo
Namibia is not lost
Nujoma is not idle he’d be coward if he was
You might as well know Germany
In no more in
Africa my beginning
And Africa my endingAzania here I come
from apartheid in tatters
in the land of sorrow
from that marathon bondage
the sharpville massacre
the flames of Soweto
I was thereI will die there
In Africa my beginning
And Africa my endingLets do something
Mbopha
