Nostalgic Waves from Soweto

Sol Rachilo

Description

Soweto during the 1970s was riven with violence and brutality, the brunt of which was borne by the young people of that period, who took the lead in the struggle against apartheid oppression. Himself a product of the era, Sol Rachilo turned both to science and to art as he strove to depict the atmosphere and the emotions of the people of those tumultuous times. Not relying solely on his own deeply engraved memories, he spent 18 months researching the events which swirled around the Morris Isaacson High School, a magnet for the activists and intellectuals of the time. The book especially highlights the happenings of 1976 and 1977, two years of strife in this politically charged township which was the home of all the founding fathers of what Sol calls, �our cherished freedom� � Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Nthato Motlana, Desmond Tutu, Mothopeng and Sobukwe.

Sujets

• Poetry

Informations

• Publié par: African Perspectives Publishing
• Date de parution: 29 décembre 2009
• Nombre de lectures: 2
• EAN13: 9780981439846
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

African Perspectives Publishing PO Box 95342 Grant Park 2051 South Africa Email: [e-mail] www.africanperspectives.co.za

© Solhra 2009

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

ISBN 978-0-9814398-0-8

Edited by Mindy Stanford Typeset by Gail Day Cover design by Mycalture Printed and bound by 4 Colour Print

Contents

About Sol Rachilo _____________________________________ v

Foreword ___________________________________________ vii

Introduction _________________________________________ ix

‘X’ __________________________________________________ 1 The Signatories ________________________________________ 3 Let’s Recall ___________________________________________ 5 Boots in the Night _____________________________________ 7 Lament ______________________________________________ 9 Child Crushed by Casspir ______________________________ 11 One of the Next Seven ________________________________ 13 The Creation of an Innocent Criminal ___________________ 15 Eleventh Hour _______________________________________ 17 The Black Cloth ______________________________________ 19 Comrade Chris ______________________________________ 21 Nomzamo __________________________________________ 23 To Stompie __________________________________________ 25 Soweto, I Salute You __________________________________ 27 Melody for a Father __________________________________ 29 Longing to be Loved __________________________________ 31 The Couple’s Song ___________________________________ 33 As Luck Would Have It ________________________________ 35 Uskhova Wasemasotsheni eB.E.S.L. ______________________ 37 Profession of Despair __________________________________ 39 Night Sweepers ______________________________________ 41 What Lurks __________________________________________ 43 Oliver Twist in Soweto ________________________________ 45 Baby Found in Plastic Bag _____________________________ 47 The Night She Passed On ______________________________ 49 Something to Live for _________________________________ 51

iii

Matshidiso __________________________________________ 53 The Cripple at the Party _______________________________ 55 What Change is There? ________________________________ 57 Loose Cannons _______________________________________ 59 My Soweto Dream ___________________________________ 61 Silent Words _________________________________________ 63 Looking Through the Hazy Glass _______________________ 65 The Grave __________________________________________ 67 The Tree by the River _________________________________ 69 The Torch ___________________________________________ 71 Caged in Your Mind __________________________________ 73 Awake but Not Alone _________________________________ 75 Dreaming of the Future ________________________________ 77 Paradise _____________________________________________ 79 Remember __________________________________________ 81 But Once ___________________________________________ 83 Miracles Abound _____________________________________ 85

iv