Light up a dark roomOr burn down the whole thing-The choice is yours.Coming from povertyIs not a prelude to corruption,Broken families don’t singularly serve as the substrateFor a broken life-It is only paraffin.Cards dealt,Not destiny secured.In the end He will not ask usWhat brand of paraffin was usedOr how fairly it was distributedBut only what […]
Read more "Paraffin"A land of great promise.A nation teeming with potential.Raising up a generation that isYet to see this promise fulfilled,Far from seeeimg the good of all these so-called possibilities,The bread basket has been emptyFor a while nowYet somehow there are some among us who are bloated from consumption.This is what it’s like to be raised inA […]
Read more "A nation of constraints"‘African time’‘African tendencies’‘This is Africa’ –You’d think that simply being born hereIs akin to inferiority.But there are excellent humans here tooWho raise and keep the bar highDespite not having the benefit of the doubt. Congratulations Rra Kéré
Read more "There are excellent humans here too"“Restless”Is a more accurate descriptionThan “the city that doesn’t sleep”For there is a lot of slumbering here,Lots of eyes closed to sufferring within and withoutNumbed consciencesAnd silenced voices-Yes, plenty of sleepBut rest evades the city.Harare is a synonym for hustlingFor making do with the little one hasFor never quite fullyShowing your hand,For defying the oddsFor […]
Read more "Harare"Not quite the place I rememberBut still the place I love.Too warm to have a ‘proper winter’Too diverse to not belong to all of usFood that feels like homeFriends that feel like familyWarm walks along the beachDreamy nights along the coast.The place I found many loves-The love of GodThe love of my fellowAnd the love […]
Read more "Durban"Its not easy to get out from under the weightOf being a persistent recipient.Where no one expects anything of youAnd that compounds until you don’t either.Making passivity a part of your identityAs though all you have capacity forIs to eat what others have produced.Generosity is not for the richNor love for the lovelyAnd showing up […]
Read more "Receiving end"Privilege does not necessarily make us foolsBut it easily can.Not because it dimishes our intellectOr erodes our common sense,But because our advantagesHave simplified our daily experiences,Reducing the enormity of lifeTo bite-size chunks,Taming our existence,Shielding us from harsh realitiesThat others know as commonplace.These are not sins to repent ofOr blessings to overlook,But a lens to be […]
Read more "Privileged fools"In a world of ever increasingSocial ills,The promise of entrepreneurshipGradually inflates in size and scopeUntil it becomes the only way forwardWe imagine possible.In a milieu of poor alternativesThe private businessHas become the magic bullet,The pure blade,The weapon of choiceTo slay our giantsAnd make us whole.But how can we expect businessTo solve the problems the StateHas […]
Read more "The business panacea"Have been in high demandFor centuries.Hands that build empires for othersFists to fight the wars of othersPalms outstretched to the goodwill of othersFingers to grasp the fruits of the trees of others.We know well what Africans can doWith their hands,Indeed they have held many a society together.But what of African heads?What of the thought leadership […]
Read more "African hands"Having the most money in the roomDoesn’t mean you’re best suited to leadOr that your ideasAre most likely to succeed.And though people will likely defer toThe wealthiest individualsIts important to recognizeThe limits of moneyAnd acknowledge our tendencyTo allow it to cloud our judgement.Deep pocketsAre a measure of the resources available,Not an indicationOf who should tell […]
Read more "Deep pockets"
heartinscriber 