Pieter Odendaal. “for mzansi” – ’n gedig deur 180 skrywers
Monday, November 15th, 2010
Mzansi
Verlede Dinsdag het daar ‘n artikel van die Suid-Afrikaanse expat Birgit Solvsten d’Alpoim op News24 se webblad verskyn. In haar skrywe “What South Africans don’t know about SA” gaan sy basies gal af oor die skreiende rassisme wat steeds in Suid-Afrika aanwesig is. Toe ek Donderdag om 09:13 die artikel lees, was daar reeds meer as 200 kommentare op haar artikel gewees. En was die mense in oproer oor wat sy te sê gehad het! Hulle het haar uitgeskel, geprys, gevloek en gelukgewens. Ek het deur die kommentare gelees en besluit om iets met hulle aan te vang.
Die eerste stap was om aandagtig deur alles te lees en sinsnedes te onderstreep wat my opgeval het, kwaad gemaak het of net eenvoudig belaglik was. Die artikel met kommentare kan hier gelees word:
http://www.news24.com/MyNews24/Beyond-Borders/What-South-Africans-dont-know-about-SA-20101109
Hierna het ek al die onderstreepte kommentare uitgesny en op my kamervloer uitgesprei, waarna ek hulle min of meer “tematies” saamgegroepeer het. Ek het toe die uitknipsels rondgeskommel tot ek tevrede was. Die onderstaande gedig, “for mzansi”, is die eindproduk van my speletjie.
Ek het probeer om so ver as moontlik die oorspronklike kontekstuele betekenis van die teksgedeeltes te behou, alhoewel ek wél hier en daar ‘n voornaamwoord of twee verander het. Die enigste noemenswaardig verskille tussen die gedig en die oorspronklike kommentare is die reëlbreuke en die strofes. Ek het ook meeste van die leestekens verwyder en ooglopende spelfoute gekorrigeer. Dit lyk vir my of die gedig op die ou end ‘n dialoog tussen ‘n ouer en ‘n jonger Suid-Afrikaner verteenwoordig.
Dankie aan elkeen van die 180 kommentators wat (onwetend) gehelp het om die gedig te skryf. Hulle name verskyn onderaan die gedig.
for mzansi
a dialogue in 180 voices
remember
i don’t think i have to
you need to get off your high horse
broer
sorry baas that i am so ignorant
no doubt you think a necklace
is simply a fun piece of jewellery
why don’t you bring your face closer
i remember
being able to identify
landmines limpet mines makarov pistols
before I was 10
i remember
when our family couldn’t enter
shops and restaurants through the same
doors
i remember
the day i saw black
people dressed like whites
walking on the beach at scottborough
i went to a public school
just as they did
i had to hold my school shoes together
with elastic bands for over a year
yes we have a kak past
but we are not a bitter and twisted people
blacks had homelands whites had theirs
did van riebeeck come to africa
carrying land in his ships?
there is no justice we are stuck in a colonial age
i lived here with a heart
but people forced me to hide it
4 million people cannot carry
a country i had to leave
through a choice of my own
i was 7 my brother 4 when we
became a democratic republic i did not
commit any atrocities
and neither did my brother
all we got was a stab in the back
most white saffers
would be happy to live and work under
a black government
so easy on us whiteys we
want the same things
but build a city before you rename
our streets
they built your country
with their sweat and tears
there was extremely cheap labour
if you refused you were locked up like a criminal
black people were
very forgiving
a bit too much
perhaps
they will be afraid to walk on the streets
cowards that they are
ek’s trots om ‘n wit suid-
afrikaner te wees
eish dis langwij of da umlungu
is cunfushesing although
the bit i know
helps a lot to hear
when they are talking about me
always remember that
when talking behind
our backs
at least there’s dialogue
but talk is different from vomiting
be silent oh ignorant one
no pissies have ever come from south africa
let’s look at the facts
st james’ church kenilworth 25 july 1993
they threw grenades and opened fire
on the congregation killing 11 wounding 58
laundry and ironing done
meals prepared
lawns mowed
my worker
bless her soul
was on her way from work
when she was pulled into a shack
and raped by 4 different men for 3 days she died a year ago
8 january 1982 koeberg nuclear power plant
a child was set on fire whilst alive
mothers killed taking children to school
some who had their fingers cut off
before being killed
car bomb nedbank square building church street
at 4:30pm on a friday
at least 20 ambulances
took the dead and wounded to the hospital
no place like home
an eye for an eye?
blah blah sob sob
cry us a river
why don’t you
cry the beloved country
why don’t you
move to the zimbabwe ruins?
we will grow old in this country
the old folks
need to let go and get over it
it makes it harder for us to correct your
past mistakes
maybe
if your grandparents were beaten
almost to death
for a slice of chocolate cake
you would also be angry
regardless of what language their screams were in sir
you are a beneficiary of apartheid
whether you like it or not
do you?
i don’t know
what is wrong with our skin?
what colour is our blood
i don’t know
i’m so sick and tired
i just hope we don’t pass this on
to our children
it’ll take a while
peace
my bra
it’ll take a while
nuff said
Die 180 skrywers:
SimonP, noxcleva, mfanafuthi.skele, onemantribe, jean.dutoit, NicolaG, franssmith100, Willa, nyaradzo, Guida, BLACKsoWHAT!, Mafdet, John Wilderness, Dewet, Revolutionary Man, MACKAROONEY, meindert.hoving, andrewpottow, LogicBomb, Carmen, Mark Edwards, BOY30, Roy Carrol, toxicpolony, vinnythesaff, vickyvgemert, Francois, Kiewiet52, Nora, Mike, Bob, sarah.boutell, Afrobella, scott, Two Step, Igrayne, AJ, asminex2, Stollie, Iannetian, LJ Graey, Mike Webber, TGIL, tukipotter, Nathan, Dave, jameswsleigh, ccbmeyer, taf.jizz, Snoopy88, Brandon96end, liesl, fiveassedmonkey, malcomx, Zolani, Perfume, Moosa Vawda, Audrey, BrokenRecord, CygnusX1, GBES, sanodn, Lanfear, Bongani, Marinella, Sage, jlroodt, Louis Kriel, Maretha, It’s_News!, Henny, bill, whitemasala, Arthur Phili, AlfredNeuman. Nthlarhi, Boerseun, pat, Newsferret, Rev. H-Cubed. Renee, Adel Colvin, g.latsky, Mad Hatter, louwhan, Roderick, mollyclarke3, sunblade.za, esther.vanschalkwyk, Blake, Pierre, Patti Balnatti, Phillip, Staal, Lionel, Oryx_ZA, impartiality, jwill, Pookie, James1, Sylar_DJ, Justin McCal, Badger, Lanfear, Simba_mach, paleobot81, Prophet, Nordic, dylan006, wartmonger, TinyT, Namib, GTFO, BrownAfrican, johnroodt, AjaxFiko, Mordred, Rob, cornsterenator, Bevan, pat, aswanevelder, Werner, Julius-Mal-Emma, Garth, Nkosi, Rob, WillyNilly, Monamia008, William, briana.scott, bennie.strydom, Dylan Mugabe, Jackie, Melony, Kgalelo Khunou, ann.wilson78, YasButIDunno, Samsung, gkloppers, fred,Mbazima, ne6869, wayne.morris311, coolwaynie, karen.campbell407, Ares, Anthonie.vanbosch, De, Chantal de pierres, Kelly, charleen.wood, Tarryn, kumoriza, njwplasma, clinton.cook, Fed-Up, jawjabber7, quinna99, CooP, twincamsam, Trêvhir, mwfrater, eigenhuiss, Geboorteland, haha, barkhuizencj, Steph, RoeJoe, Janus, Grant, Mbulelo, Saamprater, ecsi.plastic, bones3994, Lawrance, cmax03, green_goblin, brentonwoodward, emil scharf.
