In 1978 Steve Biko wrote (in I Write What I Like):
"You are either alive and proud or you are dead,
And when you are dead, you don't care anyway.
And your method of death can itself be a politicizing thing.
So you die in the riots.
For a hell of a lot of them, in fact, there's really nothing to lose -
almost literally, given the kind of situations they come from.
So if you can overcome the personal fear of death,
which is a highly irrational thing, you know,
then you're on the way"
These are prophetic words, considering the way he died
and the impact his life has had on so many
They echo Kris Kristofferson's song lyrics
When you ain't got nothin'
You got nothin' to lose
Today the team I now work with set out
For a field trip in a deep rural corner of the province.
About half an hour out, they phoned us not to come
For they couldn't guarantee our safety due to a Strike
Unrest, protests, townships burning
Deja vu
The Rand has sunk from R7 per dollar just 2 months ago
To R8.4 per dollar today
Personally I overcame the fear of death in Angola
During a war between Communists and Racists
I hated them both
equally
And thank God that he removed them both
In due course
But the scars remain... the legacy.
In attitudes,
Bitterness
Fragmentation
Alienation
I am optimistic about Africa's future
But pessimistic about its present
So please pray for me.
"You are either alive and proud or you are dead,
And when you are dead, you don't care anyway.
And your method of death can itself be a politicizing thing.
So you die in the riots.
For a hell of a lot of them, in fact, there's really nothing to lose -
almost literally, given the kind of situations they come from.
So if you can overcome the personal fear of death,
which is a highly irrational thing, you know,
then you're on the way"
These are prophetic words, considering the way he died
and the impact his life has had on so many
They echo Kris Kristofferson's song lyrics
When you ain't got nothin'
You got nothin' to lose
Today the team I now work with set out
For a field trip in a deep rural corner of the province.
About half an hour out, they phoned us not to come
For they couldn't guarantee our safety due to a Strike
Unrest, protests, townships burning
Deja vu
The Rand has sunk from R7 per dollar just 2 months ago
To R8.4 per dollar today
Personally I overcame the fear of death in Angola
During a war between Communists and Racists
I hated them both
equally
And thank God that he removed them both
In due course
But the scars remain... the legacy.
In attitudes,
Bitterness
Fragmentation
Alienation
I am optimistic about Africa's future
But pessimistic about its present
So please pray for me.
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