Lwandle

You know, there's this dangerous idea that is persistence and it's being pushed hard — that if you embrace your ethnic roots, hold on to your traditional beliefs, and actually live according to the cultural values you were raised with, then somehow you're being tribal or backward. But let's call it what it really is: a western-framed narrative designed to detach us from ourselves. It's not just innocent misunderstanding rather it’s deliberate. It’s a subtle form of psychological colonisation meant to keep African people cut off from their own spiritual grounding or awakening so that they can be more easily molded or even indoctrinated by western norms, ideals and ways of life. Before you're a patriot, before you're national a leader, before you're even a so-called citizen of any modern nation-state for that matter you are a cultural being. You are shaped by the land and the people who raised you. The language you speak, the songs your elders sang, the ceremonies your people still perform and all these aren't small or secondary things. They are the essence of who you are. They are the codes that your ancestors passed down, and they run deeper than any political label or constitutional ideal. Your values, your worldview, your inner compass because they come from your bloodline, your lineage, and the customs of your people. Now, let’s be clear fellow South Africans, patriots and peace loving citizens of our beloved country that striving for a society that is non-racial, non-sexist, just, equal, diverse, free and fair, democratic and prosperous society for all; doesn’t in any shape or form mean we must erase ourselves or mute our heritage. That vision of unity doesn’t ask anyone to stop being who they are. It simply says that despite all our differences, we are all rooted here, and that we can build something meaningful together without losing what makes each of us unique. True nation-building must allow us to bring our full selves to the broader table, that means coming along with our languages, our songs, our rituals, our philosophies, and our ancestral ways of knowing, behind a national perspective of WE ARE ALL SOUTH AFRICANS. Anything less is frankly a continuation of the colonial script — and that’s what we must refuse. ✊🏽✊🏽✊🏽 – at Cape Town, South Africa