The other day I took a careful listen to the South African national antheme and realised how long it is. It's four verses that go on forever, not that i'm complaining or anything.
And then I remembered some weeks ago, musician Thandiswa Mazwai was making noise about why the Afrikaans verse of the national anthem should be scrapped off. She said Die Stem reminded South Africans of our horrible past and that the song was coined by racists who made it their life's mission to make the lives of Black South Africans hell (not in so many words of course).
I couldn't help thinking that what Ms Mazwai was saying has some truth to it. As much as it's part of our history it's still the birth child of our oppressors.
But then again on the flip side I think Die Stem is part of our history. I also feel as bad as it was apartheid is part of history and most probably made South Africa to be what it is today. Who knows maybe South Africa would have been a little known nation on the southern most tip of Africa. No matter who in the world as soon as you mention South Africa, most probably the first thing that would come to their minds would apartheid or Nelson Mandela.
I'm on the fence on this one coz I strongly feel we as South Africans should know and be familiar with our history, whether it was good or bad but then again Die Stem can open up many unhealed wounds for thousands of South Africans.
Despite this we can't deny that Die Stem is part of South Africa's history and heritage.
Yea, Mpume said so.
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