Death, humility and getting the shivers at just the thought of the thing
IT IS a bit melancholic. Or so I think about this sudden death of the big artist names. In other words I also get the shivers because between me and you, I am also not a small artist.
Or at least that’s what my ego says…
This week, one of the big names in the arts died in a car accident-related issue. It makes me scared this death business because seeing that I am not exactly a small element in the arts, it is just natural that I should get the shivers.
General knowledge does say one should get the shivers when glorious artists like Joe Mafela says goodbye to humble Earth.
Let me explain that it is not really clear to me how he got to die. Was it is a car accident? If it was, how many people were involved? In other words what kind of car accident was it? Was it a collision? What kind of a collision? Was it a car crash with another car?
Was it a roll? It is not clear to me what kind of a car accident it was but it did get me scared because the likes of Mafela were involved. He died. That scares me. It means that I am likely to die as well. I do not like that kind of knowledge. I like to think that I am the sort of chap who will live forever.
No, not only in the many poems that I have written but also in the knowledge that I will be invited to a nice braaivleis and an exciting party with music that makes me move my limbs in a manner that says to the universe that I like living. I also like the knowledge of beautiful souls competing for my attention.
With all respect, only the very best souls are likely to get my attention because it is really good and charming attention deserved only by the best people who ought to know that Yours Truly is not just sommer a nobody on Earth. That is humbly said!
It is quite well known that the many humble of Africa and the world will be demanding that my majestic name be hoisted to the heights of humility so that my glories can be exhibited.
But in my humility let me say, please no, that is not my style, I am more humble than that. A charming little service with only a few gentle souls of the world will be a satisfaction to my gentle modesty. That is how I want it. Promise me that that is how it is going to be.
Well, when it comes humble statues raised for me by the many majestic artists of the world, I cannot stop them from practising their artistic freedom, how can I? It is called artistic freedom and I am not going to stop artists from practising that. I am not like PW Botha. I am nicer than that.
When the people from Cairo want to do something in Egypt, please talk to them nicely and let them think of a venue that is not limited to the majestic, narrow corners of that place, but the broader majesties of the many beauties of the continent.
Also, it is not nice to have our continent fighting about the majesties of an image.
It is also not, in my opinion, cool to have many of the young people of the continent fighting about the possession of the majestic possessions of my statues.
Please handle this possibility with humility. I know young Africans can easily fight about issues like this. I do not want them to fight about these things. The idea that this is an awesome appreciation of artistry might be articulated, but only to a point. That, for me, is African humility, asseblief tog.
It is general knowledge that the rest of the world will want to get involved, but please allow them to get involved with humility. They do not know how to do that, so please guide them. Just be humble and lead them in a nice way to understand that the ancestries are very important on our continent.
Yes, that is how it must be to satisfy the deep humilities of my very, humble soul. It is general knowledge that the many humble people of the world will only be satisfied with a gesture this humble for a soul equally this modest.
We all know that the biggest honour to bestow is to avoid exaggeration. It is not difficult to predict that the humility of this country is the future of our humble continent.
I am glad I was born in this country.