AFRICA…

My home;

my continent of heart-stopping contrasts.

…Where the sun wakes me up and rocks me to sleep. 

…Where I can stand on tip-toes and dream; look out on hazy landscapes as colours distort the distant views;

…where I study the glory of thunderclouds and taste the rain in my nostrils. 

….Where our precious water flees out of clouds, swamps our land, floods its fields, falls over mountains and disappears into endless crevasses. Where the earth looks on - parched, panting and restless.

…Where animals thrive while others only just survive. They leave ghostly tracks on unspoiled river beds as birds gently soar on the wings of endless thermals.

…Where dusty dunes ring out their song against azure skies; and misty mountains encase the secrets of vast and dense forests.

Ah, Africa, my love….

…Where I can hear the murmur of my soul; and feel my connection to God and His precious earth,

…Where I can cherish our grand array of cultures, languages, ethnicities, religions, countries and where my understanding of these is beautifully elusive.

Ah Africa, its people…

…Whose broad smiles welcome others to our shores, yet the hollow stares of poverty shock us all into stunned action.

…Where the sad faces of children search for scraps amongst the rubble while others little ones lick ice-cream lollies on sandy beachfronts.

Oh the moods of this beautiful land…

…Where music echoes the pain of our past, and drums peal out our hope,

…Where the confusion of our politics and corruption bleeds our hearts and our need for transformation

Yet love abounds in the smallest places as Ubuntu and hatred flourish side by side.

Oh Africa, continent of contrasts, you’ve given me life in all its beautiful glory….

Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika