Yho umAfrika undilahlile

Haz' ukuba ndeenzani na?
Sono sam yintoni na?
Ubugqi obungaka kweli lizwe
Inkohlakalo engaka kulo mhlaba
Owu mawethu, igqwirha elandithakathaka sela sweleka, ndiyacinga
Kodwa ubugqirhwa balo bundihleli okwe meva emxhadini
Ndijikwele nangulo bendisilwa naye ubuhlanga
Ndilityelwe nangulo bendimncedisa ukulwa ukubalulwa ngesini
Ndindedwa ndililolo, inkomo edla yodwa
Baphi na ababengamahlwempu ndawonye nam?
Sisokola sithuthuzelana sikhuthazana sonke elokishini?

Yho umAfrika undilahlile, ndingumAfrika mna kuqala, mandikhe ndizibuze?
Ngoba ndoniwa nanguye umAfrika
Undijulele lee kwingcuka ukuba zindiqwenge
Namhlanje ubumna asibubo ubuAfrika
Kunamhlanje inkululeko ifikile, ooTseko Simon Nkoli balityelwe
Singooswelindawo, oNoluvo mntwan' omntu, phumla ngoxolo sisi
Awuwedwa nabanye sebephambili
Esaba xuthwa ngamarhancwa ebesiba ngabantakwethu

Lumkani maAfrika, yakheleni umkhanyo le nto
Hleze nilahle imbo ngophoyiyana
Niyilibale indebe endala
Yokuba umntu ngumntu ngabantu
Nenzele undwendwe, owasemzini, umyurophu ikhaya eAfrika, ngeliphandle ubuntu
Abanye abantu babeyimindlwambe eniyitshutshisayo niyincika
Bayaphela oodadebethu nabantakwethu apha phandle
Siyaphela isizwe samaAfrika nijongile
Zemk' iinkomo zobawo magwala ndini
Ndiyekeni mathenjwa ndini ndizityande igila
Imbongi ayinatyala ibhodla ekuphakiweyo

When you realise that you are your only GUARANTEE

When you realise that you are your only GUARANTEE in this life

That everything is a variable and you are the constant

You find that there’s no other choice but to rely on yourself

More so than ever if you are poor, queer, trans, from a broken family

Black, from the ghetto, extremely neglected by your parents

You learn to cheer for yourself, become a cheerleader for self

Learning about yourself as if you were dating yourself

Giving yourself attention and affording yourself understanding.

You notice your best option is to love yourself, accept yourself

Respect yourself, protect yourself, parent yourself, befriend yourself

Discipline yourself, reinvent yourself if the need arises

Exercise kindness towards self and be polite with self

You start esteeming yourself, confiding to yourself and building more confidence in yourself

You worship, adore, admire, love and honour yourself

Being loving to self through actions towards self, words about self, 

Decisions take for self and thoughts about self

Your life becomes very personalised

Subjective and real, at least with respect to you

You live for yourself, by yourself, in yourself

Your experience becomes validated and legitimised by yourself

You start feeling appreciated and valued by you

You become the producer, distributor and consumer of your own story

Owning every piece of it: the good, the bad and the ugly

Choose whomever, whenever and whatever to share

You become a fully realised agent, able to actualise self

This is before others come and join you in your beautiful house

Then you share this world with them and allow them to share theirs with you

Indeed two beautiful worlds are better than one

However two terrifying worlds are far worse off than one

So this realisation of self-love become a guarantee of being well-off

By yourself or in a relationship

Therefore invest in yourself, bet on yourself and believe in yourself

Umbongo ngokumanyana kwamaAfrika

MaAfrika, maAfrika, ndiyakhuza, maAfrika

Mlisela nomthinjela womzi waseAfrika ndiveni

Khanizibaze okomvundla niphulaphule

Imbongi ayinatyala ibhodla okuphakiweyo

Nanku umba, nantsi inyewe, nanku umdla-mzi

Safa sibulalana singamaAfrika ngenxa yobuzwe

Aphela amathemba, atshona amalanga, siphathana kakubi

Wawa umAfrika ewiswa sisandla somnye

Waxatyelwa umkhuluwa exhelwa ngumniniwe wakhe

Kubi abadala bayabuza iZenobani, omnye uyaphendula: IzenoFobiya?

Kaloku esikwaziyo kukolula isandla kwabamhlophe sixolele

Sizincutshe ekubulaleni abantakwethu, andithi?

Bawele icingo bezobhenela kuthi, njengoko nathi sasenjenjalo kucinezelo lwethu

Kodwa sabandulula, sibabhula, sibajonga ngeentshiya ezimnyama, sibafungela ngophakathi

Lo nto ibhadlile le nto ingumYurophu iphinda ikhomba umnwe apha kuthi

Ithi bajongeni, zizilwanyana kodwa aba bantu, ngoku bayaqwengana

Ndiyanibongoza maAfrika masiyekeni ukubulalana

Abasetyhini nabathanda isini sinye 

Namanye amaAfrika ezinye izizwe masibambisane nabo

Singabatyesheli ecaleni sithi sithi sodwa amaAfrika okwenene

Oodade nabantakwethu bakwamanye amazwe masisebenzisane nabo

Amaqaba singawadeleli, amahlwempu neenkedama singawalibali

Umlisela nomthinjela simkhumbule.

Masingavumini tu ukuthelekiswa ngabasemzini

Sonke thina bantwana bomgquba singabantwana beAfrika 

Ngoko ke kumele sibambisane

Ingcuka izirhuqile esibayeni iinkomo zobaw’ omkhulu

Masibengamakhalipha, ingqondi sizibuyise ngobulali

Siqondane notshaba olujongene nokusahlula

Lusihlula-hlule, lusabe, lusoyise

Masiphaphameni simanyane

Hleze sivuke nathi sesingabathinjiweyo kwelo yis’ omkhulu

Masazini ukuba akukho esinokwenza sisodwa

Kodwa sikunye, siyimbumba yaseAfrika, umkhosi wabantsundu soba lulutho

Mvumeleni ke uMbo nomXesibe abe ngomnye wethu

MKhululeni uMnguni noMSuthu abe sisizwe esinye nathi

AmaMpondomise, maka mise iimpondo enjenje ukulungisa

AbaThembu mabavusele isazela kumaAfrika onke, njengabesithembu

UZulu makakhulule amandl’ ezulu asixhobise

AbaThwa mabasiqondise iindlela ezithe tye zasemandulo

Masikhumbululeni ukuba singamaAfrika, siphuma sizalweli sinye sonke siphela

Ugqibile ukuyinabisa umzululwana kaJada indaba, yena, sethethile, 

Sitshilo isizukulwana sikaSibiside, uMalanganga kaMnguni kaAfrika

Sathi amaAfrika makamanyane ukususela ezantsi ukuyakutsho emntla-Afrika

UJola uwaphosile amazwi kwabandlebe zivaya

UJolinkomo, uNgwanya, UMphankomo, uQengeba 

Ugqogqi iindlebe ezimomeneyo bubuthulu

UMfaz’ obele lide oncancisa nangaphayo komfula,

Uqhuqha inkwethu emehlweni wamaAfrika

Kukuni ke ukuba niyakuva okanye nizenze izithulu

Kukuni ke ukuba niyakubuya nibone, okanye nozenza iimfama

Kukuni ukuba nakungamhoyi uNjuza, uS’thukuthezi, uHakaha uHodoshe 

Lo uthandwa mhla kukubi, uyithethile ebeyithunyiwe

Livumeleni ke ithole loMthwakazi lihle, nehlombe limkile

Ndisatsho: Imbongi ayinatyala ibhodla okuphakiweyo

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While we are #FeesMustFall...

They are preparing for war,
They are arming themselves;

While we are positioning ourselves
For a revolution that will yield social justice;
They are building an army,
They are erecting high walls for defence;
They will not just watch as these systems fall.
At least "not without a fight", it has been said.

They know how to keep the kaffirs away
Using trickery like the days of old when they came into our villages.
Brute force is too obvious, so they advocate for state sanctioned violence
They campaign for private securities to man-handle us
Old tactics don't work anymore, but old tactics silence our own
To the front line jail will do, to the rest fear mongering

They cannot loot our knowledge systems without a rebellion.
Their theories are subject to us, our lived experiences
Not the other way around


Even the most liberal of them knows how to keep us at bay
"If this woke bunch hates being UCT students so much, pl[ea]s[e] help them out of their misery and withdraw their funding"
That is the formula: economically to exclude us from get an education
Surely to hinder our upward mobility and therefore economic freedom
And that is how they keep us away
Thus the vicious cycle spirals
However spirals it does but out of control 
Giving birth to amaFeesMustFall
For our I heard in a taxi umama
La maFeesMustFall asaqhuba?
Ewe, the spirit doesn't die

Away, away! (Away!)  Away, away! (Away!)

Away from our ancestral land, away! (Away!)
Away from our self determination, away! (Away!)
Away from us gaining true independence, away! (Away!)

Yes we want to gain independence from them who created our condition

They are preparing for war and want us not to take stock

And this time they will take no prisoners.
They have taught their young old values 

With either tremendous success or utter failure
Facebook, Twitter and comments on other platforms have shown this
Thus the contradictions continue.

The ones for centuries who claimed to know it all, now plead ignorance about our plight

Those who claimed racism doesn't exist are evidence of its existence.
The supposedly morally superior are revealing themselves to be the worst enemies of humanity

Of course, this we have always known
History and the destruction of nature have been our witnesses

The one's who have swart gevaar anxieties, 

Are exposing themselves for the violent creatures they have always been since Black welcomed White into her home

History shouts: fear them but abadala convinced us they no longer harmful
They try to make the world think that it's the other way around
The contradictions and fallacies never cease with amaYurophu and their systems!

However we are deciphering epistemologies that try to assimilate us.
We are rejecting systems that seek to silent us, even the least of us.
We are defying rules that seek to keep us enslaved.

We are bypassing the limits they claimed we had.
We are rejecting deals that our elders negotiated with them
And we are telling them they were negotiated in bad faith.

Surely that is a concept they understand, since their Law recognises it.

They keep telling us that they voted for our freedom: Lies! 
How many times did they vote for our oppression?

There is ironically an event, that one can't help but find humour in it, that actually happened
Where whites-only voted in a national referendum, preposterous, I know! Lol!

In their minds yet again the white saviour came to our rescue, 

Dashing in silver English armour to deliver the natives.
From who shall I ask? And there the irony continues.

In my opinion that was the devil waging one last war against us
That of seeking to erase history, our history and what we know of them.

Dim the events and receive praise for our emancipation from their kin.
A feel-good ploy, one that the devil never thought of implementing

For if I was him, I would go to heaven humble himself
And receive the crown of humility, yet I digress

They debunk taking responsibility for the mess of their fathers yet always reference

Nongqawuse, Shaka Zulu and many figures in our history to explain our condition
Kodwa irony is synonymous with Europe, I tell you.

The very least they can do is advocate for #FeesMustFall using all that stolen capital
That their glorious volatile system is named after and based upon
Yes they must make sure that #Fees fall 

Instead of celebrating majoritarianism when they want universities to open

They will lament when there's a blacks only referendum on the land issue

They must now do what they failed to do 25 years ago

Let go and restore what THEY broke by allowing things to fall.

I am a radical BLACK Queerist

I am a radical BLACK Queerist*: I only fight for black queers. Long have white queers used our bodies to get "rights" then ditch us. #NoMore

I am a radical BLACK Queerist: I only fight for black queers. Long have black cishets used our bodies in the "black" struggle & then kill us

I'm a radical BLACK Queerist: I only fight for black queers. Long have black heteros used our bodies for numbers in "black" struggle&hate us

I'm a radical BLACK Queerist: I only fight for POOR black queers. Long have other black queers, left us in the ghettoes because we're GHETTO

I'm a radical BLACK Queerist: I only fight for POOR black queers. Long have other cisgendered LGB+ people hated us for our hyperfemininity!

I'm a radical BLACK Queerist: 'cause I'm POOR, black, trans, queer, anti-normative, gay, from the Ghetto&am Ghetto, forgotten, hated, hunted

I am a Radical BLACK QUEERIST because I did not choose this and therefore I have no other option.

*Queerist: ghetto queer

Umbongo ngothando lwesini sinye

Gqaba gqaba!

Mandigqabazelise nje ngala magqabantshintshi

Ndithi alukho usana olungenanina

Mandigawule ndiwarhuqa, mawethu

Sizwe sakwantu, nina nimbal’ omdaka

Nzala kaNtu, ntsana zabantsundu

BaNguni sizukulwana saseAfrika

Ewe kaloku nini amaAfrika okwenene

Nangona umhlaba nawuhluthwayo

Mvaba ngemvaba zomzi waseAfrika

Sizukulwana sikaPhalo: maXhosa, MaGcaleka nani booRharhabe

BaThembu, BaThwa, maMpondo namaMpondomise

MaGqunukhwebe, MaMfengu, MaBhaca naMaBomvana,

MaHlubi, BaMbo, sizukulwana sikaSenzangakhona

NinabakaMoshoeshe, nanibakaMzilikazi

Nina nonke nisesinyini saseAfrika nasemntla-Afrika

Ndivumeleni ndityatyadule

Ndenjenje ukuzityand’ igila

Imbongi ayinatyala, ibhodla okuphakiweyo

Iphina na intaka exhwith’ uboya bamantshontsho wayo

Ithi yakha umzi?

Silwane sini esithi sivukele inzala yaso sithi silwa umzingeli?

Ke ..., nto enaniyibona phi le niyenzayo?

Masikizi mani laa nizimise ukuqhuba ngawo?

Nanikhe nayivaphi into yokubulala umntu ngenxa yothando?

Nithi ukuthanda isini esinye asisubo ubuAfrika

Kodwa ndiyabona ukubulula nokudlwengula bubo bona, andithi?

Xa iintombi zenu niziqwengwa okwexhalanga,

Nithi udyakalashe makathini?

Niyimele into yokuba luhlazo ukubona amanina embatha ngangubo nye

Nithi nidlwengula ezintsana ngenxa yokuthando isini esinye

Aniboni tu ukuzichana kwenu kubhontsi?

Ayaphi na amanina azokuzilela ooPhumeza Nkolonzi nooSihle Sikoji?

Isihlwele sona siyasiva isikhalo sabo oo Disebo Gift Makau

Khanimeni ndibuze: Aniyilahlanga indlela kodwa?

Nto naniyiva ngabani le yokungcungcuthekisana?

Hayini maAfrika ndiyanqanda,

Khaniyikhele umkhanyo noko le nto?

Nigrenyana nje, ningagqibani!

Kuya kuphela nini ukudlana izithende kulo umzi wamaAfrika?

Kuyakuphela nini ukunukana silusapho lwamaAfrika?

Lo wethu umzi nithi uyakuze ume kwisini na?

Ewe ukufa kusembizeni.

Kodwa umqomi wayo sanukuvuma ukuba ibenini!

Ezinye intlanga zenza intlekisa ngani

Ziyabizana zithi: bajongeni ooxam bayaphaxulana

Nanikhe nababona na abasemzini bezikhohlakalele iintsana zabo?

Ndiyanikhuza ngoba abaMhlophe bayagqumana umhlane

Babumbene okwedongwe, bekhusela iintsana zabo:

Ke nina noyiswa yintoni ukubambana noba anivisisani?

Olona tshaba nilubonayo, kukubona amadoda kumandlalo mnye na?

Lisebenzile iqhinga lomtyholi apha kuni.

Oyena mgqiba mzi nimvayo kukuthandana kwamadoda, andithi?

Iinkomo zobawo zamnkiswa kukubona amanina ethandana, kwisini?

Imihlaba yaxuthwa kuba kwabhentsiswa le nyewe, yaveziswa esihleni?
Ewe kaloku kwantlandlo le nto ibisenzeka
Qha into yokuba kungathethwa ngayo, ibe yimfihlo, ayiyisusi tu kwimbali

Yhe utshaba lunididile, luniphixanisile lanishuya niqwengana

Lona lizandla sizumsulwa, oko phezulu

Asilulo na oluzengodlame lanifundisa ukubulalana xa ningavumelananiyo?

Aniboni na ukuba sithelekisiwe omnye nomnye?

Bona bayabulalana na, khanizibuze?
UMelika uyamvukela uMyurophu?
Iintlanga ezihluthe ubutyebi bethu, ingaba ziyazingelana na?

Njengokuba nitshabalalisana; ningalibali ukuba bona bayakhana

Ngoku ke thina kutheni singenakusebenzisana?

Ukungaboni ngaso linye akutsho ukukhuphana iliso

Ndithetha bukhali ndenziwa yintlungu
Ndinitywatyusha nje ndenziwa kukunithanda
Ndiyanithanda maAfrika nonke niphele
Njalo ngokwahlukana kwenu, ningabasekhaya, eAfrika
Imbongi ayinatyala ibhodla ekuphakiweyo
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iIntersectionality lena yeyaseAfrika, sithi ukuyibiza buBuntu

Gqaba gqaba!

Mandigqabazelise nje ngala magqabantshintshi

Ndithi alukho usana olungenanina

Mandigawule ndiwarhuqa, mawethu

Sizwe sakwantu, nina nimbal’ omdaka

Nzala kaNtu, ntsana zabantsundu

BaNguni sizukulwana saseAfrika

Ewe kaloku nini amaAfrika okwenene

Nangona umhlaba nawuhluthwayo

Mvaba ngemvaba zomzi waseAfrika

Sizukulwana sikaPhalo: maXhosa, MaGcaleka nani booRharhabe

BaThembu, maMpondo namaMpondomise

MaGqunukhwebe, MaMfengu, MaBhaca naMaBomvana,

MaHlubi, BaMbo, sizukulwana sikaSenzangakhona

NinabakaMoshoeshe, nanibakaMzilikazi

Nina nonke nisesinyini saseAfrika nasemntla-Afrika

Ndivumeleni ndityatyadule

Ndenjenje ukuzityand’ igila

Imbongi ayinatyala, ibhodla okuphakiweyo

Iphina na intaka exhwith’ uboya bamantshontsho wayo

Ithi yakha umzi?

Silwane sini esithi sivukele inzala yaso sithi silwa umzingeli?

Ke ..., nto enaniyibona phi le niyenzayo?

Masikizi mani laa nizimise ukuqhuba ngawo?

Nanikhe nayivaphi into yokubulala umntu ngenxa yothando?

Nithi ukuthanda isini esinye asisubo ubuAfrika

Kodwa ndiyabona ukubulula nokudlwengula bubo bona, andithi?

Xa iintombi zenu niziqwengwa okwexhalanga,

Nithi udyakalashe makathini?

Niyimele into yokuba luhlazo ukubona amanina embatha ngangubo nye

Nithi nidlwengula ezintsana ngenxa yokuthando isini esinye

Aniboni tu ukuzichana kwenu kubhontsi?

Ayaphi na amanina azokuzilela ooPhumeza Nkolonzi nooSihle Sikoji?

Isihlwele sona siyasiva isikhalo sabo oo Disebo Gift Makau

Khanimeni ndibuze: Aniyilahlanga indlela kodwa?

Nto naniyiva ngabani le yokungcungcuthekisana?

Hayini maAfrika ndiyanqanda,

Khaniyikhele umkhanyo noko le nto?

Nigrenyana nje, ningagqibani!

Kuya kuphela nini ukudlana izithende kulo umzi wamaAfrika?

Kuyakuphela nini ukunukana silusapho lwamaAfrika?

Lo wethu umzi nithi uyakuze ume kwisini na?

Ewe ukufa kusembizeni.

Kodwa umqomi wayo sanukuvuma ukuba ibenini!

Ezinye intlanga zenza intlekisa ngani

Ziyabizana zithi: bajongeni ooxam bayaphaxulana

Nanikhe nababona na abasemzini bezikhohlakalele iintsana zabo?

Ndiyanikhuza ngoba abaMhlophe bayagqumana umhlane

Babumbene oko dongwe, bekhusela iintsana zabo:

Ke nina noyiswa yintoni ukubambana noba anivisisani?

Olona tshaba nilubonayo kubona amadoda kumandlalo mnye?

Lisebenzile iqhinga lomtyholi apha kuni.

Oyena mgqiba mzi nimvayo kukuthandana kwamadoda na?

Iinkomo zobawo zamnkiswa kukubona amanina ethandana, andithi?

Imihlaba yaxuthwa kuba kwabhentsiswa le nyewe, yaveziswa esihleni?

Yhe utshaba lunididile, luniphixanisile lanishuya niqwengana

Lona lizandla sizumsulwa, oko phezulu

Asilulo na utshaba oluzenodlame lokubulalana xa ningavumelananiyo?

Aniboni na ukuba sithelekisiwe omnye nomnye?

Bona bayabulalana na, khanizibuze?

Njengokuba nitshabalalisana; ningalibali ukuba bona bayakhana

Iintlanga ezihluthe ubutyebi bethu, ingaba ziyazingelana na?

Ngoku ke thina kutheni singenakusebenzisana?

Ukungaboni ngaso linye akutsho ukukhuphana iliso

Esikwaziyo kukolula isandla kwabamhlophe sixolele

Sizincutshe ekubulaleni abantakwethu, andithi?

Bawele icingo bezobhenela kuthi, njengoko nathi sasenjenjalo kucinezelo lwethu

Kodwa sabandulula, sibabhula, sibajonga ngeentshiya ezimnyama, sibafungela ngophakathi

Lo nto ibhadlile le nto ingumYurophu iphinda ikhomba umnwe apha kuwe

Ithi bajongeni, zizilwanyana bayaqwengana

Ndiyanibongoza maAfrika

Abasetyhini nabathanda isini sinye

Namanye amaAfrika ezinye izizwe masibambisane nabo

Singabatyesheli oodade nabantakwethu, amaqaba singawadeleli

Amahlwempu neenkedama singawalibali

Umlisela nomthinjela simkhumbule.

Sonke thina bantwana bomgquba singabantwana beAfrika

Ngoko ke kumele sibambisane

iIntersectionality lena yeyaseAfrika, sithi ukuyibiza buBuntu

Ingcuka izirhuqile esibayeni iinkomo zobaw’ omkhulu

Masibengamakhalipha, ingqondi sizibuyise

Siqondane notshaba olujongene nokusahlula

Lusihlula-hlule, lusabe, lusoyise

Masiphaphameni simanyane

Hleze sivuke nathi sesingabathinjiweyo kwelo yis’ omkhulu

Masazini ukuba akukho esinokwenza sisodwa

Kodwa sikunye, siyimbumba yaseAfrika, umkhosi wabantsundu soba lulutho

Mvumeleni ke uMbo nomXesibe abe ngomnye wethu

MKhululeni uMnguni noMSuthu abe sisizwe esinye nathi

AmaMpondomise, maka mise iimpondo enjenje ukulungisa

AbaThembu mabavusele isazela kumaAfrika onke

UZulu makakhulule amandl’ ezulu asixhobise

AbaThwa mabasiqondise iindlela ezithe tye

Masikhumbululeni ukuba singamaAfrika, siphuma sizalweli sinye sonke

Ugqibile ukuyinabisa umzululwana kaJada indaba, sethethile,

Sitshilo isizukulwana sikaSibiside, uMalanganga kaMnguni kaAfrika

UJola uwaphosile amazwi kwabandlebe zivaya

UJolinkomo, uNgwanya, UMphankomo noQengeba ugqogqile iindlebe ezisithuli

UMfaz’ obele lide oncancisa nangaphayo komfula, uqhuqhile inkwethu emehlweni

Kukuni ke ukuba niyakuva okanye nizenze izithulu

Kukuni ukuba uNjuza, uS’thukuthezi, uHakaha uHodoshe nakungamhoyi

Lo uthandwa mhla kukubi, uyithethile ebeyithunyiwe

Livumeleni ithole loMthwakazi lihle lingene esidlangalaleni

Imbongi ayinatyala nangoku ibhodla okuphakiweyo

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