My dear child
Our child
Their child
Child of the desert so old, child of the land so vast and of contrasts
Child of an old land
Ageless Land
The land God made in anger
Child of strange parents
Yes, your parents
Who brought you into this world without knowing you
And who sought not your approval
Yet uninvited you came
Semi-anticipated you arrived
And persisted in imposing your presence as part of them
Part of us
Joyously you were received
Uncertainly you were raised
Passionately you were protected
Cautiously you were bred
You are us
We are you
Only to let you go
You are a human child
You bear the desert in you
Many bloods fill your veins
Black, brown, white, even the rain’s colours are in you
That are not in the rainbow
So remote a dream you were
As neither black nor white is in the rainbow
Your colours are of the earth
The earth itself under your foot
Welcoming its own, different, from place to place
Uniting one to another
You are neither green nor orange
Yet needing both colours to grow into ripeness
You are not ripe yet
You are yet to be and become
Yourself.
You come from your parents but you are not them
Like the prophet said
You are not your parents’ child
You are the seed of life’s own longing for itself
You only came through us
Not from us
You are with us
But you are not our belonging
We can give you our love
But avoid, yes, escape our thoughts
For you have your own which we as parents cannot access
We can only visit
And when we do, keep us outside to appreciate you as you go and grow
And be yourself
Oh my child, our child, their child
Child of the rivers
Child of the orange sunset
Child of innocence
Child of genocide
Child of conflict
Child of ignorance
Child of indifference
Child of rebellion
Child of endless search for meaning
Child of the dunes
Child of omuramba
Chid of the mean warrior
Child of freedom yet to come
You have the San and the Sun in you
You have the bush and men in you
You are from the women of substance
Who toiled the soil with their souls
Your nails are of copper
Your teeth gold-filled
Your skin, your hands are soaked with the morning dew of the friendly season
Year in and year out
Your voice chimes the melody of the better days not yet seen
Cease not to pray
For the future’s sake
Sit under and around the baobab tree
And hear the rhythm of the birds in the sky
Above this ancient land
This land does not belong to you
Not even to your own children
It belongs to the past you have abandoned
It belongs to the future unknown to you
You are mere caretaker like your parents are of you
Eat what you need and leave the rest to the past
Invite the future to sleep with you
where you might gain insights for tomorrow
Sing not too loud so the birds can be curious
And let them eat too
Do not despise those in the twilight of their life
They are your compass going forth
Do not diminish those at the dawn of their life
They are like you were just yesterday
Let them be ready to chew the food for you, come next time
You are a black child
A white child
A brown child
The rest, you are that too
You are not the colour they told you
You are not the sound you are known by
You are a human chid
An Afrikan child
The child of the soil
This soil
Walk on it gently for it is here to carry you
To sustain you
Feel it
Hear it
Touch it
Smell it
Be it
Choose your friends discerning
Do not follow them, for they may not lead
Do not lead them, for they may not follow
Do not fear them, for they may not hurt
Do not scare them for they may not fear you
Do not hurt them, for they too, cry
Walk with them and get somewhere
Walk besides them and be their friend
Oh my child of the truth
Know yourself
Know your name and say it wherever you are,
Without apology, without fear
Shout your name to complete the symphony
And the meaning of the anthem
None will know you
If you do not state your presence
And your warmth to those around you.
You, the Namibian child
Are part of us, and we of you
No matter where you came from
No matter how small your feet
Rise and walk
No matter how short your hair
Look up to the skies that know you better
No matter how complex your complexion
Your blood is divine
Now as you exit your age
And abandon your experience
Do not exit your bones
They give you strength
Let them carry you across the road
And across the ages.
Across judgments and prejudice
May your own kingdom come
Your dreams be respected
As it was in the days when ours were
May your own days as a parent be longer
Manage tears and pain as you grow beyond innocence
May your spirit be that of the bee
That gathers and builds
A honeycomb of power and grace to endure time!
Weep not child
Just be, and become
Remember there is no issue stronger than the tissue of love
No cause more sacred than the human palm outstretched in the run of generosity
Weep not child
You are many in one
Male and female combined
Just be
Become
In Namibia, in Afrika, in the World
Just Be
Become
And Please Do!