The words you are about to read are in know way hate speech although they do however reflect the thoughts and frustrations of the writer as well as other individuals. I do not speak for every black person nor every woman when I write what I write, I simply use this forum as a way of expressing what I feel.
AAAGH. Was on a flight this evening and had the unfortunate luck of sitting besides two white men who made me realise that we are far from liberation, we are so far from democracy and as long as there are people like this, in this country then we still have so much work to do without realizing what lies ahead.
How many times have you as a black person heard the phrase “We train them, give them good experience and all they do is put it onto their CVs and walk away going to companies that will offer them more money”. Hello white man, not all black people are the same. Why must you generalize? Not every black person is chasing money but rather opportunity to grow. If we are in a company and feel that, they are no longer growing us then trust me when I say “WE WILL LEAVE” get over it. Times have changed, we as black people have more choices now. We are no longer forced to stay in low paying jobs with the fear of not being able to find another one. Get over it; deal with the issues at hand. If your employee is not satisfied with their job, they will leave. Another statement they also made tonight was how there were no longer any qualified people to do jobs as all the white graduates find it difficult to find jobs and thus leave the country. Need I say hello once again, A couple of years ago I was fresh out of university, I’m black and I’m a woman and I still found it difficult to find a job. That is how the job market works. Everyone is looking for people with 2-3 years experience in this field or the other. It is difficult for all graduates to find jobs regardless of their skin colour. I sat there in the plane as I ate my meal and thought to myself, “Do I make a comment about what they are saying, what they have said” and I decided against because as they continued to talk I started feeling sorry for these two white men as they were obviously suffering from a Post 1994 hangover where white people automatically got jobs because their fathers or mothers knew someboady who knew someboady. The playing field has been evened and if you aint good enough to play on the team then I suggest you put in some extra hours at the gym else get out my country, we don’t need people who think like you here.
AAAAGH, it makes me so angry cant even begin to describe the anger.
Another thing that comes to mind as I sit and write this is the fact that men just don’t have respect for us as women. Hollering, whistling, and shouting out comments as if them shouting comments are a turn on. STOP IT COZ IT AINT but hey lets leave that subject for another day when my frustrations at the things people do gets the best of me.
Oh almost forgot something else these idiotic men on the plane spoke about. How there is no public transport system in South Africa that caters for the masses. Damn what do you think taxis and buses are? Where do they begin to judge a system they have made judgment about without even having experienced it themselves? To them I say “genchi genbutsu) Japanese for see it for yourself first. How dare they speak about a system that they have never used before. Who made them king of the castle and rulers of the world. Okay so I agree that our public transport system may not be as reliable as the ones else where in the world but whose fault is that? Pre or Post 1994. Taxis and buses provide essential services for the majority of South Africans. Who will the amazing gau-train service, who is going to be able to afford to use it: the masses or the elite? Aaaagh, I’m frustrated at the constant stupidity of men like those two and trust me that there are many of them. AAAAAGGGHHHHH.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Phenomenal Woman
…Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see…
I'm a woman
Phenomenally
Phenomenal woman
That's me…
Starting this blog off with a quote from the poem by no one other than Ms Angelou herself, coz it says everything I want to say in just a couple of words.
I’ve been fortunate enough to be blessed with an amazing group of women that constantly inspire me from day to day. The greatest one of all being my iGogo (grandmother) who is thee ultimate woman in my opinion. Can’t even begin to describe the influence she has had on my life. She is the epitome of strength, courage, endurance, kindness, faith and most of all love. She continues to amaze me with every moment I spend in her company.
My iGogo is they type of person who attracts all types of “strays” as I call them. Now I am talking about arriving at her house on a Saturday afternoon and finding a group of young children sitting and “telling her stories”. After they leave I often say “Manje” (and now) and she will explain how they are her friends and had come to pay her a visit. How 6 & 8 year olds relate to her is still a wonder to me. I mean these children leave their homes and come visit a woman who is almost 80 just because they enjoy her company! I guess what they say about how children can sense goodness and evil in people must be true coz then these children prove my point on how my grandmother must be one of the ultimate symbols of goodness.
It is not only the visits with the children that inspire me but rather her interaction with people as well as how she has dealt with the fast balls life has thrown her way. I watched this woman take care of my grandfather after his stroke. For lack of a better word it was beautiful. My grandfather had gotten to the point where he was unable to do most things for himself and my iGogo constantly did them for him, without losing patience, without losing respect and whilst doing it showed him all the love in the world. I looked at her and at that point decided that for me she was my ultimate being. I doubt I would ever get to her level of giving and loving unconditionally She is my ultimate woman. When I grow up, I strive to be just like her.
Most people look at the older women in their families and fail to realise the power they hold. From my grandmother I have learnt about perseverance, I have learnt about faith and about giving selflessly but most of all I have learnt self-love and appreciation. There are no words that could begin to describe what she means to me or the influence she has on my life.
This started off as a blog about phenomenal women and has ended up as a blog about just one phenomenal woman. Perhaps this one ultimate woman symbolizes the women I have drawn into my inner circle of friends. Strong women who continuously inspire and motivate me to also become the ultimate woman.
What they see in me
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see…
I'm a woman
Phenomenally
Phenomenal woman
That's me…
Starting this blog off with a quote from the poem by no one other than Ms Angelou herself, coz it says everything I want to say in just a couple of words.
I’ve been fortunate enough to be blessed with an amazing group of women that constantly inspire me from day to day. The greatest one of all being my iGogo (grandmother) who is thee ultimate woman in my opinion. Can’t even begin to describe the influence she has had on my life. She is the epitome of strength, courage, endurance, kindness, faith and most of all love. She continues to amaze me with every moment I spend in her company.
My iGogo is they type of person who attracts all types of “strays” as I call them. Now I am talking about arriving at her house on a Saturday afternoon and finding a group of young children sitting and “telling her stories”. After they leave I often say “Manje” (and now) and she will explain how they are her friends and had come to pay her a visit. How 6 & 8 year olds relate to her is still a wonder to me. I mean these children leave their homes and come visit a woman who is almost 80 just because they enjoy her company! I guess what they say about how children can sense goodness and evil in people must be true coz then these children prove my point on how my grandmother must be one of the ultimate symbols of goodness.
It is not only the visits with the children that inspire me but rather her interaction with people as well as how she has dealt with the fast balls life has thrown her way. I watched this woman take care of my grandfather after his stroke. For lack of a better word it was beautiful. My grandfather had gotten to the point where he was unable to do most things for himself and my iGogo constantly did them for him, without losing patience, without losing respect and whilst doing it showed him all the love in the world. I looked at her and at that point decided that for me she was my ultimate being. I doubt I would ever get to her level of giving and loving unconditionally She is my ultimate woman. When I grow up, I strive to be just like her.
Most people look at the older women in their families and fail to realise the power they hold. From my grandmother I have learnt about perseverance, I have learnt about faith and about giving selflessly but most of all I have learnt self-love and appreciation. There are no words that could begin to describe what she means to me or the influence she has on my life.
This started off as a blog about phenomenal women and has ended up as a blog about just one phenomenal woman. Perhaps this one ultimate woman symbolizes the women I have drawn into my inner circle of friends. Strong women who continuously inspire and motivate me to also become the ultimate woman.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Ithemba lam’
Due to technological mishaps this blog was meant to be posted yesterday but alas sometimes technology she cannot be my friend.
There is a Zulu hymn which starts of by saying “Ithemba lam’…Ithemba lam” which loosely translated means “My Hope.” It goes on to say I will rise and fall with this hope until I reach the gates of heaven.
So where am I going with all this…well that this morning I read a quote which said “Life ends when u stop dreaming, hope ends when u stop believing…” and then later on in the morning an amazingly talented friend sent me something (which is on the hush right now) which has a picture of her and the tattoo she has on her back which has this exact phrase “Ithemba lam”. Earlier I had read something else where it sounded like someone was crying as they feel as though they have lost the dreams of their childhood, they have lost all hope in what life should be bringing forward to them they felt hopeless at not having reached the goals they had set out for themselves as a child.
My questions after linking three relatively different things this morning are –
Where has Hope gone?
Is she hiding behind the door?
Is she hiding under the bed?
Has she taken a break coz she is so tired of trying to make people believe in the future, in anticipating the good that will come out if only they hold on just a little more longer?
It brings me to ask myself where my hope is, where has she gone, where did she even come from in the beginning? Are we inherently born with hope in the same way we are born with mortal sin?
Is Hope the daughter of Religion?
All these questions and no one to answer them. Perhaps I first befriended Hope as a young child in church, where I learnt that there was always something better coming even though it seemed hopeless at that particular moment. I guess most black children can identify with the religious side of life. I like many remember how every Saturday or Sunday you got into your best clothes and headed off to find salvation in one form or the other. To this day, I still hear the church choir singing hymns in my head. I am still moved when I hear particular songs. I still find a level of comfort in the voice of my grandmother as she sings her favourite hymn – Ingelosi engilonda. This hymn is about the angel that watches over you during the daytime & at night. The angel that guides you when you are blind and need help but mostly the same angel who when you are tired of this life and can no longer go on, will take you home to our mighty Father. I love my iGogo and perhaps tomorrow I will do my blog on women who inspire me. She is my ultimate being.
Where is Hope? What has happened to her? I constantly lose touch with my friend Hope but I know like a true friend she never gives up on me, she always comes back when I am at my lowest and gives me a helping hand. Sometimes I wish I were more loyal to her; I wish I kept in touch with her more. From today onwards, I am going to make an effort to stay in touch with my friend Hope. I miss her. From tomorrow, I will make an effort to make Hope a permanent part of my life.
There is a Zulu hymn which starts of by saying “Ithemba lam’…Ithemba lam” which loosely translated means “My Hope.” It goes on to say I will rise and fall with this hope until I reach the gates of heaven.
So where am I going with all this…well that this morning I read a quote which said “Life ends when u stop dreaming, hope ends when u stop believing…” and then later on in the morning an amazingly talented friend sent me something (which is on the hush right now) which has a picture of her and the tattoo she has on her back which has this exact phrase “Ithemba lam”. Earlier I had read something else where it sounded like someone was crying as they feel as though they have lost the dreams of their childhood, they have lost all hope in what life should be bringing forward to them they felt hopeless at not having reached the goals they had set out for themselves as a child.
My questions after linking three relatively different things this morning are –
Where has Hope gone?
Is she hiding behind the door?
Is she hiding under the bed?
Has she taken a break coz she is so tired of trying to make people believe in the future, in anticipating the good that will come out if only they hold on just a little more longer?
It brings me to ask myself where my hope is, where has she gone, where did she even come from in the beginning? Are we inherently born with hope in the same way we are born with mortal sin?
Is Hope the daughter of Religion?
All these questions and no one to answer them. Perhaps I first befriended Hope as a young child in church, where I learnt that there was always something better coming even though it seemed hopeless at that particular moment. I guess most black children can identify with the religious side of life. I like many remember how every Saturday or Sunday you got into your best clothes and headed off to find salvation in one form or the other. To this day, I still hear the church choir singing hymns in my head. I am still moved when I hear particular songs. I still find a level of comfort in the voice of my grandmother as she sings her favourite hymn – Ingelosi engilonda. This hymn is about the angel that watches over you during the daytime & at night. The angel that guides you when you are blind and need help but mostly the same angel who when you are tired of this life and can no longer go on, will take you home to our mighty Father. I love my iGogo and perhaps tomorrow I will do my blog on women who inspire me. She is my ultimate being.
Where is Hope? What has happened to her? I constantly lose touch with my friend Hope but I know like a true friend she never gives up on me, she always comes back when I am at my lowest and gives me a helping hand. Sometimes I wish I were more loyal to her; I wish I kept in touch with her more. From today onwards, I am going to make an effort to stay in touch with my friend Hope. I miss her. From tomorrow, I will make an effort to make Hope a permanent part of my life.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Love
So yesterday, one of my good friends sent us all Damien Rice’s – The Blower’s Daughter and as I listened to it all these thoughts came flooding through my mind about love, about what it might mean to love someone about how simple yet complex love can be.
Today as I sit and listen to the song, again I am reminded of Bonnie Raitte’s song “I can’t make you love me”. Both these songs talk about loving someone and that love kinda been one way. Have been trying without any success to find out the meaning behind “The Blower’s Daughter” and all I came up with was the fact that she was the daughter of Damien’s Clarinet teacher and so I have come up with my own conclusion of what the song really really means. So she must have been a girl she couldn’t get. She was right there yet still unattainable and regardless of what he did, he just couldn’t let go of her he was obsessed with her and perhaps she has similar feelings but both could do nothing, both were helpless. So is this the story of a love that could never be? Is this the story of two people who were so right for each other but could just not come together? I don’t have thee answer all I know is that every time I listen to it, it makes me feel…cant seem to find the right word. It is not sad but it is, just cant put it into words at this particular point in time. Perhaps it makes me think of a lost love, a love that regardless how hard I tried to make happen it never quite worked. Perhaps it is the story of someone else and his or her struggle to love and be loved.
On the other side of the coin, there is Bonnie Raitte’s song where the message is pretty clear. There is no doubting where she is coming from as she sings the chorus and says
“cause I cant make you love me if you don’t
You cant make your heart feel something it wont
Here in the dark, in these lonely hours
I will lay down my heart and Ill feel the power
But you wont, no you wont
cause I cant make you love me, if you don’t”
To love someone and them not love you back. To love someone to the point where you can’t stop even when you know that they will never feel for you what you feel for them. It’s harsh but it is definitely reality. Can’t say I know what it feels like to love somebody and not have them love you back but yet this song still speaks to me. Am not too sure if Bonnie wrote this song or even if she is the original singer, all I know is that she touched a cord and still does every time I hear it.
This weekend I fell in love with Rock ‘n Roll. What do I do if I cant be with him, what do I do if I have these feelings for Rock ‘n Roll and Rock ‘n Roll does not return my love. Where do I go from there? Love is meant to be all these things. According to wikipedia, Love is a constellation of emotions and experiences related to a sense of strong affection or profound oneness. The meaning of love varies relative to context. Romantic love is seen as an ineffable feeling of intense attraction shared in passionate or intimate attraction and intimate interpersonal and sexual relationships. If this is love then why oh why must it hurt. If this is love then why are people so afraid of it. Greek words for love, reflecting the concept's depth, versatility, and complexity. Why must love be so complex, why can it not just be simple?
I know all this yet I still choose to love.
I still choose to love me,
I still choose to love you and yes
I still choose to love Rock ‘n Roll
Today as I sit and listen to the song, again I am reminded of Bonnie Raitte’s song “I can’t make you love me”. Both these songs talk about loving someone and that love kinda been one way. Have been trying without any success to find out the meaning behind “The Blower’s Daughter” and all I came up with was the fact that she was the daughter of Damien’s Clarinet teacher and so I have come up with my own conclusion of what the song really really means. So she must have been a girl she couldn’t get. She was right there yet still unattainable and regardless of what he did, he just couldn’t let go of her he was obsessed with her and perhaps she has similar feelings but both could do nothing, both were helpless. So is this the story of a love that could never be? Is this the story of two people who were so right for each other but could just not come together? I don’t have thee answer all I know is that every time I listen to it, it makes me feel…cant seem to find the right word. It is not sad but it is, just cant put it into words at this particular point in time. Perhaps it makes me think of a lost love, a love that regardless how hard I tried to make happen it never quite worked. Perhaps it is the story of someone else and his or her struggle to love and be loved.
On the other side of the coin, there is Bonnie Raitte’s song where the message is pretty clear. There is no doubting where she is coming from as she sings the chorus and says
“cause I cant make you love me if you don’t
You cant make your heart feel something it wont
Here in the dark, in these lonely hours
I will lay down my heart and Ill feel the power
But you wont, no you wont
cause I cant make you love me, if you don’t”
To love someone and them not love you back. To love someone to the point where you can’t stop even when you know that they will never feel for you what you feel for them. It’s harsh but it is definitely reality. Can’t say I know what it feels like to love somebody and not have them love you back but yet this song still speaks to me. Am not too sure if Bonnie wrote this song or even if she is the original singer, all I know is that she touched a cord and still does every time I hear it.
This weekend I fell in love with Rock ‘n Roll. What do I do if I cant be with him, what do I do if I have these feelings for Rock ‘n Roll and Rock ‘n Roll does not return my love. Where do I go from there? Love is meant to be all these things. According to wikipedia, Love is a constellation of emotions and experiences related to a sense of strong affection or profound oneness. The meaning of love varies relative to context. Romantic love is seen as an ineffable feeling of intense attraction shared in passionate or intimate attraction and intimate interpersonal and sexual relationships. If this is love then why oh why must it hurt. If this is love then why are people so afraid of it. Greek words for love, reflecting the concept's depth, versatility, and complexity. Why must love be so complex, why can it not just be simple?
I know all this yet I still choose to love.
I still choose to love me,
I still choose to love you and yes
I still choose to love Rock ‘n Roll
Monday, June 11, 2007
Rock 'n Roll...hmmm
This weekend I fell in love with Rock ‘n Roll. I have previously never even had an inclination to give this “type” of music the time of day but on Friday night, Rock ‘n Roll shoved me against the wall, forced himself on me and made me listen to what he had to say. Oh and did he not just whisper sweet nothings into my ear. I can remember his touch, so gentle yet so masculine; his words were bitter yet sweet. He literally rocked my world and as I listened, I understood just where he was coming from, but could not understand why he had taken so long to reveal himself
Earlier on that evening a good friend had stated that Rock ‘n Roll is the purest form any black artist can express themselves in and after Black Jacks’ (excuse the spelling) performance on Friday night I finally understood what he meant. Unlike previous beliefs I found Black Jack & their interpretation of Rock ‘n Roll speaking to me personally, I could hardly hear the lyrics as the lead singer was saying them to the predominantly white audience but I felt the beats deep within me, I felt them carry me back to my past, to me as a child playing on the street. It took me back to Sunday sessions at my uncle’s house. It took me back to Christmas lunches with the whole family. It took me back to the passing on of loved ones and happy moments I had shared with friends. As I stood there swaying by body to the humma humma of their music my body was transported to another realm. Was this what music was all about? How had I missed out on all this…all my life!
This weekend I fell in love with Rock ‘n Roll, I fell and stumbled without even expecting to and like Jill Scott says “Love slipped from my lips, dripped down my chin and landed in his lap” That’s exactly how I felt…as though I had no control over the situation at all, it all just kinda happened with me just standing there unable to stop the revolution.
This weekend I fell in love with Rock ‘n Roll.
Earlier on that evening a good friend had stated that Rock ‘n Roll is the purest form any black artist can express themselves in and after Black Jacks’ (excuse the spelling) performance on Friday night I finally understood what he meant. Unlike previous beliefs I found Black Jack & their interpretation of Rock ‘n Roll speaking to me personally, I could hardly hear the lyrics as the lead singer was saying them to the predominantly white audience but I felt the beats deep within me, I felt them carry me back to my past, to me as a child playing on the street. It took me back to Sunday sessions at my uncle’s house. It took me back to Christmas lunches with the whole family. It took me back to the passing on of loved ones and happy moments I had shared with friends. As I stood there swaying by body to the humma humma of their music my body was transported to another realm. Was this what music was all about? How had I missed out on all this…all my life!
This weekend I fell in love with Rock ‘n Roll, I fell and stumbled without even expecting to and like Jill Scott says “Love slipped from my lips, dripped down my chin and landed in his lap” That’s exactly how I felt…as though I had no control over the situation at all, it all just kinda happened with me just standing there unable to stop the revolution.
This weekend I fell in love with Rock ‘n Roll.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
The Revolution
Okay so anyone who knows me knows that I am big on quotes. I write them down, sms them, e-mail them to friends, family, whomever I know or “think” will appreciate them. My one friend (yes you know who you are and I aint ever gonna be sending you quotes anymore) often laughs at me and my need for “living of quotes”. I mean there is a quote to suite every single situation or mood one might be in. So today’s quote is from no one other than Miss Sarah Jones herself, have loved her since I discovered her. She is all about being in a state of mind that looks at life, at love, and questions exactly what it is we are really on earth for. Okay so here it goes”
“Your revolution makes me wonder
Where could we go
If we could drop the empty pursuit of props and the ego
We'd revolt back to our roots
Use a little common sense on a quest to make love
De la soul, no pretense”
Okay so this is a passage from what I think is called “Your revolution will not happen between these thighs”. People often say use what you have to get what you want, but when does using become abusing I ask? I’ve been told I have a killer smile and other attributes which could get me anything I want. I smile as I write back and think to my varsity days when it was all about the chase, all about finding the target, aiming and then shooting. It was fun, it was glorious, for lack of a better word, it was superlomfifious.
This poem makes me wanna jump up and say “YES SISTER I AGREE WITH YOU, AINT NO WAY THAT HIS REVOLUTION IS GONNA HAPPEN BETWEEN THESE THIGHS.” Far to often women are objectified and made to believe that “as a girl” you need to act in a certain way, that proper ladies don’t do this or don’t do that. That if you want to be successful the only way of ensuring it is by losing this, using that i.e. losing what it is that defines you. So yes Sister Sarah I will join you in ensuring that the revolution occurs in the correct manner.
These views are my own, they are not the views of any other person. I can think for myself and have an opinion on the things that I believe will affect me and my greatness.
I’m a feminist, so deal with it!
I’m not going anywhere, I’m here to stay!
Oh and just incase you were thinking I am afraid of you and your thoughts, this is what I look like, come and find me if you dare!
Heeuwee, ha damn!!
“Your revolution makes me wonder
Where could we go
If we could drop the empty pursuit of props and the ego
We'd revolt back to our roots
Use a little common sense on a quest to make love
De la soul, no pretense”
Okay so this is a passage from what I think is called “Your revolution will not happen between these thighs”. People often say use what you have to get what you want, but when does using become abusing I ask? I’ve been told I have a killer smile and other attributes which could get me anything I want. I smile as I write back and think to my varsity days when it was all about the chase, all about finding the target, aiming and then shooting. It was fun, it was glorious, for lack of a better word, it was superlomfifious.
This poem makes me wanna jump up and say “YES SISTER I AGREE WITH YOU, AINT NO WAY THAT HIS REVOLUTION IS GONNA HAPPEN BETWEEN THESE THIGHS.” Far to often women are objectified and made to believe that “as a girl” you need to act in a certain way, that proper ladies don’t do this or don’t do that. That if you want to be successful the only way of ensuring it is by losing this, using that i.e. losing what it is that defines you. So yes Sister Sarah I will join you in ensuring that the revolution occurs in the correct manner.
These views are my own, they are not the views of any other person. I can think for myself and have an opinion on the things that I believe will affect me and my greatness.
I’m a feminist, so deal with it!
I’m not going anywhere, I’m here to stay!
Oh and just incase you were thinking I am afraid of you and your thoughts, this is what I look like, come and find me if you dare!
Heeuwee, ha damn!!
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
In the Beginning
Okay so it all has to begin somewhere right?
The Evolution of Being, is me opening a new chapter in my life. It is my journey of self actualisation and self realisation.
Evolution of Being is about the fruition, the development, the growth, the progression, and the advancement of my being, of me as an individual in the realms of society.
So here it is for all to see and experience this journey of the precious jewel I know I will become. We all know we have the ability to be great, that greatness lies within all of us but sometimes we fear our greatness, we fear all the things that could become possible if only we tried just a little more and just a little longer.
The Evolution of Being is my journey towards greatness. I don't expect to have a smoothly tarred road along the way, I expect there to be hills and valleys as I travel towards my final destination.
This is just me...letting you...see into me...as I journey towards my greatness.
Watch out greatness I'm coming for you!
The Evolution of Being, is me opening a new chapter in my life. It is my journey of self actualisation and self realisation.
Evolution of Being is about the fruition, the development, the growth, the progression, and the advancement of my being, of me as an individual in the realms of society.
So here it is for all to see and experience this journey of the precious jewel I know I will become. We all know we have the ability to be great, that greatness lies within all of us but sometimes we fear our greatness, we fear all the things that could become possible if only we tried just a little more and just a little longer.
The Evolution of Being is my journey towards greatness. I don't expect to have a smoothly tarred road along the way, I expect there to be hills and valleys as I travel towards my final destination.
This is just me...letting you...see into me...as I journey towards my greatness.
Watch out greatness I'm coming for you!
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