SA Rocks

A Proudly South African Meme, inspired by EXMI and tracked by Spacebook:

I thought that it was a great idea for SA Rocks to contribute to the meme that is apparently flying around. I strongly suggest you take part in this simply as an experiment.

Here are reasons that I have written before on SA Rocks about why I love being South African and love my country:

1. Ubuntu – not the operating system, the concept. The tie that binds us all whether you know it yet or not.
2. Johannesburg late afternoon thunder storms.
3. Power Cuts that unify the nation – because we all know we can be unified when there is a common cause.
4. Hindsight – is a wonderful tool that South Africans are mindful of.
5. Our groundbreaking Constitution.
6. Our Wildlife.
7. Our coastline.
8. Braai’s.

I am not going to tag anyone but suggest that everyone who reads this writes down their reasons. You can publish them if you have a twitter, blog, tumblr or any other platform. But my main thought here is just do it, even if it’s on a piece of paper remind yourself why you love this country.

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I have just read a fantastic post on Thought Leader by Ismail Lagardien. He talks of allowing ones love for a brand, sport, team, country, person or anything to skew the way you interact with and interpret that brand.

I feel as if his point is an extremely important one. That people cannot and should not ever become complacent about their support for a country, for South Africa in specific. You should never lose focus of the way that things should be, the ideal, the goal of contentment and satisfaction. Your love should not skew your humanism in South Africa. South Africa the brand is not greater than the people who occupy the country.

Here’s a short snippet, but do yourself a favour and read the post:

To be patriotic I may have to place a country, which in most cases was established through violence and bloodshed, before humanity. I may have to say that South Africans are more human than others. I cannot do that. I love South Africa. There are places in the Namaqualand, or the Karoo, where I want my ashes to be scattered. The space between Stellenbosch and Swellendam is probably the most beautiful part of the world. We gave the world Nelson Mandela, Albert Luthuli and Desmond Tutu, and the wonder of Albertina Sisulu is our best kept secret. We should never have let Gandhi leave, but I accept that history needed him in India.

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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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