After the success of her poem Water, PEN SA Student Prize winner for 2016 Koleka Putuma pens a new poem Africa, My Africa – a poem she calls Water’s Grandmother (who should be taken with a pinch of salt).
Africa, My Africa
Wo-yina-Mah Afrika
Woyina Mah Afrika
We the born frees
We are the future of this country
We must fight to unite
Fight for the freedom uTata Rolihlala fought for
Fight for the Rainbow Nation he prayed for
Went to prison for
We must not destroy the Fruits of the TRC
We must love our fellow refugee native Africans
We must forgive
Even when they teargas you
Especially when they teargas you
I
Am not the colour of my skin
I am human
When I step into a restaurant and the waiter does not serve me
I am not the color of my skin
She is just busy
We must tip the waiter.