'Respect for Mother Africa' I have a full appreciation for the decision the Dutch and British colonialists made to settle in the beautiful Southern tip of Africa, this fascinating and vast, dusty continent. They had an appreciation of the radiance, the beauty, and the bountiful fruit the land could offer --they invested their technology, land tilling & irrigation skills, built communities, mined for minerals, and created a structured food delivery system that helped drive economic robustness, and paved the way for the future success of Southern Africa. The success was made possible by strong and cohesive leadership, a clear vision, and a deliberate plan on how to achieve that vision. By doing this, the colonialists essentially built a new civilization for themselves - they shared and some might say "imposed" their beliefs and traditions on those around them. They also took advantage of cheap labour and established a system that benefitted them. Every successful or dominant country (or tribe) across the world have similar stories of migration and conquest. The settlers of Southern Africa appear to have been less violent than others with proportionally little blood drawn relative to other colonial activities/conflicts around that same time in world history. The Bantu have their own proud story of migration from other parts of Africa, driven by their need to find new natural resources. Their influence spread relatively fast over the indigenous inhabitants as they moved towards a rich new land. Zulu history is reasonably well understood, and was one permeated with violence and domination of other tribes. As they established their roots in old Zululand, they blazed a bloody path that created fear amongst neighbouring tribes. Their history is impressive, in a visceral way. The KhoiSan who genetically are shown to have existed well before any other humans in Africa, also inhabited the southern part of the continent. They lived harmoniously with nature and appear to have had the closest connection to the strong and ever-present "heartbeat" of Africa. As we shift to current times, we draw parallels with yesteryear. It appears today, that those in positions of responsibility in our politically-and-racially-tainted-government-complex, have lost their connection to the rhythmic heartbeat and soul of our country, and to that of our People. They have forgotten why we are here. We have a different breed of person that rules today - the name given to our ruling party is the African National Congress. They were recognised for being the party that emancipated the black man from the shackles of Colonialist-infused-Apartheid. They are now recognised for diverting resources away from the people and into their Swiss bank accounts, and avoiding the hard work that is necessary to build a country to meet the growing needs of a nation - not the character traits we look for in true leaders. You may notice my use of the word ruler in lieu of leader. I use ruler because I don't recognize our current rulers as qualified leaders. These new rulers appear to have lost the respect that the original inhabitants - the KhoiSan, Bantu and colonialists had for the land we call Africa. They do not have a clear vision for how the lifeblood of this country, both its inhabitants as well as its resources should be appropriately harnessed, in a way that honours the land, and creates a safe harbour for its citizens, thereby respecting the essence of Africa, and the ongoing support of the People. The land, like a living being, can feel this. It senses when it is being abused or used inappropriately. It is acutely aware of the lack of stewardship shown by the ANC, and it grows weary. This selfish horde or rulers known as the ANC spend our resources recklessly and then in a power-hungry-induced-trance, sell our treasured land and human capital to the Chinese in backdoor deals. Our resources are being sold by the ANC and their cronies at an alarming rate. Mother Africa stirs. These corrupt rulers cheapen everything we know as Africans. The have Betrayed the same people they emancipated. Mother Africa awakens. Our beloved Africa will soon bare its fangs and turn on its rulers - sending a clear message that they are violating their position of power and their privelage to be ruling this sacred land. The Africans who are ONE with the soul of our country... The Africans who feel the vibrant blood coursing through their dusty veins... Those are the Africans who are awakening, and will rise up soon... Those Africans represent all the good stewards of this land, and plan to return to the days when respect was earned. The same respect that was given by the Khoi, the Bantu and the English and Dutch...this time though without bloodshed, for the ANC is but a house of cards that is about to fall...no bloodshed will be needed. Our Africa so desperately deserves this respect. Our forefathers demand this respect. Our consciousness as Africans, needs to be respected. It is time to put water back into mother Africa so that she may provide for us abundantly later. We must earn her respect by giving. We can give by finding true leaders who will give, and not just take. Menzi Solomon Shange
