!ke e: ǀxarra ǁke

Nkosi sikelel iAfrika –
we need it.
We need the rain as well.
Sangoma, Priester,
cast your spells and pray!
May the echoes of the Khoe
in the Kalahari and the Cape,
in the Klein and Groot Karoo,
forgive us as we do ourselves.
The pendulum has swung
like a ringing blade
and cast us all to hell.
Uit die blou van onse hemel
nothing comes.
May we live and strive for freedom
in our dry and dying land.
 
 
Notes:
 
The lines Nkosi sikelel iAfrika (“God bless Africa” in isiXhosa), Uit die blou van onse hemel (“from the blue of our skies” in Afrikaans), and May we live and strive for freedom are verses from the national anthem of South Africa. The name of the poem itself is taken from the country’s motto, !ke e: ǀxarra ǁke (“unity in diversity” in  ǀXam). The Republic of South Africa currently finds itself in a state of drought and socio-political tension, thus the inspiration for this poem.