Best Apartheid Poems
Africa's children blighted in the rich land of birth
Persecuted by the oppressing hand of foreign greed
Agitate for love to find in ancient pigment its worth
Rights of human beings trampled like common weed
Time changes nothing, it's the blind heart that deceives us
Humanity in Marikana overthrown fore Malema took his stand
Erases what is progress while business stays the same
Insensitive in its selective structure, insolent in its plan
Democracy condoning plunder has a resume of shame.
ii
Souls of men worn with toil and danger
Trespass with their plea for aid and freedom
Rulers riled cast disdain at telling hunger
Imposing tragedy that shows the faked ransom
Kins and comrades in the long struggle paid
Economy is a forked tongue serpent on parade
iii
In protest of the 44 miners who died Marikana
South Africa, I cannot support a pax humana
Till the guilty are brought to justice, children fed
And true equality becomes the legacy of the dead.
I look all round me and I’m engulfed by shame
I see people chanting freedom
But they have nothing tangible to show they are free
Because their freedom’s trail is unknown to them
Shackles of apartheid still tight on their wrist
Check the net and go through the list
See the names that exist in our midst
Because the apartheid segregation policy still exist
Kaffir used to humiliate black men
And Negros to disgrace a black men
In our minds we think freedom
Yet our attitude shows how tight the shackles of apartheid are
Our history is colorful
Decorated with blood of heroes and heroines
Who fought for the emancipation of non racial society
In black and white names of black and whites are recorded
They are recorded for the benefit of everyone in the land
To remind us the importance of unity
To embrace miscellaneous colors molded us to a rainbow nation
Who can turn a blind eye on the colorful history of South Africa
Who can claim an individual victory to the journey traveled
From apartheid era to become a nonracial society
We broke free from the shackles of apartheid
Why then adorn ourselves with shackles of shame
Every time you call your brother with derogatory word
The shackles of apartheid shine like a diamond necklace
And the artisan smile, for you pursue his evil art of segregation
Africa is my home and Africans are my brothers.
He was baptized into slavery
And submerged in the winter
Of your hatred
And was converted to poverty
In the land of gold,
You taught him that GOD
Was a white baas
Who had invented the pass!
And the police were
The angels of death,
He learned to read
Whites only
Lest he fall into heresy
And desecrate your piss-pots,
And as you crept
Out of the garden
Of your humanity
And excommunicated
Yourselves from justice
And damned your generation
Chained in gold
To a leper colony,
And as he stumbled
Through his oppressive crucifixion
You took him off your cross
And sold him in the market place
To mercenaries while you counted the rosaries
Of your crimes to man,
Now he a victim
Of your greed
A witness to your crimes
Is finally free.
Xenophobia: Apartheid
Isn't xenophobia the same as apartheid?
I am asking for what happened in the past is what is happening today.
We face the same things as our grandparents were facing in the past.
We are just revolving around the same cycle of: abduction
Violation
Eviction Victimisation
Discrimination Racism
Sexism Retribution,
etc...
Question is, who will break this cycle?
Who will say no to xenophobia!
I HAVE!!!
Africans let us all unite!
South Africans let us remember that before we say that we are South Africans
We are Africans!!!
It was written down in Black and White
Beautiful people segregated
Their dignity denied
A nation diminished and divided
Deprived and depraved
Hatred in the heart spewed out
Across the pages
Erupted on the streets
In peaceful protests
The sound of struggle songs
To ease the wrongs
Batons, beatings and bombings
Courtrooms, judges and jail cells
The sickening crack of gunfire
So many cried
Too many died
The pain runs deep
It wasn’t meant to be
And it’s left a shameful legacy
Which in the end
Only Love will mend
Recently broke free from the chains of apartheid
the bottom region of the second largest island
possessing three power houses to the usual one
and one of the local champions spare heading its region.
It has its own share of true records
housing both the smallest and largest plants.
The only volunteer to abandon programs of nuclear developments
and boasts of a population worthy of a global market.
From the cheapest electricity to the largest wine route,
to the train which is most enjoyable and expensive
and a street shined on by two golden stars,
but now gradually becoming a chronic and xenophobic addict.
My heart skips a beat I lose my breath
When I think of his life of sacrifice
And his crusade for human rights
Leading the revolution against apartheid
With rare tenacity and might
A lawyer by trade a pacifist by nature
Standing for truth and reconciliation
Just him and his ideals for god-given rights
Standing and never wavering
Giving voice to the speechless and the persecuted
Refusing to be silent in the face of injustice
Determined to annihilate tyranny and racist oppression
An icon of democracy and social justice
Never to be forgotten
A statue erected where Mandela
Was released from 27 years in prison
A simple man bigger than life itself
With dreams of emancipation
One philanthropist who would change
The world no matter what the cost
Read on air by invitation ~ April 28, 2021 'WORDS & MUSIC'
AP: 1st place 2021, Honorable Mention 2022
Submitted on January 25, 2020 for contest ODE TO A PRESIDENT OR POLITICIAN OR LEADER PAST OR PRESENT sponsored by SHERI FRESONKE HARPER - RANKED 5TH
Mandela the anti-apartheid hero and nobel peace laureate__
To south africans he is recognised as the father of the nation.
He was sent to prison in 1963 and released in 1990__
After serving the prison sentence for 27 years.
Internationally admired for his struggle against white minority rule__
Voted south africa,s first black president in 1994, after the end of apartheid.
SPENT ONE TERM IN OFFICE, AND STEPPED DOWN IN 1999.
Currently living in eastern cape province in a small rural village of Qunu.
In 2004,he retired from public life,and has been rarely seen in public.
LONG LIVE MANDELA,LONG LIVE SOUTH AFRICA.
chipepo lwele
II
I was thinking ... Absences
Used to make hearts grow fonder
Or so the proverb said, in my youth
True in some ways ... Untrue in another
Some have departed poetry and breath
Such is human existence
Absences makes a heart stronger
But only if we survive the heartbreak
(I no longer spend time with pets
Lest I get fond of them in Africa
Where crime pays ... Stealing
A post-Mandela culture here - sad to confess ...
( I fought apartheid too)
And so did the late Queen Elizabeth
The Commonwealth is her baby, growing again
After apartheid South Africa and Rhodesia
Tried to murder her Commonwealth of the nations
South Africa is the first
Place in Africa where you can find more Excellent
Roads , rail ways , ports and Airports than some
European, Asian, American, Oceania countries
And more best world wine companies.
During apartheid many black people where living
In locations, treated as foreigners in their Country
No black person occupied the presidency or
Governor offices in Apartheid regime.
Happy day was when Mandela won the Election
And became the first black president ; many black
People felt free to visit different provinces and
Places where they were not allowed to walk in
Individuals or come closer without their white bosses.
Nelson Mandela remains the well respected Hero in
Europe and Africa because he forgave some white
South African criminals & promoted "Rainbow Nation"
So that majority of black people could easy their
chronic pains and becoming happy.
March 18/2023
Written for poetry contest sponsored by Anoucheka Gangabissoon
A skylight begins the apartheid
in ironed out differences.
At the shores skulls have reappeared.
Blue flames were eating away the green carbon
of the dying giants. Fake photosynthesis
was canning the skimmed breeze in books
and encapsulated euthanasia was available
over the counters. Eyeshadows were hiding
the dying grace. Tempest would go for a classical dance
only. Counting of heads had begun. Price hike
of black arrows would decide the fate of a nation.
Hunger was writ large on cheekbones of
roaming rocks, shining the landscapes.
The chorus spreads like eau de cologne
over the solitude of my homeland.
SATISH VERMA
black mother
the white of day stains your
painted dress
the black of night turns
razor sharp
feet that wear flaming coals
a soul that bleeds
outside and in
where trees bear crimson fruit
as roots full bore
hypocrisies drill so deep
to dig her earth
still plough the surface
clinging vines of apartheid
how much she suffers
raped and ravaged
again and again
strijdom
malan
verwoerd
names that stain
her southern land
g7 dead zones from 48
and cape town clearings
with
sharpeville apologies
still
segregate
now die
and die
and die
awake
by fate arise
friends of earth
minstrels of life
cast a new play
sing for the future
move for the past
turn now
in loves instance
an old face
a new name
an old shadow
seeds to grow
white sister
black brother
white father
black mother
african
Heart
african
soul
=z=
In Africa's embrace, freedom sings,
Through vast plains and rivers' springs.
A continent's heartbeat, strong and true,
Where dreams take flight, where hopes renew.
From ancient tribes to modern days,
A tapestry of colors, myriad ways,
The spirit dances, unbound and free,
In the rhythm of Africa's jubilee.
On savannahs wide, where lions roam,
Freedom echoes in nature's poem.
The mighty elephant, with grace untamed,
Symbolizes strength, forever unchained.
From Cape to Cairo, and Timbuktu,
Freedom's flame burns bright and true.
Through struggles faced, and battles fought,
African hearts remain steadfast, never distraught.
From the echoes of apartheid's reign,
To independence, breaking every chain,
Africa's spirit rose, resilient and proud,
In the face of adversity, standing unbowed.
In Soweto's streets, the cries of change,
The birth of freedom, forever ingrained.
Nelson Mandela's voice, a beacon of light,
Inspiring a nation to stand up and fight.
The rhythm of freedom, an African beat,
Resonates through the lands, a harmony sweet.
In vibrant markets and bustling towns,
Freedom's essence can always be found.
From the Sahara's dunes to Victoria Falls,
Freedom cascades in majestic calls.
In the whispers of the Serengeti's breeze,
The promise of freedom whispers with ease.
Through fields of gold and diamond mines,
Africa's treasures, its vibrant signs.
Yet true wealth lies in freedom's embrace,
Empowering every soul, every race.
Let freedom's flame forever burn,
Igniting a hunger to learn and discern.
For in the spirit of Africa, we find,
The boundless potential of humankind.
So let us celebrate, Africa's birthright,
Freedom's triumph, a radiant light.
From Nigeria's shores to Ethiopia's peaks,
Let freedom reign, for all future weeks.
In unity, let us join hands and stand,
Honoring Africa's liberation, grand.
With hearts ablaze, our voices resound,
Freedom's anthem, forever renowned.
In Africa's embrace, freedom thrives,
Nurtured by the land, where hope survives.
A continent's journey, ever so grand,
A testament to the power of freedom's hand.
We cowardly witnessed the genocide of many human beings
Live, live, live in real time
That was an odious, callous and vicious crime
We said nothing, absolutely nothing about the sad and awful events
Many of us were either silent or complacent about everything
Even God was absent and quiet. He did nothing, nothing
Evil doers are not humane; they are hardcore criminals
We witnessed the bombings of babies, buildings and animals
We saw the massacres and the aftermaths. We could smell the blood
And could hear the cries coming out of the television screens
We saw the live and dead bodies, the hearts, the livers and the spleens
Rotting and spoiling in the filthy streets. The color of the mud
Is grim and abnormal, because of too much sufferings and tears
Too much pain and misery, too much disgust and shame
Too much atrocities and killings. We all know whom to blame
We know who are responsible for so much evilness and wrongdoings
Humanity got thrown out of the window in this part of the universe
We wonder if these two legged machines have a heart and a soul
We wonder if they ever look in a mirror, in a clear pool
We wonder how it would be if everything were to happen in reverse
Where is God? Why this ignominious silence?
Live, live, live in real time
That’s an odious, egregious and beastly crime
How can anybody sleep at night? That makes no sense
These days, everything is live, eerie, vivid and instantaneous
Grotesque things are never acceptable, admissible and hilarious
We want peace and we dream of peace
But the guilty ones must pay from west to east
And from north to south. We want peace and justice.
P.S. This poem is dedicated to Love, Peace, Equality and Justice.
Copyright © June 2025 Hébert Logerie, All rights reserved
Hébert Logerie is the author of several books of poetry.
COMRADE LOVE NEEDED
Sorrow of Love is hard to bear
stretches my bones and
I cannot go on
a need for comrades
to speak about Love
lost their ability to love
can only love for moments
when these moments come
they devour them like
rare chocolate
not enjoying them
my comrades have physical
beauty, Spirit beauty I doubt
they question commitment and honesty
it is their own they question
we do not need hate to be
involved in a struggle for truth
we ache Love
I see comrades becoming mechanical
we strive for a distant star
that beckons with Love
Comrades !
Love is needed !