Monday, June 24, 2013

The Land Question

Okes. Hope I meet you all in good health? anyways... so I have finally plucked up the courage to write this rather unsettling political piece. You see, I’m a very political being- but being invested in debates and arguments that are centred in the idea of race. Mate- I have had little interest in all of that.

Unfortunately, recent events have been a stark reminder that we still have people who suffer from the stereotypical mentality that racial dissonance was designed to achieve in the first place

Just recently- I was called a ‘white messenger’ for saying we need to work with each other to find ways to ensure ‘equitable distribution of land to ALL present inhabitants.’ The Pile of Excrement!!! Of course I was tempted to swear and belittle his ignorant, insensitive and political illiterate self, and for having the audacity to show the world his reasoning capacity smaller to that of a nut!!! But I didn’t.

You see, the land question is another thing bedevilling race relations in this country. It really halts us from reaching racial integration, social unity and harmony. Every time the subject comes up, most people just show their lunacy.

It cannot be denied that most blacks in South Africa were dispossessed of their land through apartheid policies. And yes, white people did leave their ancestral land & came to brutally murder & harass black people in Africa. Our grandparents- parents, sisters and brothers, like animals- were assassinated- that issue CANNOT be taken blithely; its history- our heart-wrenching history and we will NEVER forget! And I'm ALL for people being compensated for wrongs done to them in the past.

Someone said- “The rights of the original owners are paramount and cannot be disputed.” And that is truer than the truth! The past few weeks I was in Sterkspruit, the sadness I felt when I saw places like Ugie, Indwe and Elliot with so much land, but with white predominance!! It was depressing, and even more heart wrenching when I saw black people squashed up at some filthy street corners, buried so deep in the vicious cycle of poverty that they don’t see a way out. The sight was even more despicable knowing that they demand ‘their’ land EVERY day, the land that will allow them to live in dignity. It made me think, ‘we haven’t risen up against our oppressors.’

You see, Black people were Promised Land in the run-up to the first election during 1994, and the government has the power to enforce the acquisition of the desired land to live up to that promise [and I’ll try and deviate from the fact that involved various government departments and institutions such as the Landbank fail to oversee this crucial matter. I’ll try!]- However, be that as it may, I find inhabiting 80% of it downright selfish!!

Yes- maybe whites have no claim to the land in this country but why dispossess one ethnic group in order to give to another? Do we really need to change the system to anarchy?

The issue is sensitive, but its matters we don't really comprehend that we solely approach with raw, primitive emotion. South Africa, you cannot rectify one mistake with another. And not occupying the rest of the country does not mean we don’t own the rest of it. We and I mean rational people of ALL races should determine how we could save our land. It shouldn’t be about "who was here first"-but better management of land than it is at present!

And to the bigots, racist remarks and the outrageous reading of history will not build- but break South Africa. We have, in a way or another- experienced the same prejudicial outlook on life, but we have also allowed our attitudinal ineptness and addled psychological prowess to be cleansed. That said, I hope you open your eyes and see all obstacles in your way.


And on a brighter note, I think the Land Tenure Security Bill is a pretty suave move.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Blog Explained...

"Nothing to me is taboo. If you read anything you consider taboo, shameful, repugnant or maybe disrespectful- stop reading now. As black people we are taught to never talk about your shortfalls or imperfections because the enemy will rejoice. I don’t believe in that. Well they could rejoice, but I believe we are all in the same struggle as human beings (more especially women). We are looking for the same answers and saying the same prayers. Who knows, maybe in one of my inserts I could potentially help you with a challenge you are facing, through my challenges.
Don’t judge me through my posts. I’m living this life the best way I know how."- http://namsunrestricted.wordpress.com

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Why exactly do we pray on Face book?

The minute you finish reading this piece, some of you will probably spit fire! I may come across as arrogant and judgmental, but just know I tried to be civilized and understanding, and my sincere apologies to those I’m about to offend, but at some point we all need to speak our minds. And yes feel free to educate my ignorance! ok enough with the preamble now, let's get tucked in.

“Trying to please everyone is one of the quickest routes to entering the madhouse.” One hell of a controversial soul once tweeted.

Cliche and exhausting I know, but we can never deny the truth entwined in it, and so I've decided to tackle this case piece by piece, starting with religion; our brothers and sisters.
But before I say anything, may I ask something? When was the last time you actually prayed in your room, or did the silent prayer without the world having to know about it? Today? Last week? Before Face book? Only you would know. Those who have face book will know what prompted the question (unless your “friends” don’t pray there, and if they don’t, then they sure deserve a medal), the continuous “father I need more of you, or I’m sorry for I have sinned” status updates, and there’s more. Once again, I hope we don’t confuse this with preaching and (or) testimony. Allow me to explain.

A testimony is what God (or whatever higher power you believe in) has done for you, all the wonders and beauty, including your trials just to be where you are today. Something for the world to know what an amazing God he is, so they might consider converting themselves to Christianity. There’s actually more to this than to what I’ve said. And I might not be saying it well, but at least it’s just a snap shot to what I know, just to differentiate the two. You can also click here for more on Testimony (and please be open minded when reading the definition): http://www.thefreedictionary.com/testimony

But let’s not waste time on that. Moving right along; I don’t know how many times I’ve actually set down and tortured my brains trying to understand this. It may appear as cute to some, and important as well, but let’s be honest here, and stop beating around the bush. Now I ask, when you pray on face book, are you still praying to your God, or seeking “likes” from your dearest “friends”? And if it’s a prayer between you and your God/gods, then what are we to do with it unless you want our approval? Can’t you keep it to yourself, and pray to your God and not to the world? Maybe I’m obsolete I don’t know, but I’m well flummoxed here, and yes I’m well aware of the question face book imposes: “what’s on your mind”, and that you post what you like, I know. And again, I won’t deny how amazing some of the prayers are, they are very constructive and informative, and the truth is I love some of them.

But what baffles me here (and which brings me to my point) is what this has done to our minds, that if you don’t post religious updates, you’re being led astray (wherever you are). Believe me, it has happened to me. A certain someone I happen to know gave me a leg after my continuous “general” updates. Fortunately I was kind enough to tell him to kindly go face the wall, but then that’s not the case here. However I couldn’t help but wonder: Should I post to impress? Should I post to maintain my reputation now? Whose rule is it, and why? People often forget that reputation doesn’t necessary determine who you are, your character is who you are, and that is something you should be concerned about, not reputation. And something that your God is concerned about too. I believe I stand correct there.

I’ve seen some people feeling particularly crummy after logging onto the site and scrolling through others' “attractive” chipper status updates. And I don’t know whether to blame the site, or the users, but this has proved to have a special power to make us sadder and lonelier which is actually sad: by showcasing the most witty, joyful, bullet-pointed versions of people's lives, and inviting constant comparisons in which we tend to see ourselves as the losers while some lead perfect lives. If we only wanted to be happy it would be easy; but we want to be happier, and in this case we can say holier than other people. It’s like being in a play, you just make a character. Such hypocrisy! but for how long do we have to keep up with this may I ask? I know we express ourselves in different ways and it is in different ways that the Lord speaks to us, but who are you trying to convince?

“If you’ve spoken to Him, then why would you turn & speak to others? Are they your providers or is YOUR God YOUR provider?” said Pastor Jide from Livewire church on the 12th 08 service! (I'll let you and your mind have a conversation on that one).

If only people could refrain from putting this holier than thou persona on here, especially on Sundays! I keep thinking!

I’d go to dating, but hey let me stop before some of you start taking the batteries out of the sky remote. And anyway, I hate playing Deputy Jesus over people’s lives. Who am I to stop you from telling us about your dreams and what you need God to do in your life, and who you’ve helped where and why? Let me not stop you, go on and bless us with your prayers, and excuse my ignorance. Light and Peace to ALL!

Friday, August 10, 2012

The saint and the little sweet sinner!

Days I watched life from the windows of her womb
Warm and carefree
Blinking in the sunlight
Shining in the star light
And now my being is here
In the middle of the jungle
The depths of reality, but I still fail to see the difference
Unconditional love, yes there is such a thing
Like exclamation marks,
her love stands erect
and I refuse to let well deserved compliments be solitary confined
The words never said, but shown

A year has passed since I wrote you something,
And this time it’s poles apart from the last one
 Maybe because I have grown,
Grown to what you have been moulding since the twilight of the 9th of August 1992
Me your star
You my blessing

Like couples giving extensive thoughts to ways and means
Of pleasing each other
You stood your ground well
My flaws: standing rough here and there
You have filled down the scratches on this side
Planning a bit of that side,
carving a piece,
bending this section slightly
Varnishing, dusting, waxing, polishing
Until at last, you earned joy and beauty

You have given me a sense of freedom mama
Never given things on a silver plata
You have given me its tools
Touching the pulse of my existence,
You have thought me to let it ring

Ringing the bells of my heart with your Tarzan ways
I speak of the continuous mother and daughter fight,
You made me hate you
You made me love you
I have made a remarkable observation of your being MamQocwa
To love, but to never abandon my individuality
To respect, but never allow myself to be boxed in anyone’s unnecessary rigid rules
Self-importance: a prime importance for every woman
To value my inner AND physical beauty
You are the light charting the way forward

By your actions you speak
Your silence so loud it shakes the grounds of my universe
I have observed,
I have learned
Learned not to base my happiness and success on the nod of a head unknown
A head of a stranger,
But my head

Moods,
villains waiting in the wings of every being
A song of every soul,
and none has ever completely conquered this sub-conscious little demon
but you have taught me to bless humanity with a smile
cut windows in my selfishness, and allow the eyes to look out
A verse I carry everyday

And when I walk down on the edge of the dark side
When thunder claps and lightning flashes
In the world of heartbreak drop-byes
where one’s presence is vital,
the hope in your eyes is what I cling to
The light of my shadow
The macrocosm of the whole world
Always the one to draw power from my dead batteries
A contrary to the well-known notion
You always know how to spin my wheels
A sweet curse
The abbreviation of time,
forever found inside your arms.

like a soul shovelling earth on top of a buried box,
the significant aura you exude has finally found a proper place
Like a seam of gold,
Buried in the chambers of the heart
You have it on lock
I love you. I Love me. I am you
And so I have been told

It’s true what they say isn’t it?
A woman’s best friend is her mother
Like a lovely book you bubble on
and because of your existence
I’m certain of God’s existence,
You introduced me to love

Your beauty:  mirrored in everything around you
Your innocence: you preserve it,
You protect it
And you stand up for it

The woman in me, you cure herself induced amnesia
“Let love reign.” Your verse. My verse.
God’s manifestation, yes you are
And I pray that He keeps you safe and happy mama
Happy women’s month MaZikhali
and to ALL women of this society, 
I am moved by you.
Let love win!
I love you