Cry the beloved World:
Written by Naadira Chhipa
As your sisters are being raped, beaten,
mercilessly tortured and killed. Look the
other way - yet as South African women
we too can feel the pain of the past.
As your brothers are being slaughtered,
burned, brutally murdered. Look the
other way - yet as a South African we too
can hear the haunting screams of our
brothers of the past.
As your children are being bombed,
enslaved, horrifically gassed, starving
and crying out for help before closing
their innocent eyes forever. Look the
other way -yet as a South African child
we too remember the image of Hector
Peterson and so many young heroes
who bled for freedom
You can look the other way oh World
but we as South Africans cannot as we
have been ostracized, killed and
suffered during the torturing years of
struggle during apartheid.
You can look the other way as it is
not your country that is being
attacked.
You can look the other way as it is not your house being
bombed
You can look the other way as it is
not your child frothing to death.
.
As your mothers are being stripped
off their dignity, hammered by rifles
and buried under rubble. Look the
other way - yet as a South African
mother we too cried tears of blood.
As your fathers are being thrown into
fires, crying tears of blood and trying to
protect their family with stones as
weapons. Look the other way - yet as a
South African our fathers of the past
sacrificed their life for our freedom.
As your family bleed oceans of pain and
silently close their eyes forever. Look the
other way - yet as South Africans we know
their pain, we feel their pain as we lost so
many in the struggle for freedom. Freedom
of oppression, freedom of speech, freedom
from discrimination, freedom to live.
You can look the other way as it is not your sister being
raped.
You can look the other way as it is not your father being
burned alive.