I hail from the North on the Azanian Soil

I hail from the North, on the Azanian soil.

My skin is dark like it was cooked in an oven with a foil.

Yes, ndi munna mutswu murema.

Where I am from, it doesn't shock people that I have this dark melanin.

It doesn't shock them because they know that I took this after my ancestors.

Where I am, it shocks them when I make mention of my ancestors.

It shocks them because they think I will succumb to their indoctrination of demonizing my forefathers.

Usa divha na ndi!

Usa divha na ndi!

Vhavenda vhari usa divha zwifana nau fa.

Little did they know that I was from greatness.

The greatness that for the longest time the Europeans had to look down upon.

The greatness that the Chinese need to be reminded of.

The greatness that the Americans must respect.

It is a pity.

The greatness was distorted and destroyed by the arrival of a white man with his colonial thoughts.

The greatness that was raped, killed, slewed, and brutalized.

Need I remind you that I am from the land of Makhado, who defeated white colonialists?

Need I mention Moshoeshoe?

Will you remember King Sekhukhune if I make mention of him?

Need I remind you that my people had a fully functioning civilization long before a white settler set foot in Mapungubwe?

Maybe I should take you back to the era of great Ndambanyika?

Will you recall the great history of trading gold and ivory?

Travel back with me to the past when we were still in great Matobo Hill in Zimbabwe under Munumutapa.

Pause,

Recall,

Reflect,

Reminisce,

Do you see the past as it was?

Or are you clouded by foreign concepts of Africa?

We were great and we come from greatness.

Take me back to Africa where I would own hectares of the land.

Take me back to Africa.

I will be a custodian of my culture.

Take me back to a pure African culture, which has not been altered by foreign concepts.

Africa that teaches her children the philosophy of Ubuntu.

Africa that teaches her children African ways of doing things.

Take me back to Africa where there are no maruvhuru.

Africa that embraces the concept of nwana wa munwe ndi nwana wau.

Let's take a stroll down memory lane.

Come with me.

Khala mulovha ndi tshi guda u renda Vhadau vhaha Makananise.

Makhadzi vha gudisa vhari hupfi "dzulani zwanu Mudau, Mukalanga waha luanika. Wa tsie dzinonga dza Ndau, wa mato matsuku. Ndau aili tsho faho, ito wana phuka dzo endela ya dzi shushedza uri ikone unanga yo nonaho. Ndivha ha nyamukuta kuvhukudzi kuno vhukudzela ku mavhoni. Ndivha ha nyamushoni wa denzhe, ndi vhaha nya sihamele mbudzi lufoni, vhavhone vha tshihama vhasongo hama naya nwananga, ya nwananga ina tshimbaka tshi tshena kha thumbu. Ndivhaha luanika vhadau ndivha ha nya lupfumo ndi matari ri pfuma ritshi sielisana. Ndi vha ha ramufhi vhadzulaho gondoni vhano fha na vhadzia ndila. Vhanna vha hone vhatshi ana vhari tshilonga nga vhadau, vhasadzi vha hone vhari munzhedzi nga vhatuka. Vhadau asi mahosi ndi vho mme vha dzi ndou. Ri fhungela phunga dzi ndou. Thavha ya hashu ivhu kalanga ngei zimbabwe ipfi vhuxwa ivhubva duvha ha mbelengwa intha ha zwishavhani. Dzulani zwanu Mudau Mukalanga.

Vhadau khahu lile mufhululu

Vhadau khari loshe

Ha pfala ndaa ya nduna.

I will not mislead you and your children.

From this poem, you will learn a thing or two with your children.

Come, listen, and listen attentively so.

I want to remind you of our greatness.

I want to point out your greatness.

Do you recall when we had great nights around the fire with grannies and grandfathers sharing stories and fables?

Do you remember how girls used to go to khombani, musevheto and domba?

Does it occur to you to recall that children used to play muhundwane?

Do you recall when boys transformed from boyhood to manhood in the mountains?

Zwovha zwo naka hani zwa mulovha.

Come.

Sit.

Think.

Think of the days when Africa was free of neo-colonialism's agenda.

Reminisce about the African language free from English that today is used as a yardstick to measure African intelligence.

Pause.

Maybe I should pause here!

Tap into the state of being an African.

Tap into the state of greatness.

Let your ancestors guide you.

They have guided me this far.

Nwali ha lati vhana vhawe.

Ni Mtsonga waka Maluleke nwana wa Josius wa Musisinyane wa Tshali wa Museneki wa Joulo wa Guyu wa Mashakati wa Malenga.

I am a son of African soil.