Siphiwe Nzima  - Da Nerve,  from  "Cultures of Resistance " excerpt by Iara Lee. 2017
Channel: Siphiwe Nzima
Date: 2020-08-16

Taken from the Cultures of Resistance   Documentary series by Iara Lee,  that features Basotho artists in a doccie aptly named " From Trash to Treasure- Turning Negatives into Positives" which showcases the amazing work by Lesotho artists finding ways to keep moving forward with their work in times of adversity while keeping true to using their art to fight for social justice and equality. Shot in 2017 at the artist's home.

Poem
Da Nerve

Give me the swindler who stole our destinies
And tampered with our blessings from conception
Discredited our ambitions of higher aspirations
Tied our fates with traditional bindings
Decreed the degradation of our existence
I wanna tell him he's got da nerve!


Listen

Who is this conman so afraid of our femininity?
Running his mouth disseminating slanderous mockery?
Colonizing our abilities and calling it culture?
Demeaning our intelligence and calling it hormones?
Dear Lord, as if he knows their significance!!
Where does he get the nerve...?


Say... tell me this........

Where does this charlatan get his ridiculous notions of grandeur?
Violently advocating the extinction of the enlightened goddess?
Banning us to menial drudgery asserting his falseness!
Using his fist to suppress his superiors, my god how inferior!!
Yet we are strong enough, we bring mankind into existence.
His nerve......!

Say...... why.......

Why are WE afraid of this impostor?
Shifting the blame like we don’t tango to the same song?
Content to sing along instead of leading by example
Shackled to the misguided fears of an inferiority complex and
Begging for humiliation and displaying the scars like trophies
Now you go the nerve...!

Overcome this confinement of perpetual slavery
Stand your ground in the face of this oppressor,
Fight for your humanity as a people, your identity as a culture,
Your rights as individuals, your stand as equals,
Tell this bigot he's got the nerve..!


Stop giving away pieces of your integrity for an illusion
Nourishing his wickedness with buckets of your tears
Hiding his weaknesses and demeaning your stature
And hiding from your strength and lurking in his shadow
Show him you've got the nerve................!


Yank out this hypocrite from the mantra of your destiny
Deny him your essence for a mere presence in your heart
Show him the gate of the lost city of the ignorant
Tell him....
I said tell him your preference can never be changed his opinion!