MaWinnie a fearless feminist icon who stood tall in face of adversity
A CALL to dance.
In memory of Winnie MadikizelaMandela.
We are called to recognise the poignancy of this moment in Africa.
The forest shakes as it feels the shudder of a daughter of the soil that has been called to rest. When Africa considers her magnanimous role, the hills and valleys of this great continent cannot remain silent.
The African diaspora rests under the very shadow of her unbreakable spirit.
The world stands still in celebration of a fearless feminist icon who stood tall in the face of adversity.
Throughout the darkest moments of this beautiful land, her steps were guided by an indomitable dream.
Her life became the life of the Struggle.
Her fight for freedom – the tears of her lonely heart, her soul untainted by the gruesome victimisation of an evil regime – became the very life source of a movement destined to topple the apartheid government.
Four hundred and ninety one days of crippling injustices intended to destroy and break her spirit only spurred on her dream of an attainable future. Hers was a life worth remembering.
Rising like an eagle from a village in the Eastern Cape. She then took on the Egoli streets before traversing the Atlantic Ocean to visit Nelson.
Banished to Brandfort in the Free State, isolated from her children, she nonetheless remained faithful to the cry of the poor. Now, in death, she remains a defiant voice of the voiceless.
Her life was inextricably linked to the cry of the poor. She taught that the road to revolution never deviates or sleeps.
It calls us to continue to dance under the African sun, knowing that as our light shines, as our flame of eternal hope burns bright, others receive inspiration, others receive courage, others become the torchbearers for justice, equality and freedom.
She now belongs to the ages but, with gratitude, she will always be remembered for being a lover of freedom, for being resolute in her fortitude, for being a torchbearer of activism and a true Mother of the working class.
maWinnie’s vision runs parallel to the words of the prophet in Amos 5 v24, praying for a time when for when justice will roll down like water and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
This remains our vision, our call to dance. Hamba kahle, soul of Africa. Steven-John Bam Grassy Park