Political: Africa’s Lodestar, Africans & Arabs; Koos, Zuma And I Poem by Margaret Alice

Africa's Lodestar

Addis Ababa – a jamboree of festivity:
Presidents in jets, pledging their promises;
size of entourage, taste in wine on display,

Organization of African Unity losing Africa
fifty years, promoting poverty and blocking
development; returning home to beat up

Opponents, jail activists, harass journalists
Kenya’s Mwai Kibaki stealing December
election, stirring bloody conflict, Africa’s

Lodestar is lost, under a Sacred Principle
between Africa’s leaders in misplaced
solidarity, ignoring all evil by Africans on

Africans – destroying all in our continent…

[Reading the Sunday Times 3 February 2008
An Article by Mondli Makhanya]


Africans and Arabs

I’m out of step with the world
and thankful for it – as I read
about growing racism in the
newspapers, I’m nonplussed

I find my own race and culture
terribly boring, one-sided, prejudiced
and intolerant, whereas other races
are intriguing, amusing, fascinating

And enchanting – Africans and Arabs
are warm and loving, I feel their love
and acceptance when dealing with
them; Indians and Chinese are sweet

And courteous; while the Europeans
are cold and calculating, or
distant and superior – I’ve always
been an outsider in my own

Race and culture, even the songs
that I love, enjoy no cult following,
when with my own people, I feel
cold judgment and rejection

In the atmosphere, as well as
self-righteousness – using my
feelings as a gauge, I have to
declare – a variety of races is

A blessing which I cherish -
and remain out of step with
the world – while people are
fighting about issues of race

And pollution, I’m concentrating on
preparing for life after physical death
because the smallness of this world
and the narrow perspective

Of people’s vision - is
suffocating me…


Koos Kombuis, Zuma and I

What the heck is going on?
First my brother – now another,
a colleague at that, though
a secret as yet – are all leaving
for Australia. What are you guys
doing over there so as to attract all
and sundry away from South Africa?

Before we move to Kingsley building
Henry is leaving – now how fair
is that? I understand about my brother,
he always brings chaos in his wake,
to make trouble over there is only fair,
people need hair on their teeth

To deal with him – but Henry was
a special colleague, he believed in my
special abilities – and now he is leaving,
you Aussies will have him – enjoy – but
it’s not fair at all! Only Koos Kombuis,
Zuma and I will be left!