Why did the Herero girl stop singing her people’s hymns?
When they ask you of your clan group within your tribe what do you say?
Have you neglected how you clawed your way out of the tree of life
As your ancestors spoke favour over you, around the holy fire?
Is the western God you adopted truly that jealous?
You are the daughter of the land whose deserts meet the sea
You need not exist within reason.
Where is your courage? In the place where Bruma had you running
Through hot coal unscathed—you let anxiety fester.
You keep away from places your people found community because you’ve
Sawn off your roots.
In your reflection you no longer see echoes of your people’s history.
When they ask you for complete sentences in Otjiherero
you take pride in not knowing how, in not knowing the words
in giving yourself an English name- because yours is too ‘hard’ to pronounce.
Have we truly lost you?
You tell foreigners that Omaere is too sour, you describe it as rotten milk.
Naïve to the roots we use to ferment our milk,
Naïve to the herbs we use to cure our wounds,
Naïve to the bark we burn as our perfume.
Why do you behave as though we have forsaken you?
Heed my words muatje wo’vaherero, your heritage is not yours to desert.
You will return koganda… be it now or in your grave.
Vekondjisa Nosipho Katusuva is a poet and open mic performer, as well as a recent graduate of The University of Science and Technology, with a bachelor’s degree in English and Linguistics. She is currently working on her first poetry collection.