Thanksgiving

I would like to believe that my life is a testimony of how true love can shape an individual; add to that the effort of good friends and how they shape a person.

As if to emulate the life of the Messiah, it appears, right from the beginning, I had a structure of support that even my mama never anticipated; from relatives, her friends and those who found me alluring in their eyes.

Like a bad skin condition, this type of support grew with me. It carried me around my township through thick and thin, it saw me move from a high school and became stronger at university up till the strange grounds of the city of gold; where it manifested into one of the things that keep me going, despite how thorny the streets around here are.

I am not sure of how my mama sustained the support till to date. In fact, I am not even sure she did anything to keep it going. However, I am doing something to paint this structure a happy colour and to give it all the strength it needs to grow even more.

As a result, I have embraced the Western custom of observing Thanksgiving Day.

I assumed this routine last year with the sole purpose of celebrating the people who have made a constructive contribution in my life in Johannesburg.

This year, the tradition continues. And, my emotions fail to rest as I am theorising ideas to show these men and women just how grateful I am that I have them in my life.

Happy read!

Never close our eyes

Without a doubt, a number of Christians believe that we are currently experiencing the wrath of God.

Being one myself, I seem to concur. I am looking at the saddest things taking place around me, the disasters claiming the lives of fathers who live their families behind, the fatal HIV/AIDS that steals the souls of young men and women whose potential was once fit for the evolution of this beautiful South Africa.

And that is what I pray for; I pray for peace in this world and I pray for a strong and caring government in this country…  Martine Whitehead, my colleague, spoke these words and I found myself teary just at the imagination of our homes getting demolished by issues we can effortlessly avoid.

Happy read!

Who will help us?

I am a South African and I have been fortunate enough to visit –though briefly to some- five of the nine provinces South Africa is divided in; Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Gauteng, Free State and Mpumalanga. In all these provinces, or at least some of the cities within these provinces, there seems to be a large number of homeless and extremely poor people varying from toddles up to men and women old enough to be great grand fathers.

I have seen these people sleep on and wake up from pavements, some of them posing shamelessly on busy roads begging for money and leftovers from by-passers and drivers while a few of them are wondering around towns with pluck-cards  looking and asking for jobs that could at least help them chew just for one night.

All praises to the advent of democracy in 1994, because after that fateful era came prominent people who knew how it felt to starve or to be poor. South Africans voted for them to represent the country. They reassured not just the minority race, but everyone who was and is on the breadline that –even if it’s little- but they will bring help to them.

However, right in the eyes of homeless, poor and un-employable people, those figures chose to fatten their own pockets with the money that is meant to save those who are in the ‘titanic’.

Because of this corruption, greed and inconsideration, all eyes now look up, not just to the Lord Jesus Christ, but also to the owners of private businesses and community based organisations. Yes, some of these entities do what they can to help fellow South Africans by providing scholarships to promising students emerging from poor backgrounds, by implementing skills development programmes for the illiterate and unemployable people as well as empower those who are able to help others to continue doing so.

As a result of these initiatives, many have grown and matured and consequently carried on the legacy by establishing their own helpful resources and inventions. But, with all that being said and done, there is still a very long journey South Africans need to embark on in regards to shaping this country and helping the poor.

In the plight of all this, local entities that have the ability to financially support the people who help, seem to be more into providing help for countries that have been hit by natural disasters, which in the eyes of those who are poor come across as trying to make impression to other countries as opposed to feeding locals first.

Yes, South African companies MUST help other countries when natural disasters have shaken them. But the question is, how do these companies manage to provide help to Japan and Haiti when they prove to be struggling to fund an NGO that deals with homeless people in Mpumalanga, a young woman who spends her own money to equip rural students in the Eastern Cape or an orphanage home sheltering rape and HIV/Aids victims in Soweto?

Where and how do these companies get the money and the resources to provide assistant to other countries when here at home the civil society is in dire need of a small sum?

One might actually find that, South Africa is not really equipped as far preparing for when these natural disasters hit home. Perhaps Haiti and Japan will come through for us? But when?

So, in the mean time ‘we’ stay unemployable, poor and sickly while we wait for natural disasters to hit hey? Because then someone from somewhere will be willing to help?

Happy read!

The gay voice

At one point, religion ruled and it felt like all that big books state and proclaim was all there was and is to believe and live by. Today, however, politics rule in the same manner, and while religion mainly promotes the most powerful existence of an unseen figure, politics shove down the throats of citizens the rules and values accommodating only a certain portion of the lot residing in this open space of the earth.

Sometimes I find myself wondering if the ‘God’ I call to as a Christian is the politics. I mean, my god works in a very strict manner, while superiors in politics make changes in an instant and break the same rules they lay down for ‘everyone’.

Undeserved victory

The inspiration for my profoundness –in case one was wondering- hails from news feeds that carry headlines proclaiming the victory of Malawi government over the issue of two Malawian men; Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza who happen to be gay.

Despite living in a narrow minded state where being gay is regarded as immoral, the couple went ahead and held their engagement ceremony. Consequently, the two have been found guilty of unnatural acts and gross indecency. This comes after a process of not only being humiliated but disrespected and undermined by their country’s laws.

According to media waves, Tiwonge and Steven face the possibility of being jailed for more than 10 years. However, a magistrate is expected to sentence these guys on today.

The irony of this situation is that, both these men will be kept within walls where sodomy uncontrollably occurs. This applies not only to prisons in Malawi but in other countries as well. This means that, this two will have sex –though not with each other- but with other men imprisoned with them. Unfortunately, having sex in jail might be a deed that’s not so consensual in their case.

Also, it’s amazing how Malawian President Bingu wa Mutharika called on religious leaders in his country to help him condemn homosexuality. Daily Nation quoted him as saying, “(homosexuality) is evil and bad before the eyes of God”.  Nonetheless, the same god he uses to perpetuate his personal judgment is believed to have stated in the bible that He is the only one with the right to judge and not anyone else. Clearly, Mutharika reads a Koran.

Sympathy

Unfortunately, there is absolutely nothing I can do to help or simply show that I feel the pain Tiwonge and Steven. What has happened instead is that, I have grown scared. I am scared of what the situation will be like now right here is South Africa.

I am well aware of how gay friendly Cape Town is and I also know that in 2007 a law that permits people of the same sex to get married was passed. However, that hasn’t stopped the ignorant few South Africans from not only teasing gay people but also physically hurting them.

With that I ask, how are we different then from a country that is totally against gay people? How often should we preach that homosexuality is not a choice? Who in fact can actually stand up and help to stop this sort of discrimination? If it’s not my president sharing on how he would beat up a gay man back in his youth years, our folks disown us while society tears us apart with insults.

To me it seems, only gay people will be able to stand against the issue, but the question still stands that will we ever win? If yes, when will we win? Clearly not today. Not next week or this year for that matter. This is a very long journey, I believe. One that makes me feel that gay people are fighting a losing battle.

Happy read!

Not so holly

As if we don’t have much to deal with when it comes to the issue of HIV and Aids, the leader of Ncandweni Gospel Christ Ambassadors, Timothy Myeni allegedly made a controversial and offensive remark about people living with HIV and Aids.

Apparently, Myeni insulted people with the virus by saying they should be branded on the buttocks to stop the spread of the disease.

Taking offence on this, the National Association of People Living with HIV and Aids (Napwa) wrote a letter to the SAMAs organisers, urging them to make sure that Myeni does not attend the event, as more than 300 Napwa members will be attending the event.

Failing to do so, Napwa threatened to make things ugly if Myeni attends the event or even wins an award. Consequently, he did not pitch.

Accentuating their message, Napwa also wants radio stations to stop playing and promoting Ncandweni’s music.

I find it very hard to understand as to why -a gospel singer nogal- would say such a thing. In my mind, this guy clearly thinks that, for one to get infected one has to be sleeping around. What a stereotype. Of course, now we wait to hear if he really made this remark, or it is just unfound speculations.

He better not have said that, or else I will make sure that in as much as I do not like their music, I would make it my mission to let people know what he said. That way, their reputation will be damaged, just as he had juts did to people living with the disease.

The last thing we want is people making this remark, simply because a leader of one of the popular gospel groups for the black market in SA said it. It seems to me that some people really need to be cultured and schooled. Especially our Christian believers.

Happy read!