Vula Amehlo - Zulu For Open Your Eyes

Vula Amehlo (open your eyes) "Vula Amehlo"is Zulu for "open your eyes" Vula amehlo sisters and brothers though eyes aren’t needed to behold the flowing tears of those of us, left out in the cold vula amehlo sisters and brothers the time to turn your back is long gone no time now to pander and no time now to fawn vula amehlo sisters and brothers we the people are hungry, angry, and our skin is torn though we say it loudly, unbowed we are, and not forlorn vula amehlo sisters and brothers we may be invisible and tucked away far from you but we are here, still, waiting for the promise of freedom to come true vula amehlo sisters and brothers you see us sometimes, though you avert your gaze come on now, compatriots, awaken from your complacent daze vula amehlo sisters and brothers we are the open wound that festers on your ostentatious display band-aids won’t do anymore, we are here, and we are here to stay vula amehlo sisters and brothers as you roll down your windows and toss us some coins, look in our eyes we are your slumbering consciences, we are the famished proof of your lies vula amehlo sisters and brothers forget us not as you tuck your pretty children in, and turn off the lights we too are the children whose mothers, fathers fought for all our peoples’ rights vula amehlo sisters and brothers don’t think that we are bitter and livid for no reason or cause we have been waiting and waiting, for days and a decade, without any pause vula amehlo sisters and brothers vula amehlo mothers and fathers vula amehlo brown and white and all shades of this rainbow so bright we repeat what we said, we are not going to melt away into the night vula amehlo one and all our patience is being tested from day to day, year to year we have listened to your promises and we now demand that you hear vula amehlo open your eyes and see us, and hear us clearly, and hear us today band-aids won’t do anymore, we are here, and we are here to stay vula amehlo open your eyes