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
Popularity: 8% [?]
