Way back in 1989, I read a book titled the Stone Country! It was a series of literature books which I had to read during my A level studies at Ilboru High School. The book talked about the hardships Black South Africans were experiencing during the Apartheid regime. The stories and agony were touching. Although I was far from Soweto, Googuletu, Kwa Zulu Natal and other provinces where the majority blacks lived, I could still feel connected. I felt bad about how Black South Africans were treated. Sadly, it was happening in their own soil. We read about the ANC struggle, we joined them by giving the little that we had- either materially or morally!
George Adams was one of the leaders in the struggle (a character in the book). He organised leaflets, flyers, and such literature to pass on the ANC message to the people. In the course, he was arrested, tortured and imprisoned. I think he got killed as well. An interesting character was Kasbahkid! He grew up in a violent and poverty stricken province in Soweto. He saw his mother and sisters raped and killed, his dad and brothers killed, neighbours raided, raped, tortured and killed. As a way of defending himself and surviving, he killed others, robbed and ended up behind bars. The torture he went through was beyond words! To a big extent the characters represented a true picture of what was happening in South Africa during the struggle for political independence. Most Africans and white moderates sympthasised and joined the struggle!
In 1984, a ray of hope surfaced. Mr.Nelson Madiba Mandela was sworn in as the first Black South African after spending more than 27 years behind bars. Many feared of revange but it wasn't so. The man at the helm preached peace and reconcilliation. Today, whites and blacks work and wonder around in harmony. Blocks for whites and blacks are still vivid todate though.
In 1999, I met two South African brothers in the Netherlands. We were in the same class at Hoge School Van Utrecht. From the discussions that we had about South Africa and Africa in general, they seemed not to have being following up what was happening outside South Africa during the struggle. Sometimes they were defensive whenever you mentioned that Mozambicans did this and that to assit or Tanzanians had a hand on a,b,c, d! For them it was okay but so what? That was not a guarantee for influx of illegal immigrants to S.A! I could understand their position, and at some points I agreed with them.
Talking about Africa, the Zulu friend, was quite uninterested. He did not see S.A being part of Africa! So if you talk about Africa- yes talk but inexclusion of S.A. Talk about Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Somalia, Nigeria e.t.c It was so offending to him to mention S.A in African discussions. At one time and infront of me, he uttered, “Africa? Africa? No. I am not coming from Africa. I come from South Africa!” Honestly, I was speechless. I couldn’t1 say a word, and thought probably he was trying to impress the white girls who had asked whether we were coming from Africa.
What is happening in South Africa today is a reflection of such mentalities. The majority of the youth South Africans who do not know and neither care about the history of the continent and South Africa as a country are the ones carrying out such shocking assaults and massacre to their own brothers and sisters. They are so blinded that they can’t see beyond their dispeakable behaviour. The people whose parents sacrificed to see them liberated are now makwerekwere- the caterpillar that feeds on feaces! This is very insulting.
They should know that those they kill, rape and injure are fellow Africans who are trying to make ends meet and at the sametime forge a sense of African Unity. A sense of unity is not forged by leaders sitting in Arusha and talk. It is forged by people who dare to move out of their territories and conquer the other territory. This time round no AK 47 is needed. People meet, they establish contacts, they agree, they mary and have kids and the clan grows. Thus the say, life is how you make it. History has taught us that those who dared to venture were always successful. I urge black South Africans to stop the madness! If they want to be successful, they should learn to ‘get out of the box.’ And see a bigger picture! They should know that there is a lot of life in otherparts of the continent. Karibu Tanzania, Karibu East Africa and venture!