Art for Humanity: A Flower For Malika/Girl Child
A Flower for MalikabyJudith Mason
Girl ChildMalika Ndlovu Girl child Wild virgin flower Surviving even where the soil Aches for rainWill bear no grain or fruitWhere innocence and youthIs harvested with brutalityWhere she more than her brother Suffers the scorching of a dominant Sun Forcing her into the shadowsWhere she can be forgottenNeglectedUnderestimatedIn more ways than one Buried Girl childWild virgin flower Misled and mis-educatedNot onlyBy the twisted tales of tradition she is fedBut by those who continueTo teach these poisoned lessonsBy their actionsMothers, fathers, older brothers and sistersWho show herShe is lessUnwantedOr born to be burdenedExploitedViolated Girl childWild virgin flowerHow do you recognise your SelfIn these mists of projected fear How do you hear you own voiceDiscern when and howYou can make your own choices Girl childWild virgin flowerOpen your petals with courageBear your dreams to the night skyUnder Moon’s glowYou will come to know The truth of your origin The immeasurable power Of your authentic natureUncover the wealth and wisdomOf your scorned and silencedFemale ancestryGuidance for your growth Girl childWild virgin flowerWhen ominous clouds loomAnd you cannot protect yourself from the floodLet these tides of painFeed your rootsFire your determination Trust that as you shed skinLose parts of yourself to threatening windsThese seasons of sorrow will changeYou were destined to be hereIn this momentIn this placeIn this bodyIn this timeYou are the fountain sourceThe life forceOf all that is womanShining in her fullnessWith her innate resilienceBearing miraculous fruit Mntwana WentombazaneIsiZulu translation coordinated by Dr Maria Letsie Mntwana wentombazane,mbali yasehlaneUdukisiwe awufundiswanga kahleHhayi ngezinganekwane ezingeyizo oxoxelwe zonaKodwa ngalabo abaqhubekayoBefundisa lezizimfundiso ezingezizo ngezenzo zaboOnina, oyise, abanewabo nodadewabo abameyayoOngafunwa noma ozelwe ukwethweswa umthwalo, exhashaziwe,ehlukunyeziwe Mntwana wentombazane, mbali yasehlaneQhakaza ngesibindiFeza amaphupho akho esibhakabhakeniNgaphansi kokukhanya kwenyanga uyokwazi ukunotha nokuhlakaniphaKwamathongo akho anga hlonishwanga nabulawaUyisusa somthombo, Amandla empilo abo bonke besifazaneNokuqina kwakho kokuzalwa, uthela izithelo ezimangazayo A Brief Biography of Malika Ndlovu