After Mozambique gained Independence in 1975, Machel helped black South Africans and Zimbabweans fight in their respective Independence wars, spreading the term more widely across Africa. The phrase was intended to give people hope and to encourage Mozambicans not to give up the fight for Independence. It was coined during the Mozambican War of Independence and was used by the leader and first Black president Samora Machel. “A luta continua” is Portuguese for “the struggle continues”. With our fists and shouted “A luta continua”įor we would continue to fight for our neighboursĪnd so when the beating of the drums are heard Our souls that became dormant began to eruptĪnd for 10 years the beating of the drums
#FARRAGO SOUTH AFRICA CRACKED#
Our hearts that had cracked began to repair With a fierce sound that was louder than bombs Their evil intent burns the rivers and we’re left paralysed,ģ00 arduous years prolonged since the drums stoppedīut like the rivers that filled up again and the land that remained beneath us, They listen to the hearts of their Mothers beating with the drums,Īs ivory men slither into the land that shelters us Threads tied together by the fingertips of their Mothers keep them Innocence forms lumps on the backs of their Mothers’ independence Our voices swallow all the pain as we sing in hurricanesīreasts are plump with milk for the descendants We flow like the river that connects our mores The drums engulf us, telling us to move in many ways The beating of the drums is echoed in our pounding of maize We use these secrets to nourish our bowls The land speaks to us and spills its secrets for love We grow our wealth in the seeds cultivated by those from above It moves us to keep on living as it enlivens our souls The beating drums pump our hearts faster and faster It talks about colonialism in a more African context but can be applied to colonialism as a whole. I wrote this poem titled “A Luta Continua” (meaning the struggle continues). However, as PoCs we must continue to struggle and fight for equality in this Race Against the Odds. The era of colonisation was not long ago, and the effect can still be felt today. I only have to look back one generation to see colonialism.
The South African colonisers felt threatened by Mozambique’s Independence, particularly as the Mozambican president vouched to help South Africa gain its Independence. He fought in the war that occurred due to Mozambique achieving Independence. My father was born in colonial Mozambique, a country bordering the east of South Africa.
Independence was never achieved, and so Australia is still colonised.
This is particularly hurtful in Australia’s context, as Indigenous Australians have never gotten their rightful land and country back. In advocating that post-racism has been achieved, it erases the racist experiences PoCs (People of Colour) continue to face and makes the not-so-distant years of colonialism seem like an irrelevant part of history that can easily be forgotten.
White Australia often uses “multiculturalism” to conceal the racism that still exists within the country. They also claimed Black Lives Matter was black people victimising themselves. The white students responded by saying that they have never seen, or experienced racism, making it non-existent to them. One experience I had was when I was in a college tutorial telling my peers how I have often been followed in stores, called the n-word and been made fun of for having braids. In recent years, the idea of “post-racism” has become increasingly popular, with people often stating that “racism no longer exists”, particularly in Western countries, including Australia. The Not-so-distant Colonial Past and “Post-racism”