(Reflections after spending some time working in the Northern Cape, South Africa. See footnote for context.)
Stone Thrower
The crowd hushed when out of the shimmering haze the first armoured car appeared.
You flexed your arm. The crowd waited. Your anger coiled in your palm.
You hurled your stone. Gunfire scattered the crowd. You fell to the ground.
Stone Thrower
What of your dreams?
Only your blood ran free.
The Dream
Across the plains, in twos and threes they came. Into the earth they dug. They searched for their dreams.
They fought, they conquered, the land they subdued. By the sweat of their brow they built their dreams.
They had everything, they wanted it all. They crushed the dreams of others who longed to be free. But, now they dream no more
Stone Thrower
You have taken their dreams.
That Great Day
You stand on an outcrop of burnt rock. You watch the river rushes by in full flood
Your people have no water.
You walk through the shanty town. You see their faith, sense their impatience
Your people wait for their promised homes.
You stop at a fence. You smell the rich land beyond
Your people have no work.
That great day came and went. On one small piece of paper you cast all your hopes.
Stone Thrower
What of your dreams?
Will you prevail?
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Footnote
I was part of a consultancy team working on a UK funded project to strengthen local government in the Northern Cape between 1998 and 2000, a few years after the ANC was elected in 1994. There was hope as millions of people cast their vote for the first time but also anguish as the new administration grapple with meeting the people desperate needs and aspirations with little experience and resources.
The poem is based on my encounter and conversation with the young Mayor of a township outside Kimberley with no infrastructure on barren land. One thing he said stuck with me.
“I only know how to throw stones. Now, I am a Mayor? What can I do?”
I often wonder after all these years, what happened to him and his township. Has his dreams been realised? Has his people prospered or are they still struggling?
Did he prevailed?
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