Rabbie Wrote. Picture by Nokuthula Mbatha
If you drill things into people long enough, those things become a culture.
Bonginkosi Dlamini of Matila Avenue in Zola, Soweto, better known as Zola 7 shared this insight with me during an interview on his Massive Metro show, "Jumpas with Zola and Lihle," in 2018. I was promoting the first edition of "The Black Consciousness Reader," a book I co-authored with my dear colleagues and destiny helpers.
At that time, I had already started writing this column, and if you have been paying attention since then, you'll notice themes I've been consistently drilling into you through each edition of this column.
I have aimed to contribute consistently to a culture of awareness and reading, particularly emphasising African narratives told by Africans. This aligns with the construction of what I call the Great Wall of Awareness and Consciousness. Every edition is a brick to the construction site. This column is my most consistent contribution to the culture.
The following are the four pillars of Poetic Licence:
1. Loss and grief. This is the most common denominator in all humankind, next to breathing air. Death keeps shining like a gentle star. It is so because we do not live forever. Death is more prevalent than love - everyone dies but not everyone gets to experience true love. Perhaps a hint of "unconditional love" is perceived to be automatic from parent to child and vice versa. But wait until you google postpartum depression, a scar that I pray heals for the sake of both you and your child, dear parent.
2. Mental strength. When you have a solid support structure, much of what you can encounter that counters your happiness and a healthy mindset can be overcome. However I have learned that the most common denominator in all of humankind is not only a constant reminder of the concept of time, it is also a catalyst - a conduit to a crossroad that either makes or breaks you. And our people are fragile, content with throwing stones from the perceived safety of our glass houses. Mental strength is learning that there are kinds of scars that only time can heal. Mental strength is accepting that fact and moving on to pillar three.
3. Perception and passion. Whether we like it or not, too much of our perceived reality is neo-colonialised. Who we think we are has been drilled into us long enough. Long enough that we have been programmed and conscientised to remain unaware of our true strength. “Cultures change”, they say. They are right, but do our cultures evolve from their core or do we assimilate them from a television set? There is a difference between evolution and imitation when it comes to culture. And as for passion, it is thought. If you have nothing that you are enthusiastic or excited about, for me it's poetry, then you have minimised your reasons for breathing.
4. Love. Sibusiso Ndebele said it best: it is the epoch through which we forge forward!
Saturday Star
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