Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Apart. A Part


I am apart
from this history
what was Mandela?
Prison black politician

selected parts of his speeches
shape my knowledge
sounds a good elder
to our struggles
against the again and again
of oppression

selecter parts of his history
give me knowledge
sounds like power corrupted
a lesson repeated
in the again and again
of oppression

questions of history grow
as we dance under Biko
how did apartheid become
the defining word for peoples experience?
How did the debate get framed
and then photographed
and then framed again?

What has not been framed?
Who has not been framed?
Alejando Uribe assasinated 2005
Aldelina Gomez assassinated 30th September 2013
Cesar Garcia assassinated 2nd November 2013

I am a part
of this history
Anglo in the mountains of colombia
Gold in the mountains of colombia
Ashanti in the mountains of colombia
the colonial pursuit of el dorado
leaves more freedom fighters
fallen again in its bloody wake.

What was in Mandela's other speeches?
What did he say
to Anglo Gold Ashanti,
The white south african mining elite?
What did they say to him?

Nationalise Privatise
Royalties Ransom.
Compromise?

I gather in community
at this time of his death
to prevent the centuries old
whitewash of black working class history
our elites white master so well
and to dialogue together
to find each other
to seek solidarity with each other
in this time of growing
fortress europe
apartheid.
We are a part.


I read this out in Millenium Square, Bristol on Sunday 15th December as part of a public community event, organised in response to Nelson Mandela's death. I wrote this after being inspired by an event at the Malcolm X Centre on the Friday night before. Thank you those who organised the space for us to come together.

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