I'm South Africa's 90



Meet Oboitshepo  Tladi



When I read this poem I immediately thought of sharing it with you guys. Since I don’t personally know this young writer (only 16). I asked her brother (Remi) to gives us a mini intro on Oboitshepo "Tshepo" Tladi. Knowing that there are young minds like Tshepo out there, gives me hope that South Africa’s future will be in good hands. And this is what big bro had to say.......

"Tshepo" is a very interesting young lady with a passion and knack for literature and writing. Would you believe that she has already written a transcript on a book she intends to publish entitled "Love Through The Eyes Of A 14yr Old" but she is a thought leader amongst her peers in the unique position and mature perspective she views life and its differing forms and complexities. She is a writer and thought leader to look out for.

Enjoy

Love

Fatima
xxx

I could blame it on my age

I could blame it on my race

I could say it’s not my fault that I was born in a space where I see the effects of post apartheid South Africa.

I could say it’s not me, I never chose to live

I could even say I’m still young and my priorities are barely in place

I could try and fix it or maybe I won’t

‘cause I’m living in a time where I can do whatever I want & they’ll just watch

It wouldn’t be my fault- let’s blame it on too much TV

I make the same mistakes over & over again & no one learns from me either

But still I’m blind

I aim to be a socialite

The world ought to see me ‘cause I choose to idolise celebrities who are publically living in darkness

I’m so quick to stand up for my rights and don’t notice that they are actually a privileges

I have roots

I am filled with rich culture and history but I choose to hide behind my perfectly polished English secretly hiding the urge to go back to where I’m from

I hide behind internationality and too afraid to support anything local

Before me there lived a period of defeat, struggle and discrimination so I use that to my advantage but only when it suits me

Don’t get my way of thinking wrong

I do feel the impact of a now post apartheid struggle and the psychological chains it has imprisoned my parents and their parents with but sometimes, even though it seems odd a bit of me wishes I was there.

Because they seem to remind me daily how fortunate I am ‘cause they had to fight for something that they themselves never knew existed- freedom

But then I stand there in total dismay and sometimes even watch in envy because they have no idea how feeble it must feel to fight for nothing

I wonder, has it all been done for us??

They try to keep me in a box and I sincerely comply- I'm just doing what's expected

So even if I don’t know who to blame for making the youth of South Africa what we are today

They have no idea how useless we must feel to find ourselves reaping what we have never sowed. 

Can I get a 'keeping it real'