Skimming Stones | Sula's Blog | Sula1968 A South African poet, potter and mother
Oh how quickly we dance to the tunes of others. How easily we play into the hands of those driving divisive agendas. You’d think that we would learn to stop, think and question when social and conventional media stir up a shit storm of controversy. Did Bell Pottinger teach us nothing?
Yesterday I wore black, only and specifically because I am horrified by the reality of farm murders and wished to show support for them. By the end of the day level headed South Africans were distancing themselves from the cause (exactly what some people would want). I stood in the kitchen ranting to Clifford “What daft idiots would go flying the old SA flag today? Don’t they have the f&*%ing intellectual capacity to realise that they are being divisive, that they are nullifying enormous support gained in driving awareness about farm murders? Why ruin the unity against these dreadful crimes?! Why shoot the farming community in the foot? Why do a few arseholes have to undo what is positive?” Cliff stood quietly listening to me all abluster. He said that all the pictures which he saw showed no old flags and just a sea of unity, which got enormous support, and drew international coverage.
This morning I sensed a tone of “I told you so” when Cliff sent me a what’s app message showing that the pics of the old SA flag being frantically circulated and stirring outrage were not from yesterday’s march but were taken in Ventersdorp in 2010 and they were shared yesterday with out the permission of the photo journalist James Oatway who took the photos. Journalist Nickolaus Bauer of eNCA has apologised for sharing the pics but the damage is done, strongly feel that he and others who shared divisive pictures, falsely claiming that they were from yesterday’s protest against farm murders should be held accountable.
When will we learn to cut the puppet strings and be more like my husband? He stops, thinks and researches before allowing himself to be swept along on an emotional tsunami when presented with “information”.
Smart man, your husband.
sometimes smart arse but yes
I am also angry about the ongoing murders in SA. But I will not wear black for the murders of farmers only. There has been too many murders through hijackings, housebreaking, theft & just for no reason at all. They were breadwinners, children dragged in hijackings & mothers. All lives matter. Why not have an inclusive wearing of black for all who were senselessly murdered. A whole week of wearing black. Let’s bring awareness to how horrible South Africa has become.
It would be excellent to have a week of wearing black, I wonder how that could be set in motion? I decided not to dilute the cause of farm murders on that day as I felt that people were embarrassed to take part because farmers are broadly labelled as being the personification of racism and that’s just not true or fair on them. Farm attacks in many cases seem to be particularly brutal possibly because this generalisation is applied to them, the song dubul’ibhunu (shoot the boer) enforces this mindset. Racists are everywhere and I feel that tarring all farmers with that brush when they are particularly vulnerable and in most cases salt of the earth makes their murders almost acceptable in the eyes of many. PS I’m neither Afrikaans nor of farming stock