[Possibly as good a time as any to remind readers that while i don’t necessarily agree with all the points made in every post that is published on my blog, i do believe that the conversation and engagement with pieces like this is absolutely invaluable and i think it is so helpful to know and understand why people around us are thinking what they are. If you agree or disagree with anything in this post, jump into the comments section and let’s engage, but play nice]
Guest post by Nkosi Gola:
PW Botha once said: “the black man is only as good as singing and digging”. There is one thing that PW Botha never understood and that is the songs sung are not just songs they are an expression of the heart. The anger of the black people were carried in songs, therefore when PW Botha spoke about singing what he was talking about was the emotions of the blacks expressed in singing. It’s sad that he pointed out two contradicting actions, one was externally motivated (slavery) that is digging and the other was internally exasperated by the emotions (anger from hatred of slavery). This makes music a very powerful tool of expression. I was amazed when I heard that amazing grace was written by John Newton and the melody of the song is a black slave kind of melody and rhythm. This song was written as a conviction that slavery was wrong! What is more interesting about this song “amazing grace” is that the writer even uses the slavery rhythmic sound.
We need to understand that songs were a motivation, they were sung with a meaning, they were sung with a mission and they were sung with goals. There is a song that got Malema into hot ashes (Dubula ibhulu) that song was a motivation at the time. It was a response to a monstrous system that was tutoring the black child at the time. I do think and believe that “Dubula ibhulu” must be part of our history the rich history of South Afrika. I think this song as it was composed at the time it played a very vital role in encouraging those who were involved in the armed struggle. It should be part of the education of children today such that they would know then strength behind the things that they take for granted. Let me just try to expose the relevance of this song during the time:
1) In this time the people who were involved in the armed struggle went to fighting without being well resourced in-terms of weapons. The price was high and there were more chances of dying and being arrested. Because there were many who used Pangas, stones and petrol bombs as compared to those who were carrying guns there had to be a kind of motivation. Now the motivation either came from the cause itself of-which I do think that mostly it came from the cause. But also remember that the cause only has the power to drive an individual but the song carries the power to unite a group of people singing the same song and being driven towards the same goal this means that this song at this time was vital for retaliation regardless of the limitations. therefore this song must be part of our heritage.
2) In the battlefield not so many intellectuals were involved but they were only involved in the intellectual and diplomatic engagements with whites in trying to convince the whites that “we are also humans”. The only intellectuals who took a different approach from this kind of approach were only found in the 1960’s where PAC leadership was entirely arrested under the leadership of Robert Mangaliso Sobukhwe. This means that mostly people who were foot soldiers were uneducated as a result I have learned that many of the people who went into exile for military training of different political organisations are not so well resourced in terms of political education. Now the political education is never separate from resistance hence Steve Biko when defining black consciousness he does not leave out the process of resistance. Now if there is no much of political education what would have motivated the resistance if not a song? This song motivated the martyrs not to back down, not to retreat and not to surrender but to soldier on. therefore this song must be part of our heritage.
3) Also songs tells stories of a particular time, I think for those who did not live in the cities where they would know and understand the current issues regarding the struggle they would listen to songs and understand what more or less is happening. I remember as a young boy growing up there was a song that went like “Oliver Thambo thetha no botha akhulule u Mandela” (Oliver Tambo speak with Botha to release Mandela). Just by this song without being told of what was happening at the time anyone can just tell that Mandela is arrested and Mandela is the hope of the people and the current leader they have is Oliver Tambo. Now this shows that songs summarized issues. Now “dubula ibhulu” was a summary or what we can possible call a program of action for the time. Now if we all believe that every response that blacks gave as resistance was right in every right then this song should be embraced by us all. This song must be part of our heritage.
I further think that if we truly believe that every act of resistance that was during the apartheid years played a major role in bringing about what we see today and we do love and embrace what we see and also want for more than this in terms of improving and building up the country then the song “dubula ibhulu” is very much part of that hopes and actions and celebrations. I fail to understand why would we celebrate the picture of Hector Pieterson (The June 16 picture) and yet despise such a revolutionary song. Also as much as that picture of Hector Pieterson played such an incredible role in bringing about what we see today then “dubula ibhulu” is not less. I think in our museums we should have the lyrics of this song written because it carries so much pain and so much resistance in it.
The argument that this song incites violence and it led to the killing of Eugene Terreblanche I totally disagree with it. The thing is more black people are dying in our communities and there is no song that is sang that says “kill the blacks”. It is in the black townships where the murder rate is so high and not in the farms or suburbs where white people are found. Therefore more than anything else I think this song is a political statement and it is confrontational to the status quo if it was not then we would enjoy this song. The reason why there are some of us that are scared when this song is sang it is simple because the past is following them or they are still holding on to the past. This song when we look at it today we should see that it meant to pull down the system, to dis-anchor the superiority of one over the other. If I were to ask how many people died because this song was sang? I don’t think there will even be one reason being people don’t die because songs are sang. Im just reminded of a song by Lil Wayne (an American rapper) which says “I feel like dying” I have never heard of any person who listened to this song and committed suicide afterwards. I am imagining a country where both white and blacks sings this song together because it helped bringing salvation to those who were superior and those who were inferior but can we sing the same song if we live two different lives? Can we sing the same song if we live in two different worlds? I think part of the reason why this song is hard to sing for some is basically the guilt of the package of the past that we still carrying.
I can still remember that this song got Malema into court, there were complaints from members of the FF+. I can recall one of the intelligent responses of Malema in court he said “When Chris Hani was killed we were walking in streets of white suburbs and we were angry because the great leader who carried hope for us was killed, and we knew that he was killed by a white person but as angry as we were we never killed anyone for that, now today why would we kill anyone?” Either we must admit that there is a white and a black problem in South Afrika, or we continue to lie to ourselves. The problem is bigger than a song maybe a song does raise what is already there. If the white and the black problem was solved then we wouldn’t be worried of who sings what. Maybe new songs would have been composed that speaks of the current state of south Afrika. But because South Afrika is the same as the past then this makes “dubula ibhulu” more appealing to the person who was singing “dubula ibhulu” anfd makes “dubula ibhulu” bitter to whom “dubula ibhulu” was bitter. If anything was different then our reaction towards the song would have been different but because things are still the same then we have the same response. I am quite sure that there are many black people who feels like singing this song as they are confronted by whiteness daily. Whiteness confronts them at work place, schools, streets and everywhere else. Some are confronted by whiteness by being thought to be prostitutes, some same whiteness by being mistaken to a robber. Some are confronted by whiteness in toilets, where there are toilets written “whites only” 24 years later.
Who wouldn’t feel like singing this song if they were faced by the same realities of the past. I think this song comes because everything that is happening around these people is reminding them about the past where this song was relevant. Remember that the relevance of this song were determined by the conditions, now if the conditions defines the times when this song was relevant then shouldn’t this song be sung? This song again I say must be part of our heritage if we truly living in a new South Afrika but if not then let’s not sing this song so that our tolerance towards one another can be kept successfully.
I think also that a song carries the past and it talks about the present and it shapes how we can view the future, for example look into the church history we find the very reformation being recorded and written as hymns. According to Ps Hombana, Hymns dealt with and deals with the conscience of the person. Hymns dealt with the inner man of a person, and they deal with such today. It was a situation of the black people that lead Tiyo Soga to write the hymn “Lizalise idinga lakho”, this song was a composition from the pain of Tiyo Soga when the Xhosa people were misled by nongqawuse to kill their cows such that this event in particular had a direct impact with slavery in SA. Now to the black people songs are an expression and motivation. The power of songs gave birth to factionalism in the politics of the ANC such that when Mbeki was to be removed there was a song that went like “u Zuma lo my president”. To us as black people we sing when in pain, we sing when happy we sing when working. Even in the circumcision school there are songs that are sang for that particular circumstance. Those are motivated by the situation there. Now to the black people songs are not just composed, for even our national anthem “Nkosi Sikelela I Afrika” this was a prayer. A deep and emotional prayer of a liberation fighter who saw the situation of black Afrika as not a blessing from God. This triggered a prayer that God may bless Afrika!!! Enoch Sontonga expressed his prayer in a song. Many revolutions were born from songs that were composed by individuals for groups. Songs were also sang as a form of preserving the truth in the olden days. That is the reason why one would find that in a middle of a story (fairy tale) there’s normally a song. This makes songs to be part of our heritage, unfortunately we are new in this whole thing of literature, and then this means that our heritage is still carried in songs and stories. if we were living in a new south Afrika we would all celebrate this song but because we are still not convinced that all that was happening in the past was wrong, we continuing with what was happening in the past today and when the reaction of the past (in a song is made) we start to get worried. This song must be part of the South Afrikan heritage.
Brett Fish: For the sake of those who do not know the song, here are the words and the translation:
Ayesab’ amagwala (Cowards are scared)
Dubula! dubula! dubula nge s’bhamu (Shoot, shoot, shoot them with a gun)
Dubul’ ibhunu (Shoot the boer)
Dubula! dubula! dubula nge s’bhamu (Shoot, shoot, shoot them with a gun)
Mama, ndiyeke ndidubul’ ibhunu (Ma, let me shoot the Boer)
Dubula! dubula! dubula nge s’bhamu (Shoot, shoot, shoot them with a gun)
Ziyareypa lezinja (These dogs rape)
Dubula! dubula! dubula nge s’bhamu (Shoot, shoot, shoot them with a gun)
[For other important conversations relating to Race and Reconciliation, click here]
While I agree that the song has historical value and should be recorded as part of South Africa’s collective past, I do not believe that political figures such as Julius Malema have pure intentions when they sing it today.
I don’t think for one moment that Malema is ignorant of the rage and bitterness Dubul’ ibhunu can evoke on both sides of the racial divide, much the same as I believe Steve Hofmeyer knows exactly what he’s doing when he sings Die Stem at Afrikaans music festivals.
The question we must ask is, what would serve South Africa better, dwelling on old hurts by listening to racially-loaded songs today, or choosing to move forward, once we have taken the time to understand their significance?
Maybe Mr Nicholson you will help us on how to choose to move forward, We are a nation that is nit healed. And the healing includes a whole lot of intentional acts which the white world refuses. Now just imagine if things were right in South Afrika wouldn’t this song be just a song and be part of our heritage? wouldn’t we sing this song just as we sing Shosholoza? I do believe that it wouldn’t mean so much such that we would send others in court. For me to choose to move forward to whites would mean to choose to restitute and to do justice and I think the ball is in the white court. Song is just a song, the problem is the black wound.
I dislike how you lay the responsibility so squarely on the “white world”. Unless people of all races decide to show empathy for one another by being sensitive to things which may cause pain, no real progress will be made.
This comment is on behalf of Sindile Mlingo Vabaza who wrote it on Facebook via his phone:
I’m not sure that I agree with the line of reasoning employed in the piece…. by that logic we shouldn’t have a problem with Hofmeyr singing Die Stem at music festivals, after all it was originally a beautifully written poem, and yet many of us do. This song is loaded politically and socially just as Die Stem and it is naïve to suggest it isn’t. Now personally I do have a hunch that farmers in this country are killed specifically. Some people try to do away with this argument by saying look at the treatment of farm workers, yes there are farm workers treated poorly but that doesn’t take away the possibility that there are people out there who kill farmers specifically in much the same way that there are some men who specifically rape lesbians(to ‘correct’ them)… that doesn’t take away from the fact that all types of women get raped…. I guess my point is this: How sure is the writer really that this song does not flame hatred? If indeed there are specific hate crimes against farmers and their families, that should worry us as a nation and as humans in general. I have to say while this song should not be ignored in the annals of history, I don’t see it’s inherent value today. We aren’t fighting an oppressive government today, we are trying to dismantle an unjust economic scheme and system and might I add that for the sake of clarity, the writer should distinguish the difference between race(the colour you are and an evolutionary by-product of the weather) and the socio-politics and socio-economics of race(what Apartheid was fundamentally based on)….. yes the two are EXPERIENCED as one reality but if we are trying to untangle the effects of Apartheid we must separate the two for the sake of clarity and moving forward. So for me personally, I have to disagree, I don’t see inherent value in singing this song in any context and I feel the same way about die stem.
If the word “shoot” was changed to “rape” would that make it better or worse ? Then I would like to ask, what makes rape worse than shoot (or kill as the context implies) ? Of course both rape and kill are equally wrong. Then why advocate any type of sin in the name of political (or even church) freedom?
2 Tim 2:24-26 Paul warns Timothy that when he is preaching the word of God (the truth) there is going to be opposition and one of the things Paul calls on Timothy to do is to patiently endure evil. Paul exhorts Timothy to pray for these people so that perhaps God can grant them repentance. We can learn from Paul in this context:
Calling for sinful human action (in whatever context) against atrocities are against the Word of God. Only God can grant the freedom when He chooses. Even David called on God to punish his enemies and did not take it into his own hands. Rather voice the wrong and do the right thing not sin by not sinning in the name of political freedom.
From Facebook: [Sibonile Mpendukana]
Before I engage, let me seek clarity regarding the understandings of the historical symbolism of ‘ibhulu’, is it a human being or a human being who symbolizes oppression?. Because I sense that I might hold a different view on the significance and relavance of the song. And I must add, I think it is a false thesis to jutxapose Die Stem, a symbol of oppression, to Dubul’ibhulu, a song of anti-oppression. The next thing we will hear is the likes of Biko, Sobukwe, Tiro et al likened to Hertzog, Malan, Verwoed et al.
From Facebook: [Sindile Mlingo Vabaza]
@Sibonile… two points. 1.) I fear we will play a neverending game of semantics by posing opaque sort of dichotomies. firstly does it really matter whether ‘ibhulu’ is a ‘human being or a human being who symbolises oppression’?…. It’s problematic to transpose a struggle meaning(which is inherent in your question) of Boers representing oppression(a fundamentally politcal meaning) to Modern day SA. I reiterate, the fight in SA is fundamentally socio-economical now….. If ‘ibhulu’ represents oppression today, you have to justify why that is case and make it convincing while you’re at it? 2.) In the context of the article I think the equation and juxtaposition of the songs is a valid one. The article calls for not just black South Africans to adopt the song but all South africans and how on earth do you expect other people to adopt a song that antagonises them… that is beyond absurd and by the way, Biko and Malan cannot be equated because their actions are taken within their contexts…. what the writer is proposing is transposing the meaning and context of this song onto present day SA, which you will see(if you read over my comment again) is the gist of my objection. I am not objecting to the historical importance of the song, I personally feel that it adds no value in the PRESENT.
From Facebook [Nkosivumile Gola]
Sindile let me first say that there are many things that were done for the sake of moving forward and those things are following us to this very day. “for the sake of moving forward” continues to cost us the dignity of the black people today. I am out of this box that we should do things for the sake of moving forward I say that to move forward lets fix things and not to bypass them in hoping that they will be fixed, the 350 + years of black oppression and that is still counting was and is still intentional so let us be intentional when we fixing and not “do for the sake of moving forward” or else we may find ourselves backwards as we are. . Now just for argument sake lets say the song does play part in killing of white farmers, but is the song on its own just a trigger to kill a random white farmer? Are the farmers who are dying killed by random black people who are propelled by the song to kill the white farmers? I definitely don’t think so. Now this should lead us into saying that the problem is much bigger than a song, the issue here is not the song. Joe Slovo as a white member of uMkhonto Wesizwe sang this song in the mist of multitudes of black angry people but he was never killed this means that this song was an opposition into the system and not persons. Now I think we should fix things so that we can move forward instead of doing accommodative acts “for the sake of moving forward”. Lest we remain standstill. Hatred maybe flamed by the song but as I said no one sings a song that says “underpay black workers” but the black employees are underpaid. What I am trying to say is that the problem is way beyond the song. On this song by “die stem” song I am not so informed on it. Also I don’t know of any struggle credentials of the song. Coming into this oppressive system issue I musyt say that ANC was formed way before the apartheid to fight an oppressive system. So don’t only associate oppression with apartheid. And I am aware that we differ in terms of our take on the achievements of the ANC.
Sibonile Mpendukana “ibhulu” is a human being who symbolizes oppression. Sindile Mlingo Vabaza that socio-economic fight you are talking about as if its new it has been the fight from the very formation of the oldest organisation in South Afrika the ANC. Therefore when talking about that you are not talking of anything new. This song must be sang as a political statement that any form of oppressive system will be destroyed and that should not just be the role of the blacks but everyone. It must be everyone because we “all have witnessed the crimes and injustice of apartheid”.
From Facebook [Sindile Mlingo Vabaza]
@Nkosivumile. Allow me to reiterate some points 1.) I still think you need to distinguish between race and the socio-politics and socio-economics of race(as mentioned in my first comment), We must be careful not to make it seem like issues of worker pay and inequality are unique to SA and that they are ONLY based on race. Yes Apartheid was a system of racial supremacy but you don’t dismantle that by using the same symbols and language as that system you’re dismantling….. We have to be more imaginative and creative if we are going to forge a better future, that is my point really.
From Facebook [Sean Du Toit]
If this conversation is representative of the discourse in South African concerning culture and politics then there is much hope for SA. Congratulations and may conversations like this continue and increase.
From Facebook [Sibonile Mpendukana]
In my first entry I hypothesized that some people are operating using a false thesis; that it is possible to lobotomize history and opt for the ‘feel good liberal rhetoric’ that speaks of the oppressed from the gaze of the oppressor (insert Biko’s critique of liberals – we must speak about whites, not with whites but to whites on matters pertaining to our struggle) you might learn something.
The fact is that most people’s reasoning, as exhibited by Sindile here, are premised by the colonial framework of epistemology – that is colonial thinking mapped into the fabric of the colonized catapults us into the depths of confusion. We want to disentangle ourselves in ways that comfort those who entangled us.
I think what Gola was getting at with the Dubul’ ibhulu song was to pose a question on to how does the new (neo-liberal democracy) engage the grammar of old empires (apartheid, coloniaization, socio-economic exclusion of blacks etc.)
Now, there are a couple of very suspicious views expressed by Sindile, which I fail to understand:
• “We are trying to dismantle an unjust economic scheme and system”
What was the genesis of the liberation struggle kanti?
• “Now personally I do have a hunch that farmers in this country are killed specifically”
And I suppose farmers don’t kill black people mistaking them for “baboons” or “throw them into a lion’s den?” then get away scot free with fines etc.
• “the fight in SA is fundamentally socio-economical now”
Was the fight ever anything else? Forget apartheid laws they were just safe keeping and protecting socio-economic benefits of the minority.
• “if we are trying to untangle the effects of Apartheid we must separate the two for the sake of clarity and moving forward”
How is this possible? For as we know, race was the primary instrument used to ensure the settler minority’s economic prospects. (Read the last census – white professional, on average, earn 50 times more than black professionals) In SA, unfortunately, Race and Socio-economics are radicalized – a social construct, a social fact.
• “Biko and Malan cannot be equated because their actions are taken within their contexts
and I suppose the songs are not taken within their contexts?
Just one last question, why did Liberation movements embark in the armed struggle?
When answering and thinking about these questions, apattern will emerge. For now I wait for a response.
Gola’s post is pushing us towards de-colonial thinking. Let us engage that.
From Facebook [Sindile Mlingo Vabaza]
Okay… forgive my imprecision, this is being done from my phone… 1.) “White professionals earn 50 times more than black professionals”… uh, what? could you be more specific with that statement because for eg: a white CA does not earn 50 times more than a black CA, your lack of precision, explanation and justification for this view renders it nonsensical. Also refer to my piece on employment equity on the blog…. 2.) “premised by the colonial framework of epistemology”… uh, what does that even mean? Perhaps unpack it for those of us who clearly are not privvy to your advanced methods of epistemology and while you’re at it, relate it to the substance of my argument, rather than creating some silly strawman using buzzwords like ‘neo-liberal democracy’….3.) My point about separating race and the socio-politics and economics of it was in the context of clarifying that we are not fighting white people but a system that is set up to mostly still benefit them(you would be suprised how helpful this distinction is for people) and I even threw in a caveat, a throat clearing if you will about those things being EXPERIENCED as ONE REALITY, hence alluding to the exclusion of black people systemically(really, read my comments again)…. 4.) “And I suppose farmers don’t kill black people…”…. this is poor reasoning on your part, because I in no way suggested they didn’t, however that doesn’t take away from my point… it should worry us if farmers are targeted because people being killed is a BAD THING…. basic moral reasoning there bro…. Lastly, in my view Liberation is a layered thing, by that I mean it encompasses the political, social and economic freedom of ALL people in fact. I am more of a Martin Luther King guy and believe that freedom for the oppressed must ensure that the oppressed does not become like the oppressor hence my belief in not just our constitution but the fundamental dream behind it of a non-racial, non-sexist society in which EVERY person can self-define and self-actualise. Gola also initially made the incorrect assertion that ‘I am soft on white people’…. I encourage you to work through the NDP, because I think it’s a very good blueprint for moving forward. The world has changed in case you haven’t noticed and we do not exist on an island and my fundamental concern is about creating a just, viable and also THRIVING country that can face some very stern challenges in the global climate(refer to the NDP for those challenges). I hope that gives you some context to my thinking, don’t be shy to mention anything I haven’t covered.
Why are people apologizing all the time for black people? We can make it on our own. Look at Mandela who studied to become a lawyer. Look at many other successful black people in various countries. To always talk about white privilege is actually quite insulting as it demeans black people and gives the impression that something must be done to stop a fictitious suppressor. I hate AA and BEE as it implies that I cannot get a job without it – I can actually!
I grew up in apartheid, albeit the later part of it. I don’t remember much about it and went to mixed race schools. If a white person walks in the township, many black people will think they are guilty of something or up to no good – just as a black person in a white suburb. There is no white or black advantage or privilege.
I think singing about killing the boer is actually very insulting to both black and white people. My boyfriend is a white guy and he finds it incredibly offensive. I do too.
People who write this type garbage are really inciting racial problems. Why not focus on white and black people doing things together. The kill the boer song is deeply offensive, as much as being called the K word to a black person. It may have had a place in apartheid, but that is 2 decades ago.
Anything that causes racial division should be stopped. Including posts about “privilege”, struggle songs, anthems, words… Just ask yourself if you are doing this for debate, or to attract attention, or to genuinely help heal the nation. I don’t believe discussing the obvious will heal anything. It is obvious that we should abolish AA, BEE, K-word, B-Word, oppressive anthems and anything that could cause racial divide. The best way forward is for white women to marry black men and vice versa. It is the best solution of them all.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your view, Viwe. I believe the conversations between black and she that have been happening on this blog have been so constructive and possibly even forming the beginning of some good friendships that will hopefully stand the rest of time. We don’t have to agree with everything each other days to have fruitful discussion and I think that has been seen here. I do agree with you that stories of black and white working together will be very helpful and I will definitely create space to share those as I find them. I do think we need to have some at times difficult conversations to help us find and understand each other before we can move on effectively though. It has been a tough and messy past and there is some work to go before we move into a prettier future. Together.
From Facebook [Sibonile Mpendukana]
Now you make sense since you mentioned a reformist like Martin Luther and the dreadful NDP as your inspirations.
If I lack precision then it means the census stats which I think paint a general picture of South Africa without singling individual is also nonsensical.
I refrain from using individual experiences as a measure of how things are, that is extreme myopia.
Lastly, I don’t think you read to understand any of the things we assert but you are too set in your own thinking as the best there is.
This is my last post. Keep your Martin Luther and NDP. I will keep my Biko since you didn’t even attempt to engage his critique of liberalism as I had implored you to.
From Facebook [Sindile Mlingo Vabaza]
@Sibonile… again, I gave you an open invitation to unpack your ideas for us but instead you choose to first paint me as an ideologue then ignore the invitation. Your arrogance and self-assuredness would be tolerable if your opinions actually had any intellectual weight. This is a marketplace of views and opinions and as such we have to ‘sell’ our opinions to different people… this is the art of proper intellectual engagement dude…. Perhaps its better if you desist, I might explode if I have to chew up more overcooked and vague phraseology.
From Facebook [Sean Du Toit]
This conversation has been beneficial to many in helping us understand what are the issues at play. Please don’t let it sink into the vulgar rhetoric of ad hominem. The objective in such discussions is not for us to necessarily agree with one another but to aid mutual understanding. For it is only once we grasp the subtleties and nuances of these complex issues that we will be able to understand and this chart a better way to engage, rectify and flourish as human beings.
Yes, well said. Listen. Listen. Listen and hear the heart behind words which are windows into our souls. It is time for honesty and robust discussion, and the maturity to look past things we don’t necessarily understand. Onward people. Thanks for the mature discussion, mostly.
Jeepers, I love how you guys are engaging such real issues and it is helping me understand better and learn more — a little window into things I do not know. I have always found that song to be disturbing, as I would any song that sings about shooting any human being, but reading this has helped me see a bit more clearly as to why some people think it is an important part of our history. I remember Siki saying to me once, ‘What is it with you white people and being afraid of that song?” And I said, “It is easy for you to say, coz the gun, it won’t be pointing at you.” We laughed out loud and spoke alot more and I realise it feeds into my fear that I will be unwelcome in the only land I know to be home because I am a ‘boer’ even though an English one. But this is an extremely insightful window into this, so thank you Nkosi, and thank you Brett. I do feel like God is giving us a window of open heaven and opportunity to talk honestly and share our hearts without being defensive and listen and love … and the price we will pay, as South Africans, if we do not do this, is high. Onward and appreciate you two brave wonderful men. Respect.
PS: Covey said, seek to understand before being understood and I am learning alot about that right now. What a blessing that there are men who will honestly say what they think. Such courage. Such a gift to us all.