LEAP Writers Society

Language

2011-09-08T14:56:00.002+02:00

Mlweni, Sanibonani, Dumelani, Guemadag, Mwiriwe, Moro and Good day

What is a language?

Is it what your mother gave you?

Maybe your father?

Why abandon what your blood

gave you?

But when I think back

I remember my grandma use to tell me

When you know too many you know the world

You know people

But again I ask why know too many forget

What that woman gave you, the one

You so call a mother.

Know but don't forget

what you got from that woman

Your mother tongue is

the most precious gift

You get to take wherever you go

and

THAT IS A LANGUAGE

-Ciza Sylvane

Fear of Love

2011-05-09T10:29:00.006+02:00

Once again, my heart is broken
I've always loved you, but that was never spoken
I tried to tell you, but the earth beneath me started quakin'
never mind my stomach achin'

You told me you were never interested
but I think you hesitated
I never gave up, but I'm losing it,
the dream about you ...
there isn't a chance of fulfilling it.

I just want you to know that you are my sunshine
and maybe someday you will sunrise.

Just to make it through the day and not to get hurt
seems about the best I can hope
Like sauce stains splattered on my shirt
there isn't a pattern
everything is uncertain

It's difficult to cope
but I'm not losing hope

Really, SSS loves ZEE.

-Sandile Sandlana

The Nightmare

2011-05-05T15:19:00.003+02:00

The dream I had
was not a dream

A dream
I could see myself
climbing trees

Trees that never stopped to grow
Running was unstoppable
Sweat was all over my body
swimming in the deepest ocean

Animals chased me through
the unknown way

Where can I go?
Where can I hide?
What can I do?

I stopped, helpless
After all,
it wasn't a dream
it was a nightmare

It got worse
Trees grew fast
The road had no end
The sweat drip-ling like
tap water

The ocean became deeper
Animals were a different kind of them
I didn't know what to do

I screamed
I called names I didn't know
After all ...
I was just in bed.

-Ciza Sylvane

Why Get Away?

2011-05-05T14:59:00.003+02:00

I was told get away,
I grew up knowing get away,
they said be happy to get away,
but I don't understand:
WHY GET AWAY?

I heard get away,
they said get away,
talked the language get away,
maybe they came from a planet named
get away,

Their walk was get away
but I don't understand
WHY GET AWAY?

Her look was get away,
his touch was get away,
their heart was get away,
their minds could tell
get away

Love was not LOVE but was get away,
sounds were no more music
but were get away,
please make me understand:
WHY GET AWAY?

-Ciza Sylvane

If You Knew How Much I Love You

2011-05-05T14:54:00.004+02:00

I don't think you know
how much I love you
You could never know
how I feel when I'm around you

how my heart skips a beat
how my mouth gets scratchy
how i feel like I'm about to faint
when i see you smile
that dazzling smile

How I feel sea sick when you
kiss my lips tenderly
but with aggression
that only you could possess

How my ears burn
when you tell me you love me
how my body melts like chocolate on a summer day
when you hug me

How i feel like I'm swimming in an ocean
when you wrap your arms around me and hold me

If you knew
Gosh, if you only knew
You know that I love you
I tell you every day

But I wish you could touch my heart
and feel the heat that rises through it
Then you would have a LITTLE clue
what I feel any time I'm around you

It's like you have this aura
that has enchanted me
as if you spilled a love spell on me
that makes me love you every day
more and more

A potion that makes me feel
like I'm the only one in the world
when you're next to me

If only you knew
And I hope one day you do know

-Ciza Sylvane

The Guy Sobs

2011-05-04T15:25:00.007+02:00

Sobbing again because of her
I was certain I was going to get her.

She was definitely my fantasy
but she preferred people more fancy.

I know I would have been good for her
If only she'd given it a chance to be proved
But no!
I was let down and screwed.

Don't ever give up on those you love
and care for
They do break your heart
so watch out and be carefull.

-Sandile Sandlana

I Have HIV

2011-03-31T16:27:00.003+02:00

Please do not be afraid to hold me
to hug me
to embrace me.

I will not die and leave you.
When the time comes,
I will gladly take that part of you
given to me on a journey
beyond both our wildest dreams

Only to meet you once again
and continue our friendship
our love
our embrace.

Let our hearts prepare
for this journey together
for when that time comes
know that you will be "the wind beneath my wings."

-Gracia Kapenda

The Ten Rand

2011-03-29T17:53:00.001+02:00

Why was the ten rand crying?

Because it needed to be changed.

-Joe Kapenda

Socks

2011-03-29T17:49:00.001+02:00

What type of socks do people keep in secret?

Secret socks.

-Joe Kapenda

Worms

2011-03-29T17:45:00.001+02:00

What do worm publishers print?

Underground newspapers.

-Joe Kapenda

I Give You a Heart

2011-03-14T10:20:00.002+02:00

I don't know what to say
or what to get you
because I cannot afford
to buy you a car

But I can give you my heart
This is very big
and greater than a car

I give you a heart
I don't know what is in my heart
but I give you a heart

Sometimes I feel something
strike me
I don't know what it is
but I give you a heart

Is this love or what?
I don't know
but I give you a heart

I wonder to myself
What can it be
but I give you a heart

Maybe I love you
but I give you a heart

-Ciza Sylvane

Remember Me

2011-03-12T14:43:00.002+02:00

I tempted you
made you feel uncomfortable
laughed at your nakedness
but remember me

I laughed with you
but turned into a snake
in an instant

I broke your heart
and mended it again
Don't give up on me
but just remember me

Because there will be a time
when I'll change your life
like you changed mine.

-Elethu Nkala

Praising

2011-03-12T10:36:00.005+02:00

I am saying you're an elephant
'cause you struggled for me
You struggle even when you were pregnant
of me

You protected me when I was a weakling
It was like I am a king
wearing a mane
Waiting for you to call me by a name

I'll kneel for you by my knees
'cause you're the only one that feeds
me towards respect
Because of you I know how to act

You broke up with my father
because of me
My mother
You're the only one in my dreams

Mom, I want you to be proud
of me
Even if I am making the crying sound
out loud

My mother, I'll return the huge favour!

-Lloyd Hanjana

Who Are You?

2011-03-11T15:49:00.008+02:00

Who are you?
I thought I knew you
I thought I was able to
describe who you are

You know me, but
I don't know you
Where are you from?
What is your personality?
What kind of person are you?

I thought I knew deep inside you
I thought I knew your heart
but I fooled myself with
all that I gave you

Who can you be?
Why are you here?
I don't know you anymore
Get away from me
I don't know you

WHO ARE YOU?

-Ciza Sylvane

Mother

2011-03-10T07:38:00.006+02:00

Mother, how far are you?
Where could you be?
How long do you have to take?
OH! Mother

When will I meet you, and
how will I see you?
My eyes are eager to see you
My hand desires to feel you
OH! Mother

I'm falling in love
but I don't know where you are
My heart falls for you so long
It hadn't felt the mother's love
OH! Mother

I need you, need you
right here by my side
I need to know mother's way
My feet need to take
the same path you took
OH! Mother

I need you
OH! MOTHER

-Ciza Sylvane

Permit of the Week

2011-03-04T16:05:00.001+02:00

The heart that loves is forever young.

-Joe Kapenda

Smile

2011-03-04T15:47:00.003+02:00

Smile. It is the key that fits the lock of everybody's heart.

-Gracia Kapenda

The Sad Sheep

2011-03-04T15:41:00.002+02:00

How did the sheep feel when Bo Peep lost them?
Baaaa-aaaaad.
Real baaa-aaaaaad.

-Joe Kapenda

Everything Is Nothing

2011-03-02T22:30:00.003+02:00

Wherever I go

I hear cries

Every way

that I pass through

I hear cries.

I went to America, where

I thought it was a better place

but I couldn't stand the tears of people

I was in France, where

I could think it was a little better

but it was like going through people's watery eyes

They cried for everything

you see

some with big beautiful cars

but you'll hear them say,

"I want two more cars."

Women with two girls or boys,

but you will hear voices that say,

"One boy and one girl is better."

People have honors but they want a Ph.D.

Everything that you ask for is nothing.

Whatever money you have will be gone in a split second.

What everyone has in a split second will be gone.

EVERYTHING IS NOTHING NOTHING NOTHING!!!

-Ciza Sylvane

Alone

2011-02-28T08:56:00.004+02:00

So alone and cold

No one to take care of me

I have no home,

but the street is my home

Each morning I rise,

and the temptation will follow me

Questions will appear

out of nowhere

Must I go to the traffic lights

and beg

Or must I take my knife

and commit a small crime?

Each night I wonder

what I'll eat in the morning

Where will I sleep?

Will I wake up?

Are the police going to find me

and arrest me?

Or will I stay the same street kid that I am

with no hope of a proper life?

-Elethu Nkala

The Imitation

2010-11-05T09:10:00.002+02:00

I woke up one morning

I looked around my room

Everything was a blur

I shielded my eyes from the light

and kept walking

I stopped

and caught my imitation passing

The big lips

The big head

The shy eyes

I tried screaming

but I swallowed my words

He imitated everything I did

I talked

he talked

I looked bemused

he looked bemused

I rubbed my eyes

he rubbed his eyes

I splashed my face with water

and looked up

Only to find my reflection in the mirror

looking at me

smiling

-Elethu Nkala

Home

2010-11-01T14:20:00.003+02:00

I was built with cement
and painted
in different colours
which is an idea of the owners
So I have to be always dry

to follow their orders

I forgot to tell you

that my surname is ME.
YOU!
NO not me, ME
I was talking about the home
But first I have to do my homework
It's about to keep my creatures safe

My home
It was shown
to me

when I was a child
and I smiled
because I had a place called home

Did you know that my YAHOO password is HO!
I chose it because it was hard to forget
Like something that I can keep safe to a pocket

Do you have an answer

for where the name HOME came from?
Well, here is an answer:
Just add my password and my surname
Then you will find a place.

-Lloyd Hanjana

When You Said Our Love Must End

2010-11-01T14:08:00.004+02:00

When you said our love must end
My body turned to red
And I am scared
Because if I'll lose you
I will be mad

You said our love will end
My plans of what we will do together end
And life that we should spend
I can't just sit and pretend
that the part of our life we spent
Is enough
We haven't spent a rand

we just spent a cent
of our whole life

I am not a perfect man
But I am not supporting that as a fan
Maybe I MUST GET AN AWARD
for being a coward

I said, "I love you"
because when I am with you
I feel comfortable

because you clear things
Like a sky which is blue

Please give me a clue
of what to do

I am confused?!!

-Lloyd Hanjana

The Hose Pipe

2010-10-28T14:44:00.002+02:00

It was a bright, sunny day

when I saw it

I only got a glimpse of it

The green, slimy body

The beady eyes staring with horror at me

Life was over, and death began

I screamed when I saw the poison flaying to me

And I came to my senses

It was just an open hose pipe

with water spraying all over me

-Elethu Nkala

Life Today II

2010-10-28T14:17:00.004+02:00

Heroes asked for change in youth
Especially in South Africa
We as youth must change
We mustn't say who is talking at his/her age
Because they want us to stay at an acceptable stage

My brothers and sisters, we mustn't live a life ahead
Today will always be today
Today won't be the same day as yesterday
They will always be different, in different ways
Like Monday and Friday

We are not perfect
But we know how to act
And if I do something

I know what will happen next
Maybe I must say we are the expert
of causing pandemonium
There's no minimum of what we do
But there is a maximum
If you're part of the pandemonium group

JUST ASK YOURSELF ...
"Is this, what I am doing to do, right?!"

Now think twice, and share what you will do before you do it.

-Lloyd Hanjana

Born

2010-10-28T14:04:00.004+02:00

When I was about to be born
I was hit by a stone
and was left alone
But I ready to come
and be able to say "Mum"

I asked many questions in that dark
I thought: Where I will my car park?
And how will my dog bark
at night

When I am busy setting a mark
of what I'll do
It isn't clear like a nurse's uniform

which is blue

While I was a fetus
I was thinking of my birthday
and what will I say
when my mum shouted out, "HURRAY!"

But why am I lying?
I don't even know if I was kicking
or maybe crying
I don't know more -

DO YOU?

Now please leave my poem
And rush to ask your mum
If you still have one

Anger

2010-10-28T13:49:00.006+02:00

Who are you?
What do you really do?
For you?
Have you been a human and got abused
So now you express your feelings to the living ones?

Why do you demolish my friend's future?
It is so sore to me
when I see them fool each other
and when I try to convince them
They feel like attacking me
Then I won't know what to do
because of you

Anger
You must remember
That in December
You killed my community member
Because of a temper
That was caused by you
Anger

I hate you
For being selfish and evil
The worst thing is,

you don't give us a clue

ANGER
JUST GO AWAY
WE DON'T NEED YOU
SO I WILL ALWAYS SAY "BOO"
TO YOU
DESTROYER!!

Suspended in Memory

2010-10-21T18:39:00.002+02:00

In my seat in terminal B, this non-place suspended between one reality and another, thoughts of South Africa overwhelm me and I shift incessantly, denim jeans sticking to plastic, searching for a comfortable spot where these punching-gut feelings will flow magically from solar plexus to fingertips to laptop screen in the form of adjectives, verbs, and nouns. They don’t want to translate, but I try anyway.

Let’s see…there’s transformative. Challenging. Defining. New! Thrilling! Brilliant! There’s to educate, to learn, to understand. To stretch. To love. Classroom. Robot. Braai. Lekker. Cheers. Pleasure. Haibo!

Are these strings of letters not wholly insufficient to capture those eight weeks in Cape Town? Why even try? Why not just sit with these feelings of transformation and gratitude, breathe, and let them move freely through my released muscles and affect my actions as they will? Why this desire to organize and define my experience?

Stuck at this logical stalemate, my fingertips lift in pause over the keyboard and my mind comes to a screeching halt. I know what must come now. I close my eyes, take a big, deep breath—and floor it, veering off the logical superhighway. Suddenly I’m in the LEAP Quantum Van, rattling down the left side of Bhunga Avenue into the bright land where Table Mountain is always in sight and words aren’t the whole smiley on the braai but more like the Thai Sweet Chili to our Original Lay’s potato chips. They’re not the core of what we do or feel, but they do remind us where we are, where we’re going, and how to get there. They help paint the richness of the experience.

Free-flowing, my inspired mind arrives in the LEAP canteen on that first morning in Pinelands. The sky is vibrant and the air crisp, but I am foggy and nervous after a lonely red eye and the abrupt realization that the southern hemisphere really does exist and is rather far from New Jersey. I can see my feet trod over the worn grey carpet that leads into that cold, bright room, and I can feel the white plastic chair wobble tentatively underneath me as I sit and turn my head to digest the roomful of chocolate faces all silently, but eagerly, welcoming us into their reality. And then they stand up and sing. The wide-eyed Americans marvel as the canteen fills with that palpable, passionate life force we later came to know so well during our time at LEAP. In that moment, floating in a sleep-deprived lucid dream, music and voices floating in and out of our pores, we all knew Something Real was going to happen to us in sleepy Pinelands.

I jump back in the Quantum and 30 minutes down the highway I’m in the dusty living room of a tiny home in the township Kalkfontein, which in haunting irony means “good farm” in Afrikaans. I am sitting opposite 22-year-old Zanele who, out of desperate passion and necessity, runs a support and performance youth group in the township. Zanele’s quiet demeanor melts away as, over two hours on a sunny Thursday afternoon, she pours her heart out to me in descriptions of the negativity sent her way from members of the community in response to her group, the pain she feels when she must take care of her sick brother, and her broken relationship with her stepfather. Her delicate, puffy eyes communicate a need more intense than I have ever experienced before in my life. She confides that she has few friends her age, and I observe—no, feel--her need to tell her stories, to connect openly. The air around me is thick with the awareness of what she fights daily just to get up in the morning. We are the same age and my intent listening sets something alight in her—perhaps my hungry ear offers hope, or simply the opportunity to have the momentary peace that comes from letting pain out of the body as words. I get lost in her story, in the juxtaposition of her sadness and vibrant passion, and wonder feverishly how our lives could be so different, and yet this connection so basic.

In the next moment I exhale Zanele and Kalkfontein and inhale directly to TWA’s final LEAP 2 community meeting where my students Philasande, Shelly, Sbahle, Thabiso, Zanele, and Asithandile present a short play, which they wrote, directed, and performed under my guidance. Smart and curious but extremely shy Thabiso speaks at full voice in front of 150 peers and teachers. Energetic, wildly smart and motivated Asithandile stands up after the play is over and says with unmasked pride, “What you just saw, I directed that.” Inspired Shelly runs to me with open arms to celebrate her performance and asks me not to leave, to do another play. I step back and observe the adrenaline in the group, and their special connectedness in those thrilling moments reminds me of the production of “Grease” I joined at camp when I was eleven because all my friends were doing it. It was the most fun I had ever had and after that little taste of what a theatrical community can accomplish, I knew I had found a home. Eleven years later, I see a mirror in six Xhosa-speaking South African 14-year-olds.

The Quantum revs its engine in the parking lot, beckoning me. But, without warning I hear, blaring, “AirTran flight 510 with nonstop service to Milwaukee will now begin boarding awl rows,” and the LEAP Van and all that it brought disappear in a puff of smoke. In a flash, I’m jetted back across the Atlantic, to this sticky plastic chair, this transitional moment. I hear the New York accents around me and I know I’m home. I grab my boarding pass and peel myself off the disagreeable seat. Moving towards gate B7, I reflect in a daze on the precious moments I visited.

All of us need to tell our stories. We need words, we need art, we need body language to put a frame and context around what we experience. The frame allows us to relate. And it is in that relating that individual suffering like Zanele’s becomes human connection. There, we can begin to imagine and dream, the first stepping stone towards a better future—in the collective voice they found as an ensemble, my group of six students rediscovered the tools for communication and change they were born with: voices, bodies, minds, and hearts. When the LEAPSAs sang for us that first, foggy day, it was an open invitation into a world, their home, that so highly values spoken word and direct communication. And to anyone who wonders what all that means in the day-to-day LEAP world, let me remind you to always: Be kind. Be honest. Be healthy. Be punctual. Look good. Work hard. Never give up. Admit mistakes. Confront issues. Be open to change. Work together. Share as much as possible.

Asserting it with words is the first step—those strings of letters may look like shallow representation, but with a little faith and passion, they become a vital vessel for connecting and motivating individuals into communities, no matter what—oceans, barbed wire, or a school desk—is between them. All it takes is that initial LEAP.

-Sara Lyons

Homeless

2010-10-09T10:45:00.004+02:00

I thought at first I was a king
But I wasn't - I was a member
It took a lot of time to remember
After I knew, I had a feeling of anger

Anger is evil
It took me from feeling to devil
of cruelty
and it decreased my dignity
After that, it dumped me to a place called "streets"

If you have sympathy
you must help strollers by donating money
so you can bring them to their families
I'm not saying it's your responsibility
but try something to build

their feeling to be steady

I think being homeless
isn't a good thing
because you'll feel careless
and that will be your weakness
I think the president must open more business
to decrease strollers' mess

-Lloyd Hanjana

Knock Knock

2010-09-25T12:37:00.003+02:00

Knock knock.
Who's there?
Abby.
Abby Who?
Abby birthday.

-Joe Kapenda

The Lion

2010-09-21T17:08:00.003+02:00

Q: Pretend you are in a jungle, and a lion is after you. What would you do?

A: Stop pretending!

-Zandisa Mitani

Mirror in the Morning

2010-09-21T16:53:00.000+02:00

This morning I saw sexy
eyes from sleep
They are originally
big and round like marbles

As she yawns with her mouth
opening wide
like she’s about to swallow
everyone in the world
She splashes her face with water.

She’s then awake ...

-Asanda Mini

Mirror

2010-09-21T16:51:00.001+02:00

I am a mirror
seeing nothing but reflections
The lights glide to me, giving
Waves, waving the beauty of humans
The nature glorifies my vision.

Seeing the humans every glimpse
make you want to explore the outer
world of aliens with green
hair and blue skin

The blur sight of my
mirror ironies the soft hard
skin with pimple

-Asanda Mini

She's the One

2010-09-21T12:48:00.006+02:00

As you grow up, you learn that:

Even the one person who wasn't supposed to let you down

probably will.

You will have your heart broken probably more than once,

and it's harder every time.

You'll break hearts too ...

so remember how it felt when yours was broken.

You'll fight with your best friend.

You'll blame your new love for things an old one did.

You'll cry because time is passing fast ...

and you'll eventually lose someone you love.

So take too many pictures, laugh too much,

and love like you've never been hurt ...
Because every sixty seconds you spend upset

is a minute of happiness you'll never get back.

Love is giving him the power to destroy you ...

but trusting him not to.
Real love stories never have happy endings
because real love stories never end.

In love, the hardest thing to say is goodbye.
Never make somebody your everything
because...
When they are gone, you've got nothing.

Having the love of your life break up with you

and say we can still be friends is like ...
Your dog dying

and your mom saying you can still keep it..

If you can't get someone out of your head, maybe they are meant to be there.

Really, SSS loves ZZZ.

-Sandile Sandlana

Chicken

2010-09-20T16:51:00.004+02:00

Q: Why did the chicken cross the road?

A: To fetch its young ones!

-Zandisa Mitani

How It Feels

2010-09-20T16:33:00.004+02:00

How it feels to give someone your heart,
and he or she doesn't care for it.

If you ask me I know how it feels ...
It feels terrible,

and as the owner of the heart,

it makes you sad.

So, if you are given a heart by someone,
my advice is that

you must take care of it!!!!

-Abongile Gogo

The Knife that Killed Me

2010-09-20T16:28:00.005+02:00

It was the world's bluntest knife (through sight)
The knife that killed me

was once very

honouring and respective

It all happened so fast

and unexpectedly
It did not happen on purpose, that much I know -
but what matters is that

it did happen

I know it happened

because now I sit here
in this tragic and fearful place,
with no one to talk to

or share my feelings with.
I'm in HELL.

It killed me

by stabbing all that I believed in.
Having no compassion

for how I felt.

That day is one of the days I regret most in my life
It was the kind of day nobody should ever wish for.
On that day, I became the world's scariest knife ...
and the worst part is, I killed myself.

I killed myself without the intention to do so,
but I did anyway.
I went on doing what I believed
was plain cruelty, and shameful

I betrayed someone

whom I had once called a friend
I did to them bad things

which I cannot mention.

I killed myself without knowing it,

and now I want to live again ... but how?
We have only one life to live,
and I just wasted mine.

So, in other plain, simple words:
I NEED HELP ON HOW TO LIVE AGAIN.

-Tito Walaza

love

2010-09-20T16:13:00.003+02:00

love is like
a war so easy
to start hard
to end impossible
to forget

-Sisipho Ndevu

I Dream ...

2010-09-20T16:11:00.005+02:00

I dream of a place where love is in the air,
hatred, sorrow, and compassion are nowhere.

I dream of a world where no one feels ashamed
of themselves, but all have pride and acceptance.

I dream of a place where children play
safely and freely, without thinking, Who's coming to get me?

I dream of those who have nowhere to go,

to sleep
or to eat,

those who were not given a second chance for all that.

Then I think,

What if it were me?

I dream of those who leave school,

who had chances for huge life opportunities.
It might be me,

with those leaving school without a reason.

As I go ahead dreaming,

I dream about me having what I want in life,

from all the effort I've put in to school.

That's my dream.
What's yours?

-Onesimo Rwexana

Crazy About You!

2010-09-20T16:05:00.005+02:00

Girl, I need you in my world,
in my life, and in my heart
So we can go together,
and tear the world apart.

I love you in every way

and I love you 'cause you're smart
You're the reason why I'm rhyming,
'cause my brain is full of art.

The first time that I saw you
was like day 25
I was passing by your soul.
I was sipping Five Alive.

Now I sit here praying,
thanking God to be alive
Now I'm praying just for you, girl.
I need you in my life.

I can keep you safe.
I'll put my arms around your waist.
We can drop the case.
Baby, we'll go at one pace.

I'm like a car, the way they treat me.
We can travel place to place.
Baby, listen when I say,

we can travel up to space.

-Tebogo Old John

Unlike Dreams

2010-09-20T15:47:00.003+02:00

My dreams ...
I dreamed I killed another,
which will never be my thing.
I'll plead my father to shoot me

with a sling
if I do bad thing

when I am an adult.
I will be ill.

My dream
I own it
like a ream
of papers

And dreams have layers
and thoughts of dignity
because things happen

repeatedly

I dreamed horror
and knew I was an owner
of my dreams

And please!
My favourite reader,
open your eyes

I am only talking about my feelings
that are coming out as visions
Mum, I feel eerily
about the STEADY beats
coming out pounding

THAT WAS ALL MADE BY MY SCARED FEELING
CALLED UNLIKE DREAMS

-Lloyd Hanjana

Dancing Horses

2010-09-19T02:06:00.001+02:00

Question: Why are horses such lousy dancers?

Answer: Because they have two left feet.

-Joe Kapenda

Your Name

2010-09-17T16:42:00.004+02:00

The first time I heard your name, I wrote it on the soil, then the wind came and blew it away. Secondly, I wrote on the soil again, then the water came and washed it away. Thirdly, I wrote it on the sky, then the clouds covered it.

Lastly, I wrote it in my heart, where it can stay safely, and nothing can disturb it.

-Piwokuhle Piwo

Change the World

2010-09-17T12:29:00.008+02:00

When I become an entrepreneur
I want to be called Meneer ...
And treat family and friends fair
and others that need welfare
To clear the air

I think of being a president one day
To change the salary that employers pay
Because we are equal
To oppose the thing to have rich and poor
and open doors more

They say its easy to be poor
but its hard to be rich
Others are rich because of witchcraft
Some are rich because of hardworking
Rich people help the others
and others ask for help

YOUTH! THE NEXT GENERATION!
We have visions
And mission to achieve
And we have to be patient, PLEASE!
For others people's needs
We need to be fresh and grow
Like we were plant with seeds

As an AFRICAN child
I want to change the world
and to be not forgotten
Even if I am rotten

Lying in the GRAVEYARD
Had tried to change the world is a good thing
But decreasing dignity is bad
Because others will add
to what you've done
because you'll think you're the one
But you're small inside
and influencing other youths' minds

But YOUTH, I think it's time
To change the world
This planet is old
And we've been told
About the history

So what we will be remembered by?

The Importance of a Choice II

2010-09-17T12:25:00.002+02:00

Since your choice decides your future,
When you make
the wrong choice,
you’ll notice it.

If others choose your choice,
then you won’t notice your mistake.
Your life is at risk,
not theirs.

You’ll become a follower,

which makes you feel
small ...

Then you feel
like you’re in a world
you didn’t want
to be in.

You ask yourself,
Why? Why me?
It’s because of
others' choices.

-Chris Lambert

ATransporting Dream

2010-09-17T12:23:00.008+02:00

I find myself in the place
that is unknown.
Where could this place be?
I ask myself.
Things are so beautiful,
things I didn't see before
but when I look to at myself, I see things
that I have dreamed of,
things I wanted to be.
the First thing that came into my mind
was that: I am in another world,
a new world, where I had never been.

I could feel the precious wind blowing on me.
I could feel myself floating in the air.
Things I saw were different
from things that I know now.
Who was I at that time?
Life felt new to me.
I had changed.I was so different
from where I am now.
After all, I felt happiness
flowing inside me, and
I knew that I had achieved.
Ciza Sylvane

The Reality of Dreams

2010-09-17T12:17:00.007+02:00

What dream do I have?
What makes me dream?
What is the motive of my dream?
Why do I always dream?

There is nothing else I can do or think

about a dream.

To dream is a natural thing.
Sometimes your dream will come true.
Sometimes it won't.

-Avuziwe Mkega

What's the Use of a Dream?

2010-09-17T12:15:00.011+02:00

I could be dreaming
dreaming my life away
but what's the use?

I could sit
sit and dream I had a mother
but what if she dies?

I could sit
sit and dream I was rich
but what if I'm poor?

Can somebody tell me
what the use of a dream is?
I could just give up
on all that I believe in,
and all that I dreamt of
would be a tale to tell.

Can somebody tell me
what the use of a dream is?
I could be cut down to nothing
told that I'm good for nothing
and useless to this world -
and all that I dreamt of
would be like ice in my heart.

Can somebody tell me
what the use of a dream is?
I could be killed
murdered in cold blood
and all that I dreamt of
would be useless.

Can somebody tell me what the use of a dream is,
when anything could happen to me at any moment
and all that I dreamt of could be shattered to pieces?

-Shelly Zinyama

When Love Puts You Down

2010-09-17T12:15:00.009+02:00

When all your hopes and dreams
are washed away
When everything you have invested
in the relationship
is no longer there

When all the promises
you made to each other
are in the world of history

You forget about all you had
and cry for what is gone
That's when love puts you down

-Sisipho Ndevu

Rainy Day Imagination

2010-09-17T12:14:00.005+02:00

Sometimes when it rains
I imagine how it's like to
live in the streets with
no roof under which to hide

Sometimes when it rains
I see myself in the shower
feeling the raindrops in my body
until I become wet

Sometimes when it rains
I wonder how the world
would be without the rain
What would we use to
wash, drink, and so forth?

Sometimes when it rains
I imagine myself living in the desert.
There, I would get to use water sparingly -
whenever I could get it -
and then I realize that water is precious

-Abongile Gogo

The Importance of a Choice I

2010-09-17T12:13:00.010+02:00

I hope that everyone in life
makes their own choice …
our own choice.

Where people get to follow their own dreams,
and not follow someone else’s,
because those are their choices,
not your own.

I would like to
ask you a question:
Were those people there
when you made the choice?

That is why you should
make your own choice
because that choice
decides how your life will be.

Your choice will make your life
a success
or destroy it.

-Chris Lambert

Freedom

2010-09-17T12:13:00.008+02:00

Freedom
Many people don't know the meaning of it
They just say they have freedom
but they don't know how to use it

And they way they celebrate Freedom Day
is not good
Celebrating is not about
drinking alcohol and making parties

Many people say,
by freedom,
they can do whatever they like
because they got freedom

They say they are free
They take things they don't own
Killing people because of
the freedom they have

Freedom is not about
how free you are
It's about the free days, months, years
that we got with joy

THAT IS FREEDOM!

-Zintle Sibeko

Thinking of Those Without Homes

2010-09-17T12:10:00.009+02:00

Sometimes when it rains,
I feel happy
and wish it would not stop,
because I say,
the rain washes away all my sad memories.

Sometimes when it rains,
I hear the drops of rain
going chapha, chapha, chapha.
It flows down and down
to the bottom of my heart.

Sometimes when it rains,
I remember when I got the flu
from playing in the rain:
My mother was angry at me,
but I always file it under my good memories.

Sometimes when it rains,
I smell the clear air.
I smell the freshness of the land,
and the greenness of the world,
and I wish the rain would not stop.

Sometimes when it rains,
I think about the people who don't have homes.
Where are they sleeping?
Are they warm or cold?
I wonder if I'm the only one thinking of it,
if I'm the only one who feels their pain,
and if others are doing anything about their pain.

Sometimes when it rains,
I imagine myself in the same position
as the people without homes.
I imagine myself without warm clothes.
I imagine myself being alone.
But most of all,
I imagine myself doing something about it.

-Philasande Yengwa

It Could Be Me

2010-09-17T12:10:00.007+02:00

It could be me walking alone in dangerous places
It could be me driving my own car one day
It could be me breathing my last breath in a hospital
It could be me being in charge of the country
But I am glad it is not me ...
But it could be me.

It could be me in great battles around the world
It could be me having to kill someone because of money and hatred
It could be me ...
It could be me.

It could be me walking side by side with drug dealers, having more enemies than friends
It could be me having to face long sentences in jail
It could be me who has to cry every time things go wrong
It could be me having to support children without any fathers

But ...
I am glad it is not me ...
But it could be me.

-Anelisiwe Magalela

Rainy Day Questions, Memories, and Wishes

2010-09-17T12:09:00.012+02:00

Sometimes when it rains,
I ask myself why do we need the rain?
I ask why we should be worry?
I ask why we should be cold?
I ask why we should wear warm clothes?

Sometimes when it would rain,
I used to listen to the kids,
when they sang the song:
Chapa chapa imanzi ilokwe yam
Imvula! Imvula!
Iyamanzisa!

Sometimes when it rains,
I wish I could change certain things:
Change the rain to sun,
change the darkness to lightness,
change everything to warm weather.

Sometimes when it rains,
I remember coldness
that makes people sick.
I listen to the rain.
It distracts me while I sleep.
It disturbs me when I am in dreamland.

Sometimes when it rains,
I imagine the snow that comes down
like a big white blanket
doesn't care about umbrella ...
doesn't care about thermal insulated clothes.

Sometimes when it rains,
I imagine the rain.
Where does it come from?
Who brings the rain?
How does it end?

-Ntombozuko Ndude

Only for You

2010-09-17T12:09:00.008+02:00

You are the rhythm that pulsates in my body,
the blossom of my smile at the wake of the day.
You are the reason I have not given up or failed.
You made me realize life is full of possibilities.

You are the fruitful tree that blessed my dreams,
the tallest mountain who raised my self-esteem
You are the words of courage in my hours of strife
and the calming lullaby when I close my weary eyes.

You are the welcoming sanctuary to whom I always turn
when my agitated mind seeks a tranquil place.
You are the restful notes which constantly play
and leave a serene kiss on my beaming face.

You are more to me than just words put together,
filling the bareness with a garden of devotion.
To you, I can bravely reveal the secrets of my ocean,
and they will be safe in the closet of your chest.

You are the sole treasure I carry in my heart,
now and forever, long as I live,
today, and every day that we share each moment.
It is only for you that my love still breathes.

-Zanele Kibido

Do Dreams Really Come True?

2010-09-17T12:08:00.025+02:00

I dreamed of a young man,
a man whom people loved.
He held no grudges, and
he lived the life of a king.

The dream that was so spectacular
that it made me wonder:
How can someone's life be so perfect
that he even goes to bed every single day
with a huge smile on his face?

I had a dream that I think
no one else in this world has ever had.
It was so real,
I couldn't forget about it.

The dream was about a young man,
whose expression was so perfect and familiar.
He was me in years to come.
He was who I want to be when I am older
and mature.

-Tito Walaza

Rainy Day Thoughts

2010-09-17T12:08:00.024+02:00

Sometimes when it rains,
I think of the strollers that are feeling cold.
Others are young, and some are old.
And some are not taught and told
about the old people.
Words that are powerful,
compared to bold.

Sometimes when it rains,
I feel the pain
that unlucky people gain, every day.
Do they need to pay,
and just say, "OK?"
We are strollers; we don't have a say.

Sometimes when it rains,
I remember the day
when I won a bunch of coins.
I was ignored by my friends
who were angry.
I confronted them,
and our friendship shone again,
like it had been removed by Handy Andy.

Sometimes when it rains,
I hear a lot of Onomatopoeiu
that my sister and I hear
in different ears.
We have different ideas that appear
in our minds and in the atmosphere.

Sometimes when it rains,
I wish I could stop the rain for the homeless,
because I think it's careless
for parents to throw away their children
not knowing if they are stolen - FAST!
like a goal scored by Diego Forlan.

Sometimes when it rains,
I see droughts and floods
being spread by rain.
Even if its dark,
it doesn't even know where they will park.
OH, NO!
Here it comes,
with its destroying fluid.

-Lloyd Hanjana

A Dream for Success

2010-09-17T12:08:00.023+02:00

What am I without a dream?
When will I succeed in my future
if I don't have a dream?
A dream is like a friend.

You may dream with compassion,
But just know one day your dream
will come true.
A dream is a passion ...
a passion that will never end.

My dream is a key to my future.
My dream is part of my choices in life.
I dream because I care,
and I know something will be a success in my life.

A dream is an imagination,
a good imagination ...
an imagination that will never let you down.

I am the dream!

-Lukhanyiso Malimba

Showing Emotions

2010-09-17T12:08:00.022+02:00

I show my emotions
in many ways
throughout generations
throughout the days
of my life ...

Like sometimes when it rains,
I realize all my
sorrows and pains
until the last drop ...

Like sometimes when it’s sunny
I feel happy and funny
which makes me sit
in the blossoms all day ...

Other people show their emotions
in many ways
throughout generations
throughout the days.

-Chris Lambert

Mice

2010-09-16T17:03:00.001+02:00

Question: What do mice eat for breakfast?

Answer: Mice Krispies.

-Joe Kapenda

My Dream Place

2010-09-14T12:22:00.012+02:00

In my dreams,
I got to a certain place
which is like paradise.
It's a heavenly place,
sinless and quiet.

In my dreams,
I am in a place
where I can communicate
with other people and animals.

In my dreams,
I am in a place
where we are innocent,
and we live peacefully.

In my dreams,
I am in a place
where there are no slaves or servants,
because that's not pleasant.

In my dreams,
I go on a journey with no end ...
but it's possible to have an exciting journey
if you try!

-Zandisa Mitani

Sometimes When it Rains

2010-09-14T12:19:00.006+02:00

Sometimes when it rains
I wonder what people are
eating and drinking that night.

Sometimes when it rains
I think of street children
with their mothers.

-Mphakiseng Letjeba

On Rainy Days

2010-09-14T12:18:00.003+02:00

On rainy days
I hear the drops making
irritating sounds on the roof
as if they are angry

I would watch running water
And I would pick up the hail stones
when they suddenly fall.

On rainy days
I smell a lovely, muddy smell
As I go to cold school
I wish to be under the warmth of my blankets
or near the heater as it sucks the paraffin:
to be thirsty once again.

On rainy days
I think of times
When I would play with my polystyrene boat
floating like a cork on running water.
I would be amazed by
the smoke coming out of my mouth
I would pretend that I was smoking
on rainy days.

-Thembani Bottomak

I'm Wise

2010-09-14T12:17:00.016+02:00

I have a dream
My dream is to be wise
wise enough to know who I am
wise enough to appreciate
what I have
but I'm wise

Wise enough to appreciate
what my mother can afford,
not wear all the labels known,
but I'm wise.

Wise enough to live in a beautiful,
decorated home,
but I'm wise.

Wise enough to be thankful to God
that I'm not sleeping around
wise enough to know who I am.

-Vathiswa Mhlana

Rainy Days with My Future Wife

2010-09-14T12:17:00.013+02:00

I wish I could be with you - someone who would make me warm when it rains. Only you, my future wife, would stop the coldness of the wind and the rain that would make me sick or cause fever. You would make me warm and comfortable while I'm with you.

I feel horrible without you in the coldness. To be with you would mean a lot to me; my life would be full of happiness. I don't know what I would be without you.

Sometimes, on rainy days, I would like to enjoy something warm or hot, like hot chocolate, with candies and some chocolatey sweets.

I can watch something scary with you because, when you are scared, you will need my help to protect you. I would switch off the lights so we could be in the darkness, after whispering in your ears, "Don't be afraid of the darkness," said Wethu.

I could hear the noise of the wind, sounds like there were ghosts chasing us.

-Wethu Runu

I Am Who I Am

2010-09-14T12:15:00.011+02:00

I am who I am because I was born to be who I am. Changing who I am won't make me who I want to be.

I used to stand in front of a mirror, asking questions with no answers: "Why did God make me who I am?" Gradually, as I grow, I tell myself God made me who I am for his own reasons, and I thank him for making me who I am. Today, I'm proud of who I am because of him.

-Melissa Figlan

I Have a Dream

2010-09-14T12:15:00.010+02:00

I have a dream that
I am married
I am happy
I am a powerful woman
I am a strong woman

I have a dream that
I live with my family
my own family

I have a dream that
I am precious to my family
I am a jewel to my friends
I am a role model to everyone

And I have a dream that
people can trust me
share their things
tell me all their secrets
tell me all their knowledge
so I can tell them mine

I have a dream that
I was dreaming and I woke up
and then I tossed and turned
and even now, I have that dream

-Nasiphi Mbelembushe

I Go to This Place

2010-09-14T12:14:00.026+02:00

I go to a place where ...

I live with my mother, sister, and brother, in a world where I would be a flyer ... where there is a lot of summer, and I would smell interesting aromas.

I would be a pilot and put forth a lot of effort. There would be no servants, because that wouldn't be pleasant.

I would like to live in a big house, where there is no mouse. I would like to have a beautiful vehicle and dress nicely, wearing spectacles.

I would like to have kids, who are identical twins. I would like to have sons and chill with them in the sun.

I live where life is free, a place where there is no weed. A place where there is a surprise, and every day, there is a bright sunrise.

-Sandile Sandlana

A Young Black Girl's Dream

2010-09-14T12:14:00.025+02:00

In my dreams, I go to a place where there was once a young black girl, who was born and grew up in poverty.

In my dreams, I go to a place where a young black girl was once nothing, but always aspired to be something. Education, success, and prosperity were the last thing on her mind, because of her blindness and the society ... but who could blame her?

Pressure, boys, drugs, and slavery took their toll on her life. People breaking, tearing, ripping, and tramping her heart apart. At the end of the day, she's got to stay there to pick up all the pieces and mend her heart all by herself.

In my dreams, I go to a place where, yes, a young black girl experiences daily challenges like no other. She cries herself to sleep, but despite all of that, she tells herself, "Come what may, I shall always dream.''

-Zipho Majora

Lawnmooing

2010-09-09T20:54:00.005+02:00

Jim: Why do you have a cow on your front lawn?

Tim: It's mooing my lawn.

-Joe Kapenda

Slow Dog

2010-09-09T20:31:00.001+02:00

Question: How can you tell if you have a slow dog?

Answer: He brings you yesterday's paper.

-Joe Kapenda

My First Kiss

2010-09-09T15:02:00.004+02:00

I closed my eyes and moved forward
She closed her eyes and also moved forward
I felt my heart thumping
I felt her breath and thought it was a breeze

My mind was all over the place
Questions floating in my mind
Answers outrunning the questions

I decided to move my lips a little forward
I felt her lips touching mine
and I opened my eyes

Tough luck ... I missed!

-Elethu Nkala

Life

2010-09-08T18:56:00.001+02:00

Life ... sometimes awful, lonely, full of troubles, tension. But other times great, wonderful, exciting, adventurous. Every day is a new day, with new challenges. And I guess that's what makes it fun.

We all want to venture around the world, meet new people, and experience new things. But it's not always easy. Sometimes we get caught up in things that discourage us. But, as they say, "When I can't cope, Jesus gives me hope."

Don't let troubles bring you down. Always get back up, 'cause good things happen when you least expect them. Like winning the lotto!

-Gracia Kapenda

Cultural Diversity in South Africa

2010-09-04T12:55:00.003+02:00

South Africa has many cultures and traditions, and just as many cultural dances! And I guess that's what makes it a Rainbow Nation. Dance, music, art, and drama are very much a part of many African ceremonies and rituals.

Dance plays an important role in communicating messages; for example, it can be a form of protest against human rights abuse. Dances are important in social events, as they reflect the values of a culture and its history. Dance also unites communities.

-Gracia Kapenda

Letter to My Students

2010-08-17T19:52:00.001+02:00

To my dear LEAP students:

This morning, I awoke to my alarm clock. I tiptoed across my bedroom floor to turn it off, careful to sidestep any sleeping bodies. In the seconds between my slumber and wakefulness, I believed you were staying over with me. Lacking enough beds for all of you, I found you on my floor.

Once I made it into my living room, I realized you were not with me. You were not in my home, my city, my state, or my country. You were not on my continent, nor was I still on yours. As your presence slipped away, the kilometers between us stretched out to no end. I stared at my alarm clock, stunned and saddened to lose you.

I can’t express the weight you carry in my heart. But I know you are embedded there, when I wonder what you are writing and how you feel. When I worry for you, or imagine you walking the school hallways, I feel how much you matter. In those moments, your loving spirits break my soul open.

When I think that you all stayed over with me, that somehow, you are here – that is when your impact most flattens me. There, in the fragment of a dream, I find the joy of knowing you, and the pain of losing you.

Thank you for the precious smiles, songs, hugs, words, and unspoken understandings we shared. You are all special to me, and you’ve earned that space in my heart where you dwell … and those spots on my floor where you sleep.

With much love,
Katie

Shoshe's Photos, Set Two

2010-08-16T10:12:00.004+02:00

Shoshe's Photos, Set One

2010-08-16T10:08:00.004+02:00

Siviwe's Photos, Set Three

2010-08-16T09:55:00.004+02:00

Siviwe's Photos, Set Two

2010-08-16T09:47:00.004+02:00

Siviwe's Photos, Set One

2010-08-16T09:30:00.007+02:00

Victor's Photos, Set Three

2010-08-16T09:20:00.003+02:00

Victor's Photos, Set Two

2010-08-16T09:10:00.007+02:00

Victor's Photos, Set One

2010-08-16T09:00:00.005+02:00

Emotions

2010-08-12T14:48:00.002+02:00

Happiness

As pink as roses
It happens when
I hear good news
or fall in love

Sounds like a nation
united

Happiness

-Asanda Mini

Gumboot Dancing

2010-08-09T22:23:00.001+02:00

This type of dance originated from the mineworkers during the apartheid system. The mineworkers used to do this dance to entertain themselves, and sometimes when they were tired, just to get their spirits back.

As I grew up, I loved Gumboot Dancing, especially when they did quick steps, because it sounded very nice. So when I was in primary school, I wished I could join a Gumboot Dance group - but, unluckily for me, neither my school nor my local community had one, so I thought I should forget about it.

But on my first day at LEAP, there was a Gumboot Dance group, which was called to welcome the new students. I was jubilant to see that there is a group here that does the dance, and I told myself that I would join that group, no matter what.

On my first day in the group, I did not know how to do the Gumboot Dance steps, even though I liked Gumboot a lot. Here at LEAP, it's about helping each other, so my group mates helped me to do it, and today I can.

Performing Gumboot Dance isn't as easy as watching it - and to be honest, on your first day, it is hard - but as the time goes on, it gets easier and easier.

I can advise people to join the boot dance because it is fun, and the group needs people who are not lazy. This type of dance is not only for black people; even other races can do it.

As a leader in my group, I found it challenging to motivate people who did not want to work. But they inspired me to be strong, and not to give up easily; the more difficult they thought the dancing was, the more I encouraged them.

But now, all I can say is that Gumboot Dancing is fun.

-Siviwe Mvimbi

My Brother and Me

2010-08-09T13:22:00.001+02:00

I love my brother. We are twins, but if you saw us, you would notice that we're not identical. Every time one of us does something to the other, we are angry, but only for five minutes. And that's how it should be.

Sometimes we agree to disagree, but its cool, 'cause I can never imagine my life without him. He is funny, thin, short, good, cool, and not always right ... but I thank God for a brother like him.

-Gracia Kapenda

Just a Feeling

2010-08-07T10:31:00.003+02:00

I love people who become brutally honest with me ...
and it also depends on how they confront me.

-Siphosihle Hermanus

Three Guys

2010-08-07T10:25:00.004+02:00

There were three guys named Somebody, Nobody, and Mad. These guys were very good bank robbers, so they were wealthy.

One day, they fought over their money. Somebody got angry and gunned Nobody to death. Mad called the police and said, "A terrible incident just took place." The police officer asked, "What is it, kid?" Mad replied, "Somebody killed Nobody." The policeman was like, "WHAT?" Mad repeated that. The policeman asked, "Are you mad?"

Then Mad said, "Yes ... how did you know my name?"

-Makitle Ndabeni

My Mother

2010-08-07T10:21:00.004+02:00

My mother is my everything
She got me to this world
She guides me in my life
She is the one who's proud of me
in everything I do

I love my mother ...
SHE IS MY EVERYTHING.

-Zintle Sibeko

Respect

2010-08-07T10:13:00.006+02:00

Respect is the only thing that can make a person to become a good one. Respect can take you to everywhere you want to go. Respect doesn't start at school or at work; respect starts at home, where you respect your parents and your family. After you respect your family, you respect the outside people passing by the road.

After passing people with respect, you respect at school or at work, where you respect your teachers, or your bosses and managers. If you want to be respected, you first respect other people and yourself.

If you have respect, people will love you, and it will help you when you are old. When you are old, you have to teach the children to respect others. If you want to be a good person, you must have respect.

-Athi-Anele Pongolo

Witchcraft

2010-08-07T10:08:00.006+02:00

Is there really such a thing?
What I mean to say is,
Who are these people?
Why can't they be caught?
Why can't they be exposed?

And, most importantly,
Why can't they leave us alone?

Every day, I wonder if they know
that they are blamed for almost every tragedy
that happens in this country:
marriage break-ups,
school failures ...

They become first suspects,
and they take the blame.

They are cruel,
and I think they know it.
They are evil,
and they know it.

We all DESPISE them,
and they ABSOLUTELY know it!

-Tito Walaza

The Other Side of Me

2010-08-07T10:04:00.004+02:00

When my father died, a part of me died, and another came to life - one that everyone else hated.

I was so angry at the world for summoning such evil forces upon him, I became aggressive and grumpy. I snapped at anyone who crossed my path. I gave everyone grief and, worst of all, gave my mom hell. I was between four walls stretching up into the blue, and I was busy self-destructing ... going into the depths of the unknown, taking everyone down with me.

Then came a time when I evaluated my thoughts. When I killed the bad side of me, I realised I had lost lots of friends. I asked for forgiveness.

Now, my plan is to grow up and give back to the world through writing, because I feel honest when I express my feelings through written words.

-Randall Basson

The Women of Africa

2010-08-07T09:40:00.003+02:00

I love the women of Africa
because they look fabulous.
They shine day and night.
They have seven ways to wear their clothes
and they have a skin secret.
I love the women of Africa.

The women of Africa,
they are the true beauties.
At the age of 40, 50, and 60,
the women of Africa are the most wanted.
They are the real role models of Africa -
That is why they say,
"Wathint' abafazi, wathint' imbokodo."

I love the women of Africa.

-Lebohang Moteane

My Second Rap

2010-08-07T09:36:00.005+02:00

I live in Mitchell's Plain ...
that's not my aim
When I'm 'bout to rap,
you don't know what's fair
Nigga', just listen ...
I'm about to play

You don't even know my name
I'm in pain
I'll transfer my eager
and crush that plane

Let me go!
You'll just stay
And go away!
Go away!
Go away!
WHOA!

Hey, all -
I'm repeating this show
I will rap alone ...
just don't keep on going

I want you to hear this before I'm gone
Baby girl, you should visit me
I'm home alone
Mum, don't hit her
She was 'bout to get a ball
But baby, she could've long ago!

Mum, you're making a noise like an owl,
and you're so big,
like a capital letter "O" ...
NO!

I'm number one
This industry is mine
Nigga', just listen
I'm almost done ...
Please don't shoot me!

Take this ... it wiil be fine
Tomorrow, you would be saying goodbye
You need this money to buy JIVE
"Nigga', we are done; lets bounce" ...
OUCH!

-Lloyd Hanjana

Hero

2010-08-07T09:34:00.005+02:00

Sometimes life may seem easy to live, but is it? Every day, we wake up expecting something new. Every day, we tell ourselves that we're tough ... but are we?

Others take life for granted; they take it as a game. They play around, not knowing what the future holds for them. Sometimes we blame God for our bad doings. Teenage girls fall pregnant, and boys are involved in crime. Is that how our mothers and fathers raised us, to be good boys and girls in the house, and start to be bad boys outside?

I'm scared. I'm scared that in the coming future, there will be no youth to stand up and be the leaders of tomorrow. No one will be the hero for the upcoming generations.

But in all of that, who am I to judge? They say it starts with you. I am the future, the hope of tomorrow. But who are you?

-Onesimo Rwexana

Hardest Moment

2010-08-07T09:30:00.005+02:00

The hardest moment is not when you lose something or someone, but it is when you lose something or someone, and still manage to keep a smile on your face.

-Siphosihle Hermanus

Life Today

2010-08-07T09:27:00.005+02:00

Why are we different?
Why do we have good and bad?
Why do we have to die?
Or maybe we must lie,
and let others cry.

Why do we kill?
Must we be ill,
and let gangsters chill?
Saying they are hot like chili ...
and robbing banks
and that they got their bills.

Life has missions,
and people have visions.
We must be speaking,
and not joking ...

'CAUSE I'M SEEING A SKY THAT HAS AN ENDING.

-Lloyd Hanjana

I Was Blind

2010-08-07T09:26:00.006+02:00

Once l was blind
I was blind to see what
was happening.

I couldn't feel it
My blindness was too bad
to even realise that
I was being abused.

I was too blind
to even feel that I was hurt
I couldn't feel the pain ...
That pain was nothing to me.

Loving was the most important thing
in that life of mine
I was blind to even smell that
I was in pain.

The pain I went through -
someone told me about it, but
I was too blind to listen to it.

Someone tried to show me, but
I was even too blind to see
what I was shown.
I was made blind.

Who made me blind?
Why have you made me blind?
Where are you?
What have I done to deserve this?
Who are you?

Whoever you are, you have
made my heart blind,
but I am not blind.

I will not go down,
but I will always be up.

-Ciza Sylvane

Opportunities

2010-08-06T10:21:00.004+02:00

I still have the opportunity to rectify my previous mistakes. I can still go anywhere around the world. I still have the opportunity to reach my goals. There is still a chance for me to show my relatives that I have the potential to become something in life. Yes, I have the power to change my background.

I still have the opportunity to leave what is behind, and to only focus on what is ahead. I can still take steps forward with my life, because this life is a blessing to me. It is a game I need to play, a challenge I need to face, and the opportunity I need to grab.

-Bongeka Bobo