From Me To You

When I was called a born-free it got me thinking,

What really is a born-free?

Born into freedom?

Born for free?

Born in a free world?

Right now I do not understand the word free.

My people are not free.

Their lives are not free.

Their hearts need to be set free.

When I say my people,

I say Humankind.

Humankind is my people.

Humankind is humanity.

We are all human,

You are all my people.

Where I have skin covering, yours covers too.

When my blood flows through my veins, you have a pulse too.

The air that I breathe, you breathe it too.

Medulla oblongata, you think too.

I am a born-free, ask yourself, am I too?

The difference in colour is just the way art is.

How monotonous would the world be if we were just the same, no difference?

– The Creators Aesthetic.

Why can’t we appreciate one another the way we should?

Why can’t we be free?

Why can’t we be born frees?

Condemning the acts of racism, I thought we were managing to eradicate that,

Then colourism; light skin vs. dark skin,

Now xenophobia, defined as an unreasonable fear of foreigners.

You live with someone for so long then suddenly fear sparks?

Unreasonable, Unnecessary, Irrational!

Where is the love?

Where is the freedom?

Where are the born-frees?

It is happening,

Innocent people keep on dying? Garissa #147notjustanumber?

Kenya cries out, the blood of her children in splattered across her chest.

Nigeria cries out, the ashes of her children blown into her face.

Egypt cries out, her children beheaded?

Where are we going wrong?

South Africa cries out, fear across the nation,

The rainbow nation that it is;

The nation of flourishing.

Greener pastures.

Freedom.

She took in children of Africa but today, these very children are suffering from the same freedom and hope she offered them.

Africa cries out,

“Where have I gone wrong? So many are crying,

Why do my children suffer?”

Her canvas painted red with blood.

The Earth cries out,

“It’s never too late to find love in your heart.”

When shall we really be born-frees?

Africa let’s escape own bondage, self-hatred, hatred of our brothers and sisters.

Find freedom.

Plant love.

#africaunite

#soulafrica - rukudzoamandah

(Originally written April 2015 during a flare-up of violence in Africa's societies during that season)