From Malcolm X, Anna J. Cooper to Sobukwe, Charwe Nyakasikana a.k.a. Mbuya Nehanda Nyakasikana and many others whom I’m yet to know or whose experiences were not written in the pages of history, there has always been a gnawing at the question; what is the price of freedom? One of the things I’m grateful for when … Continue reading Despair, Hope, Cynicism, Dreams. A Truer Quest for Freedom
Author: Simon Rakei
Protest and Activism: Finding Your Voice and Learning to Speak Again
This is the first instalment of a 3-part series aimed at some crucial reflections on the path my life has taken over the 2015/16 period of the student movement, and perhaps to get a glimpse of what the near future holds. In so doing, I hope some of my reflections may resonate with you and … Continue reading Protest and Activism: Finding Your Voice and Learning to Speak Again
Degrees, Hair and Rebellion: An Overgrowing Path
I’ve been between two thoughts about going and being home for the vac: on the one hand was dreading the confrontation with my mother since discovering my involvement with #RhodesMustFall and #FeesMustFall. This trepidation has since been heightened in the wake of interdicts, suspensions and expulsions and the frequent calls not only asking if I’m … Continue reading Degrees, Hair and Rebellion: An Overgrowing Path
A Memoir
i sit far away from the world but not far enough so i also sit far away from the feeling of loss, of pain until i can only choke up a fleeting sadness to remember. to empathise sometimes i imagine you could raise a child in a place where the sun never shines and the … Continue reading A Memoir
The First Voices of Creation – A Song in My Head
This is my song to you who would not read the meaning in my heart; who would not see the depth in my eyes; who would not hear the silent music of my limbs: you, who turned your back on my smile and a deaf ear to my plea. This is my song to you … Continue reading The First Voices of Creation – A Song in My Head
The Setting Sun Is Like the Ages of Time
If you'd like more context and a somewhat deeper understanding of where and how this post came to be you may want to have a look at my most recent post, though it also isn't a prerequisite for a comprehensive read of this piece. This post is my way of reconciling and 'going forward' from … Continue reading The Setting Sun Is Like the Ages of Time
A Quest on Crafting Identity and the Road towards Decolonising the Curriculum/Curriculum Change
A few thoughts on Decolonising the Mind and Moving the Centre. Decolonisation or Africanisation? Maybe there exists a place where thoughts have a language of their own; pure and untainted But that place I fear is not in my mind Maybe out of this world Away from the pitiful exercise of attempting to convey thoughts … Continue reading A Quest on Crafting Identity and the Road towards Decolonising the Curriculum/Curriculum Change
Finding Ground: Familial Obligations, Escaping the House of Hunger, And The Chimurenga
Recently, my mother caught up with my shenanigans after my sister alerted her to an interview I was in. Very simply, she told me to stop, focus on my studies and get my degree. This response, although anticipated and consistent with how most parents would react to someone in my position, was nonetheless a bit … Continue reading Finding Ground: Familial Obligations, Escaping the House of Hunger, And The Chimurenga
Smoke
The taste lingers in my mouth as if to mock what little solace I found in the dozen or so puffs I just let out into the air. Interesting thing, smoke: it’s like air except you can see it. As if it gives you a glimpse into the otherwise hidden and unseen forces of the … Continue reading Smoke
Untitled
The post were this poem first appeared can be found here: There is a coming tide – It will consume the clouds and cover the sky Dawning arrives as the sun sets and curtains are shut; beginning and end indistinguishable - It is time Come away, do not be so close. The tree looked and … Continue reading Untitled
Simon Rakei 