12 years ago our current president made a moving and motivating speech to his nation-to-be. 12 years on and I feel more African than I ever thought I could. But I fear that some might have forgotten the words that moved me.
Here is an abriged version of President Mbeki’s “I am an African” speech:
I did manage to find a full transcript of the moving speach. Do yourself a favour and read it. Today on African Day, read it and take it on, take it in and make it about your context, your situation and the lives of those around you. This speech unfortunately came from a man who has lost his nation to travel, who has lost his way to keeping up relations with mass murderers and dictators who seem to have some sort of hold over him. This man has lost his way and I think he needs to go and let our African diamond (SA) grow from without his grasp.
Here is my take on the incredible I am an African speech:
I am an African, Mr Mbeki, not you or your brethren. No Longer. You might at one point have been but no more.
We are about the people, the places, the feeling and emotions. You have become too good, too high and too mighty for us. You and your kind have lost your way and been blinded by capitalism and absolute power.
It is us, the man in the street, the face in the crowd, the class that works, that pays, that suffers and battles.
It is us that make Africans African, that make people proud and that make our nations what they are – whether good or bad.
It is us that makes Africa emotional, engaged, heated, enraged, moved and moving, grown and growing.
It is us and we are African.
We are taking responsibility for our brothers and sisters and their actions. We are the ones who stand in the street, sit in our houses, behind our computers and condemn or praise the actions of other Africans.
We are the ones who cannot leave when times get tough, who will not leave when the grapes sour and who refuse to let our nations divide.
We are Africa, we are African and we will not let one man, one ruler, one dictator, one government or one president take that away from us.
We are African and this is our continent.
image found here
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May 26th, 2008 at 7:54 am
Nic,
thank you.
May 26th, 2008 at 9:04 am
Amazing post. Really amazing. Thanks, Nic.
May 26th, 2008 at 9:54 am
Hi Cath and Arkwife – thanks, I’m glad that there are people out there who like what I write!
This is a topic I feel VERY strongly about. I don’t like being made to look stupid and our govt is making us all look stupid. It’s enough.
May 26th, 2008 at 10:07 am
Exellent post, very powerfully written. Well done Nic – and thanks!
May 26th, 2008 at 11:10 am
Great post Nic, thank you. I’ve been inspired to look again at our Constitution and the Freedom Charter; it’s all in there. We just have to live up to ideals we’ve set
May 27th, 2008 at 4:44 pm
That was an excellent post! Sometimes someone just gets it right to say it as it is….We are Africa, we are African and we will not let one man, one ruler, one dictator, one government or one president take that away from us.
We are African and this is our continent.
Thank you!
June 2nd, 2008 at 1:13 am
Way to go Nic – WOW very powerful and so true – thanx Nic!
June 2nd, 2008 at 7:22 pm
Great post there Nic. A subject close to my own heart too.
I too am an African. I may be white, but that doesn’t make me less of an African. A true African looks to be part of the solution: to corruption, to crime, to poverty, to hatred. I hope that I am doing my bit.
June 3rd, 2008 at 2:10 pm
Nice one – thanks.
June 5th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Nice and heartfelt, I am with you on this one. Yep we do have a great country, awesome people, beautiful summers and a history of amazing victories.
We have done good before. It was when we stood together and worked for change, and I know we still got it..
As much as I get mad about the state of events at times, I am doing my bit to make SA a success and its awesome that I am not in this alone.
July 9th, 2008 at 8:54 pm
This is one of the reasons why I love Africa, its diversity.
We just need to learn how to appreciate even more
great job:)
Kizzies last blog post..If you want Africa to Unite, think again
July 10th, 2008 at 9:34 am
Nic,
What a great post. Just wish people would stand together again to make this place great, get rid of the crime and hate and we would be a perfect nation!!!!
June 22nd, 2011 at 7:32 am
Valuable information and excellent design you got here! I would like to thank you for sharing your thoughts and time into the stuff you blog post!! Thumbs up! I just hope to have understood this the way it was meant. Yours trully, Devora.