Escaping the black box

A 50 year old woman that was abused at the age of 10, will never forget that moment when her father robbed her of her dignity. Leaving her with deep wounds that she wishes time will heal, yet cringes at the memory thereof….. She let it control her so much that she missed the opportunity to experience the magic of love and giving a man the opportunity to treat her like a queen. She died, unloved, burying resentment and scars of the past with her.

Just like that woman, are we allowing South Africa to slowly die, unloved, with unleashed potential, the country alive with possibility, because we are letting the past become a walking shadow everyday through our racist thinking?

Am I insensitive to the fact that my forefathers had been economically and socially suppressed so a particular race can be empowered?
Am I insensitive to communities being torn apart by the group areas act, where those who are homeless are subjected to living in tin homes 14 years later?
How can anyone be insensitive to the suffering of another?

We cannot deny the footprints of Apartheid that still exist today, but are we going to allow it to haunt us for generations to come and stagnate? Looking back, rather than pressing forward to a better South Africa for ALL, red, yellow, blue, white, black?

Is unemployment, lack of education, crime, insufficient health facilities and HIV/AIDS (but to mention a few), challenges related to a particular colour of people or does it to relate to humanity?

The call I make to you is to escape the black box thinking that I am owed something because of the past, subjecting others to our prejudices because they the same colour as the past oppressors. Issues of colour seem to be menial to the blaring problems set before us today. Even apartheid was not overcome through using the same weapon of racism, but through people working together in unity.

What is the colour of this country we want to reflect? Is it this of pigmentation or of a rainbow nation united to fight the conquerable giants of our time?

Cheryl-Lynn Freeman
PS: Inspired by Obama’s speech (A More Perfect Union) on race
(check it out on YOUTUBE, it will transform your thinking)

Jealous Kind

I built another temple to a stranger

I gave away my heart to the rushing wind

I set my course to run right into danger

Sought the company of fools instead of friends

You know I've been unfaithful

Lovers in line

While you're turning over tables

With the rage of a jealous kind

I chose the gallows to the aisle

Thought that love would never find

Haning ropes will never keep you

And your love of a jealous kind

Love of a jealous kind

Tryin' to jump away from rock that keeps on spreading

For solace in the shift of the sinking sand

I'd rather feel the pain all too familiar

Than be broken by a lover I don't understand

'Cause I don't understand

One hundred other lovers, more, one hunderd other altars

If I should slow my pace and finally subject me to grace

And love that shames the wise, betrays the heart's deceit and lies

And breaks the back of foolish pride

Jars of Clay

from album: Who We Are Instead

'I love you too'

Once again I am standing

In-front of your throne of mercy

I fall on my knees

As I lift my hands to pray

Humbled by your grace

Comforted by your reassuring 

voice - 'I love you'

As I look at life

Through 'blue glasses'

My heart will still choose you

This is my life, my offering to you.

On my knees I will stay

Conscious of a thousand loves you gave.

Out weighing the negatives on the scales

Your voice strongly proclaims your love

To me with simple words - 'I love you'

Empty as I am.

I know your heart is full to the brim.

Ready to quench a soul so desperate for you.

On my knees I call to you.

You all this heart is longing for.

The hope and love I receive from you.

Leaves me with these words, 'I love you too'

nKanyiso nCube 

22/11/2005

Karin's Devotion

 

Freedom Writers

I watched the movie 'Freedom Writers', late Sunday night which  in essence is Monday morning. Now this is half a movie review and half expressing my thoughts thanks to the movie. Just to put out the positives, I must say although this is not one of Hilary Swank' best acting roles yet, she manages to portray the character with such grace and elegance. Patrick Dempsey (the dude in Grey's Anatomy, McDreamy) managed to show a glimpse of his acting prowess almost at the end of the movie and admittedly I felt like he left it (or the writers) a bit late. I The rest of the cast was fairly average but after watching the movie for a while you will pay less attention to their acting abilities.

When I started watching the movie I started to dissect the movie from a technical angle. The lighting, the acting, sound, editing and everything else that you can think of in what makes a good movie. Of course that does not neglect the story line as is what makes a movie great. Mid way in the movie I wanted to stop it as I did not think it qualified to be a great movie. Yet I hesitated. I hesitated because I was wrong. You can not just judge a movie only on technical aspects but at times you have to draw the heart of the whole production. It is a good movie. Good in that it addresses an issue that is such a cancerous tumor with seemingly little hope of visible cure.

Racism is another form of discrimination that continues determine people's decisions and of course ultimately whether they get to fulfil the purpose for which they were created in this world. Cases of racial discrimination still continue to dominate not just the South African society in the news headlines but the world at large.

So what has all this got to do with the movie. The movie address us, 'discrimination'. We live it, we speak it, we think it, we make decisions based on it it and we will die of it. We may  think we not part of it, yet subconsciously we as discriminatory as the some of the worst perpetrators of discrimination in history.While we may not be as explicit in such acts, we live our day to day lives tolerating such injustices and become desensitized to it.

Freedom Writers is a movie of hope. I movie of understanding that despite the prejudice of this world we should never at all make decisions or live our lives under the shadow of deep seated hatred for others because of their culture, race and sex. Instead we should celebrate each other's diversities or at best marry into it. So the movie 'Freedom Writers' may not be the best in a text book recipe of what makes a good movie. Its a good movie in that it is not shy in tackling issues that have continued unabated for centuries and  giving us hope by celebrating other's differences. Its a good movie as it shows that if we do stand for what is right it will be difficult. You might lose your friends and at worst your family. The question would then be, 'Is it worth it? I don't know. Maybe what one needs to ask is of love. Is love worth it? So go watch it if you still have not and discover the love in all of us despite our differences.