Halala Naledi Halala

By Hassen Lorgat *

Halala Naledi Halala

halala Naledi Halala

naledi, our shining star

the face of our nation at the ICJ

as genocidaires everywhere looked for places to hide

the world, our motherland, once again became our oyster

with Grace, you took it on the chin

Pandor did not pander to their pink panther

Yes,

Those that sparred with you failed

those who now bar you, too, will fall

is it not foolhardy in this day and age

to stop humans from all over the world bonding?

It’s a small price to pay

and this too shall pass

In our world, our motherland

there are many rooms and mansions

stopping a dissenter from entering one room

does not change the price of bread

but the truth remains,

the juices of justice run in our veins

We come from a long line of warriors

The frontier wars / the defiance campaign /

boycotts and sanctions and all forms of resistance/

And did not Madiba remind the world:

you cannot choose our friends for us?

We are a free people

Take comfort, Sister and Comrade Naledi

because they know, as we all do

that we -all of us- are already

living rent free inside their heads.

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*Hassen Lorgat has worked in the trade union movement, civic associations, and anti apartheid sports movement led by the South African Council on Sports (SACOS) as well as NGOs for the past while. He has also worked with civil society groups opposing harmful and exploitative mining and extractivism. Hassen is a media activist who has been featured in different media and has, on a few occasions, used the services of the Press Council, the Broadcast Complaints Authority of South Africa (BCCSA), and other platforms to ensure accurate and fair reporting.