Mbizo Chirasha
Identity Apples
iam a fat skeleton, resurrecting
from the sad memories of dada
and dark mysteries of aminism
iam buganda
i bleed hope
i drip the honey of fortune
makerere, think tank of africa
i dance with you wakimbizi dance
iam tanganyika
i smell and fester with the smoke of african
genesis
iam the beginning
kilimanjaro the anthill of rituals
iam the smile of africa
my glee erase the deception of sadness
my tooth bling freedom
iam myself, iam gambia
when others seep with bullets stuck in their
stomachs
i sneeze copper spoons from my mouth every
dawn
iam the colombia of africa
iam the cinderella of africa
where mediums feast with the ghost of kamuzu
in mulange trees
here spirits walk naked and free
iam the land of sensations
iam the land of reactions
coughing forex blues
squandermania
i still smell the scent of nehanda’
breath
iam african renaissance blooming
i stink the soot of chimurenga
iam the mute laughter of njelele hills
iam soweto
swallowed by kwaito and gong
iam a decade of wrong and gong
iam blister of freedom vomited from the belly
of apartheid
i see the dawn of the coming sun in madiba
‘s eyebrows
iam abuja
blast furnace of corruption
nigeria, the jerusalem of noblemen, priests,
professors and prophets
iam guinea i bling with african floridization
iam blessed with many tongues
my thighs washed by river nile
iam the mystery of pyramids
iam the graffiti of nefertiti
i am the rich breast of nzinga
iam switzerland of africa
the rhythm of kalahari sunset
the rhyme of sahara, yapping, yelping
iam damara, iam herero, iam nama, iam lozi,
iam vambo
iam bitterness, iam sweetness
iam liberia
iam king kongo
mobutu roasted my diamonds into the stink
of deep brown blisters
frying daughters in corruption microwaves
souls swallowed by the beat of ndombolo and
the wind of rhumba
iam the paris of africa
i see my wounds
iam rhythm of beauty
iam congo
iam bantu
iam jola
iam mandinga
i sing of you
i sing thixo
i sing of ogun
i sing of god
i sing of tshaka
i sing of jesus
i sing of children
of garangaja and banyamulenge
whose sun is dozing in the mist of poverty
iam the ghost of mombasa
iam the virginity of nyanza
iam scarlet face of mandinga
iam cherry lips of buganda
come sankara, come wagadugu
iam msiri of garangadze kingdom
my heart beat under rhythm of words and dance
iam the dead in the trees blowing with wind,
i can not be deleted by civilization.
iam not kaffir, iam not khoisun
iam the sun breaking from the villages of
the east with great inspiration of revolutions
its fingers caressing the bloom of hibiscus
liberation!
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Identitätsäpfel
ichbin ein fettes Skelett, das wieder aufersteht
aus traurigen Erinn'rungen an dada
und dunklen Mysterien des Aminismus (1)
ichbin buganda (2)
ich blute Hoffnung
ich tropfe den Honig des Schicksals
makerere, Think-tank von Afrika (3)
ich tanze mit dir wakimbizi(4) tanz
ichbin tanganyika
ich stinke und eit're mit dem Rauch afrikanischer Genesis
ich bin der Anfang
kilimanjaro der Ameisenhügel der Rituale
ichbin das Lächeln Afrikas
meine Freude tilgt die Täuschung der Traurigkeit
mein Zahn blingt(5) Freiheit
ichbin ichselbst, ichbin gambia
wenn andere aussickern während Kugeln stecken in ihren Mägen
schneuze ich Kupferlöffel aus meinem Mund bei jedem Tagesanbruch
ich bin das Kolumbien von Afrika
ichbin das Aschenputtel von Afrika
wo Medien schmausen mit dem Geist von kamuzu in mulange Bäumen
(6)
hier gehn Geister nackt und frei
ichbin das Land der Sinneseindrücke
ichbin das Land der Reaktionen
huste Forex Blaus
Verschwendungssucht
ich rieche noch den Duft von nehanda Atem (7)
ichbin Afrikanische Renaissance die blüht
ich stinke den Ruß von chimurenga (8)
ichbin das stumme Lachen von njelele Hügeln (9)
ich bin Soweto
verschluckt von kwaito(10) und gong
ichbin ein Jahrzehnt von wrong/falsch und gong
ichbin Blasen der Freiheit gekotzt aus dem Bauch der Apartheid
ich sehe den Anbruch des kommenden Sonne in madiba ‘s Augenbrauen (11)
ichbin Abuja
Hochofen der Korruption
Nigeria, das Jerusalem der Edelmänner, Priester, Professoren und
Propheten
ich bin Guinea ich “bling” mit afrikanischer Floridisierung
ichbin gesegnet mit vielen Zungen
meine Schenkel, gewaschen vom Nil
ichbin das Geheimnis der Pyramiden
ich bin das graffito of Nefertiti
ich bin die reiche Brust von nzinga (12)
ichbin die Schweiz Afrikas
der Rhythmus of Kalahari Sonnenuntergang
der Reim der Sahara, kläffend, jaulend
ichbin damara, ichbin herero, ichbin nama, ichbin lozi, ichbin vambo
(13)
ichbin Bitterkeit, ichbin Süße
ichbin Liberia
ichbin König Kongo
mobutu röstete meine Diamanten im Gestank von tiefbraunen Blasen
briet Töchter in Korruptions-Mikrowellen
Seelen geschluckt vom Beat des ndombolo(14)
und dem Wind des rhumba
ichbin das Paris von Afrika
ich seh meine Wunden
ichbin Rhythmus der Schönheit
ichbin Kongo
ichbin Bantu
ichbin Jola
ich bin Mandinga (15)
ich sing von dir
ich singe thixo (16)
ich sing von ogun (17)
ich sing von Gott
ich sing von tshaka (18)
ich sing von Jesus
ich sing von Kindern
von garangaja und banyamulenge
deren Sonne döst im Nebel der Armut
ichbin der Geist von Mombasa
ich bin die Jungfräulichkeit von nyanza
ichbin scharlachrotes Gesicht von mandinga
ichbin Kirschenlippen von buganda
Komm Sankara, komm Wagadugu
ichbin Msiri vom Garangadse Reich
mein Herz schlag unterm Rhythmus von Worten und Tanz
ichbin die Toten in den Bäumen die wehen im Wind,
ich kann nicht ausgestrichen werden von Zivilisation.
Ichbin nicht Kaffer, ich bin nicht Khoisun
ichbin die Sonne die anbricht in den Dörfern des Ostens mit großer
Inspiration von Revolutionen
ihre Finger liebkosen das Blüh'n des Hibiskus
Befreiung!
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Translator's note:
1 Idi Amin was a ruler in Uganda; Aminism: a neologism that faintly
evokes the sound of the term animism...
2 Buganda is a subnational kingdom within Uganda. The kingdom
of the Ganda people, Buganda is the largest of the traditional kingdoms
in present-day Uganda, .
3 Makerere University Kampala (MUK) is Uganda's largest and third-oldest
institution of higher learning, first established as a technical school
in 1922.
4 wakimbizi (Suahili) = refugees ("Flüchtlinge" in German)
5 Blingbling is een term die rappers gebruiken
voor sieraden.
Het is afgeleid van het geluid dat twee of meer (al dan niet edele)
metalen sieraden maken als zij tegen elkaar tikken. Curieus is dat het
gebruik als Amerikaans leenwoordin het Nederlands wordt gerelateerd met
blinkende zaken, waarschijnlijk vanwege de klankovereenkomst tussen "bling"
en het Nederlandse woord "blinken". (Blingbling is a term used by rappers
for "cool," sometimes shiny objects.)
6 Re kamuzu and mulanje: The Mulanje cypress is a species of Widdringtonia
native to Malawi, ... It is only on Mulanje and Mchese Mountain that a
closely related tree form is found. The Mulanje Massif, also known as Mount
Mulanje, is a large monadnock in southern Malawi .... The Mulanje Cedar
(Widdringtonia whytei) was proclaimed the National Tree of Malawi in 1984
by the late president Hastings Banda. Hastings Kamuzu Banda was president
of Malawi from 1966 till 1994. Cf. the newspaper article “Kamuzu Banda
is a deep reservoir of lessons” which states about President Banda: “He
altered Malawi’s colonial history and […] wrote its post-colonial experience.
[…] [T]he history of this country would cease to make sense minus 30 years
of his dynamic leadership. Kamuzu was a ruthless organiser. He was gifted
with a dominating presence; a calm, sometimes intimidating personality
and fierce clarity in his manner of communication. Armed with extensive
education, global exploration and the heart of a lion, he was fearless.
In more ways than one Kamuzu was ahead of his political team, and this
served him and Malawi very well. As we honour the Lion of Malawi, what
do we learn? Well to me Kamuzu is a complex curriculum. Only a few lessons
can be drawn at a time: The first lesson to be had is that way back in
1964 when systems were much more primitive, Kamuzu forged clear development
policies and strategies in all sectors. He stuck to simple, technical,
un-ideological policies which addressed basics of livelihood, notably food,
water, housing and clothing for the people. It was not a case of humanism,
capitalism, socialism or other ideology; it was about what produced results;
about what changed people’s lives and what kept the people of Malawi together
as one nation. From the outset, Kamuzu underlined agriculture for the dual
reason of food security and economy.” (Tom Sangala, in: The Times (Malawi),
May 18.2015.
Renowned actor and comedian Michael Usi alias Manganya is planning
to distribute his Kamuzu film for free to aid more Malawians. Cf. also:
Kamuzu Academy in Mtunthama, Kasungu in central Malawi and also Kamuzu
Central Hospital in Malawi's capital, Lilongwe and also Kamuzu International
Airport(LLW) - Both terms, kamuzu and mulanje connote rootedness
(in one's specific socio-culture).
7 Nehanda (Shona language) = bull(s). Cf. also Nehanda Radio
and TV, Zimbabwe
8 chimurenga (Shona language) = revolution
9 Regarding the Njelele Hills, in Zimbabwe, see Mandla Tshuma,
“Annual contributions to Njelele pilgrimage compulsory in Hobodo community”,
in: Religion in Zimbabwe, Jan. 9, 2012 which gives this information:
“Despite one‘s religious orientation, annual contributions of money and
grain towards the Njelele Shrine pilgrimage are compulsory in Hobodo
community in Mangwe district of Matabele land South Province. Every year
towards the beginning of the rainy season in the month of August or September,
Chief Hobodo, as the custodian of Kalanga religion and customs, sends
a delegation of amawosana (people with rain-making spirits ) to the Matopo
hills-situated Njelele Shrine to go and ask for some rains from Ngwali
(a spirit speaking from a rock in Njelele) on behalf of the community.
[...]” [http://relzim.org/forum/in-the-churches-blog/3560/]
Cf. also: Njelele Art Station: this is an urban laboratory located
in downtown Harare. It focuses on contemporary, experimental and public
art practice.
10 kwaito (Shona language) = poison
11 madiba: “Shortly after Nelson Mandela's death [...], his clan
name Madiba emerged in condolences […] The clan or family name represents
a person's ancestry. The meaning is deeper than a surname and is used as
a sign of respect and affection. The origin of Madiba comes from a chief
who ruled in the 18th century ” [Jolie Lee, “Why Nelson Mandela is called
Madiba”, in: USA Today, Dec. 6, 2013]
12 Nzinga Manda (or Queen Anna Nzinga), c. 1583 – December 17,
1663), “was a 17th-century queen (muchino a muhatu) of the Ndongo
and Matamba Kingdoms of the Mbundu people in Angola.” “Queen Nzinga (Nzinga
Mbande), the monarch of the Mbundu people, was a resilient leader who fought
against the Portuguese and their expanding slave trade.” See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nzinga_of_Ndongo_and_Matamba
and http://www.blackpast.org/gah/queen-nzinga-1583-1663
. “She also orchestrated guerilla attacks on the Portuguese which
would continue long after her death and inspire the ultimately successful
20th Century armed resistance against the Portuguese that resulted in independent
Angola in 1975.” - See : http://www.blackpast.org/gah/queen-nzinga-1583-1663#sthash.A7gV38CL.dpuf
Cf. also: Gary Y. Okihiro, In Resistance: Studies in African, Carribbean
and Afro American History. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press,
1986.
13 damara, herero, nama, lozi, vambo: Damara:
Cf. Damaraland, in Northern Namibia, inhabited by the Damara people.
– Herero: “The Herero is an ethnic group inhabiting parts of Southern
Africa. The majority reside in Namibia, with the remainder found
in Botswana and Angola.” “The Herero and Namaqua Genocide was
a campaign of racial extermination and collective punishment that the German
Empire undertook […] against the Herero and Nama people. It is considered
as one of the first genocides of the 20th century.” – Nama: the “Nama are
an African ethnic group of South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. ... In general
the Nama practice a policy of communal land ownership. Music, poetry and
story telling are very important in Nama culture ” – The Lozi people are
an ethnic group primarily of western Zambia, inhabiting the region of Barotseland.
They number approximately 575,000 in Zambia out of a population of 10 million.
Lozi are also found in Namibia (Caprivi Strip), Angola, Botswana. Cf. also
the article: “Lozi (Barotse) Nationalism in Western Zambia”; it says: “Barotseland
was one of the strongest indigenous polities of southern central Africa,
controlling a broad swath of territory that encompassed the Caprivi Strip.
Although the Strip was never predominantly Lozi in terms of ethnicity,
the Lozi tongue (Silozi or Rozi) did become its common language. Barotseland
also developed an incipient sense of national identity, which extended
beyond the Lozi proper to include some of the kingdom’s affiliated ethnic
groups. As a result, some Caprivi people look north to western Zambia rather
then southeast to Namibia proper as the heartland of their political affiliation.”
– Ovamboland in Namibia is inhabited by the Vambo people.
“The Lozi kingdom is historically rooted in the distinctive environment
of the Barotse Floodplain, a vast wetland some 230 kilometers long and
40 kilometers wide, located along the middle stretch of the upper Zambezi
River. In the pre-colonial period, few areas of southern central Africa
offered an environment productive enough to support the concentrated settlements
and surplus foodstuffs necessary to underwrite a powerful, centralized
polity. Soils are poor over much of the region and tsetse flies abound,
preventing intensive cattle production. The Barotse floodplain, however,
presents a different kind of environment. The river floods annually, turning
the basin into a shallow lake and depositing a fresh layer of fertile silt.
Flooding also prevents tree growth, which in turn precludes tsetse flies.
Farming, fishing, and especially cattle herding on the Barotse Plain are
quite productive, allowing relatively dense settlement. Flooding presents
its own challenges, of course, as entire villages must seasonally relocate
from the center to the margin of the plain. Intriguingly, Lozi oral traditions
link the establishment of such annual migrations to the transition from
female to male royal authority.” Source: http://www.geocurrents.info/geopolitics/lozi-barotse-nationalism-in-western-zambia#ixzz4AYuF1vli
14 Ndombolo is a Congolese music genre and dance style,
also popular in other African countries such as Kenya and Madagascar. It
is derived from kwassa kwassa. – Re rhumba, check rumba. “The term rumba
may refer to a variety of unrelated music styles. Originally, the term
rumba was used as a synonym for "party" in northern Cuba, and by the late
19th century it was used to denote the complex of secular music styles
known as Cuban rumba. Since the early 20th century the term has been used
in different countries to refer to distinct styles of music and dance,
most of which are only tangentially related to the original Cuban rumba,
if at all. In In the US, the term "rhumba" (anglicised version of
rumba), began to be used during the 1920s to refer to ballroom music with
Afro-Cuban music themes [...]”
15 Re: Jola, Mandinga, Bantu: Bantu may refer to:
Bantu languages. They constitute the largest sub-branch of the Niger–Congo
languages; and it may refer to the Bantu peoples, they are over 400 peoples
of Africa.
“The Jola (Diola, in French transliteration) are an ethnic group found
in Senegal, the Gambia, and Guinea-Bissau.” Re: Jola and Mandinga,
cf. the composition of the population of Guinea-Bissao: “Wolof, Fula, Mandinga,
Jola.” Mandinga in Guinea: “Á l'époque le "Mandimansa" (l'empereur
du Mali) exerçait son autorité presque partout à l'intérieur
de la Guinée.” Ten percent of the population of Gambia belongs
to the Jola tribe.
Guinea-Bissao: “Recent folklores recall the defeat of Portuguese repression,
exploitation, and dehumanization of locals and celebrate the
lives of heroes of the Revolution like Amilcar Cabral and Domingos Ramos.”
(Africa: An Encyclopedia of Culture and Society [3 volumes], p.601)
re: Balanta society: “Oral traditions attribute the exodus of Balanta
from central Guinea-Bissao to their rejection of the methods of the Portuguese
colonial regime. They recount tensions between the politically dominant
and slave-raiding Mandinga and Balanta […] Bejaa, […] Kaaba and Mandinga
share the Islamic faith and dress codes.”(Africa: An Encyclopedia of Culture
and Society, p.601)
Re “Muslim Jola”: “Liselott Dellenborg reports that for Muslim Jola
in an uncircumcised woman's prayers are said not to “take” or to give [...]”
“Most Mandinga women in Guinea-Bissao consider […] initiation to be less
important than the physical act of female circumcicision which they link
explicitly to religious identity [...]” (Yilva Hernlund and Bettina Shell-Duncan
(eds.), Transcultural Bodies: Female Genital Cutting in Global Context.
New Brunswick NJ and London : Rutgers Univ. Press, 2007)
Gambia: “Principal tribes in the "Protectorate" have been the Mandinga
(35%), Fula, Jola, and Serahuli. Mandinga and Serahuli are mainly Moslems;
the majority of the Jola have traditional African religions.” (Martina
Sasnett and Inez Seppmeyer, Educational Systems of Africa: Interpretations
for Use in the Evaluation of Academic Credentials. Berkeley : Univ.
of Calif.Press, 1966, p.374)
[Être né dans dans la tribu Peule (côté père),
et entouré par des traditions Mandingue, Tchando est le porteur
naturel de ces deux fabuleuses cultures.En 1994, Tchando a decidé
de retourner à ses origines peules et mandingues. Soutenu par l'association
danoise des compositeurs, D.J.B.F.A., il part à Guinée Bissau
pour une veritable recherche musical pendant six mois. La culture de ces
deux peuples - les Mandingues et les Peuls - répresente le fond
musical de Tchando.]
You find Africa: An Encyclopedia of Culture and Society [3 volumes]
here:
: https://books.google.be/books?id=YjoVCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA601&lpg=PA601&dq=
Jola+MANDINGA&source=bl&ots=fKlzT1yrl8&sig=edy9cgnR4EYC4r105ssmmbV-R
Mg&hl=nl&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiC8rSh4o3NAhWMLcAKHSvrBv8Q6AEISzAH#v=
onepage&q=Jola%20MANDINGA&f=false
[search term: “Jola MANDINGA”]
16 Re Thixo: “THIXO: Sun God of Tickly Noses. Thixo is the African
God of the Sun and comes from the mythology of Africa” – “Thixo is derived
from Tsui?Goab (Tsuni-?Goam), the great hero of the Khoi from. ... Thixo
Creates Three Nations (Khoi, Xhosa/South Africa).” See: Harold Scheub,
A Dictionary of African Mythology, London : Oxford University Press. Online
version, 2002. http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780195124569.001.0001/acref-9780195124569-e-326
– “(Sung in Xhosa) Bawo, Thixo Somandla, (Father, God Almighty) Buyinton'
ubugwenxa bam? (What are our sins)” – “uThixo is also used to emphasize
the authority and acceptance of uNkulunkulu as "our uThixo"3) (Thixo wethu,
Evening Prayers, Section 23, 12 ” (Gerhardus Cornelis Oosrhuizen, The Theology
of a South African Messiah. Leiden : Brill 1976, p.16)
17 Ogun: “In Yoruba religion, Ogun is a primordial Orisha
who first appeared as a hunter named Tobe Ode. He was the husband of Oya.
He is said to be the first Orisha to descend to the realm of Ile Aiye,
"Earth", to find suitable place for future human life. In commemoration
of this, one of his praise names is Osin Imole or the "first of the primordial
Orisha to come to Earth". He is celebrated in places like Ekiti, Oyo, and
Ondo States. He is believed by his followers to have wo ile sun, to have
disappeared into the earth's surface instead of dying, in a place named
Ire-Ekiti. Throughout his earthly life, he is thought to have fought for
the people of Ire thus is known also as Onire. –In Dahomey religion, [Ogun
is called Gu and] Gu is the vodun of war and patron deity of smiths and
craftsmen. He was sent to earth to make it a nice place for people to live,
and he has not yet finished this task” “In Haitian Vodou, Ogoun is syncretized
with St. Jacques Majeur (St. James the Greater) in his incarnation as Santiago
Matamoros (St. James the Moorslayer). In Candomblé, Ogúm
is syncretized with Saint George or Saint Sebastian [...]” ”Over
the centuries, the inter-cultural exhanges between the Vodoun cultures
of West Africa, and the Yoruba Ifa'Orisha tradition is well documented.”
”Ogun, or Ogun Onire, is the god of war and iron of the Yoruba people of
West Africa.” Cf. “OGUN: The Hunting God of Lethal Metalwork. Ogun is the
African God of Weapons ”
18 Tshaka; Shaka: “Shaka kaSenzangakhona (circa 1787 – 22 September
1828), also known as Shaka Zulu (Zulu pronunciation: [??a??a]), was one
of the most influential monarchs of the Zulu Kingdom. […] According
to tradition, Shaka was conceived during an act of what began as ukuhlobonga,
a form of sexual foreplay without penetration allowed to unmarried couples,
also known as "the fun of the roads" (ama hlay endlela), during which the
lovers were "carried away".[...] Due to persecution as a result of his
illegitimacy, Shaka spent his childhood in his mother's settlements. He
is recorded as having been initiated there and inducted into an ibutho
lempi (fighting unit). In his early days, Shaka served as a warrior under
the sway of Dingiswayo.
Shaka went on to further refine the ibutho system used by Dingiswayo
and others and, with Mthethwa's support over the next several years, forged
alliances with his smaller neighbours, to counter the growing threat from
Ndwandwe raids from the north. The initial Zulu maneuvers were primarily
defensive in nature, as Shaka preferred to intervene or apply pressure
diplomatically, aided by occasional judicious assassinations. His changes
to local society built on existing structures. Although he preferred social
and propagandistic political methods, he also engaged in a number of battles,
as the Zulu sources make clear. He was assassinated by his half brothers
Dingane and Mhlangana.”
“Shaka's hegemony was primarily based on military might, smashing rivals
and incorporating scattered remnants into his own army. He supplemented
this with a mixture of diplomacy and patronage, incorporating friendly
chieftains, including Zihlandlo of the Mkhize, Jobe of the Sithole, and
Mathubane of the Thuli. These peoples were never defeated in battle by
the Zulu; they did not have to be. Shaka won them over by subtler tactics
[...]”
“Shaka taught the Zulus that the most effective way of becoming powerful
quickly was by conquering and controlling other tribes. His teachings greatly
influenced the social outlook of the Zulu people. The Zulu tribe soon developed
a "warrior" mindset, which Shaka turned to his advantage.”
King tSHAKA – see images in internet.
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