South African Freedom Day

freedom day (april the 27th 1994) far too many brave compatriots died and flooding rivers of tears were cried far too many families ripped apart with daggers cutting into their heart the pain is felt still deep today on this glorious sun-splashed South African Freedom Day as we pause and remember those who do not remain with us anymore as we appreciate the fruits that their sacrifice and struggle bore far too many to count and to name but we honour them all while we keep burning that eternal flame ...Oliver Reginald Tambo ...Chris Hani ...Solomon Mahlangu ...Prakash Napier ...Yusuf Akhalwaya ...Matthew Goniwe ...Neil Aggett ,,,Ahmed Timol ...Vuyisile Mini ...Hector Peterson ...Babla Saloojee ...Bram Fischer ...Dulcie September ...Sparrow Mkonto just a few, but so many still nameless who were brutally cut down by a racist system that was merciless, and cruelly shameless we honour you, today but we remember you each and every day when we breathe in the air of the freedom that you craved as we walk the roads of a wounded but healing country that you saved from itself, for the hate and racism and hushed prejudice of race and gender and religion and sexual persuasion and caste and creed that you so valiantly fought against, is still with us, as it on fear and ignorance does feed the odour of racism and hate of white and black and jew and muslim and hindu and catholic and yellow and brown is a living parasite that lives and thrives all across this beautiful world, from cities and villages and hamlets, to the smallest rural town it may become a mark of shame upon us all so we have to, today, struggle against and boldly fight for the sacrifices of the many can never be cheapened, by the polite dinner-table murmurs of hate, try as hard as they might for if we as a nation, a country a world a people one people are to truly step out of the lashing cold painful rain we have to continue your struggle so that your supreme sacrifices may not have been in vain... and so we say 'hamba kahle, comrades' to you who laid your young lives down and slipped away so that we who remain may in the sunlight and out of the rain live and breathe and stay in a country, and in a world where religion and gender and sexual-persuasion and all colourful hues may mingle and love and laugh and cry together on the sun-filled avenues so thank you, comrades, for showing us a better path that we must embark on as we shuffle onwards into a brighter tomorrow away from the hurt of the past, and away from the tears and away from all the sorrow for the true freedom that we seek now, is the freedom from our own racism, our own prejudices, our own sexism, our own petty hates and bottled-up anger for therein, lies the fight ahead for therein, lies the real and growing danger. Aluta Continua! Amandla Ngawethu! The Struggle Continues...