When Thabo Mbeki borrowed the words of poet Langston Hughes “A dream deferred” to describe the political situation after the supposed emancipation of black people in South Africa from the chains of apartheid you get the feeling that he knew and was hinting that this isn’t what he and black people at large were fighting for all these centuries. You get the sense that the dream was going well until he was rudely awakened by the economical stranglehold of the oppressors just before the dream reached its climax.
Hughes asks “what happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like raisins in the sun or does it fester like a sore and then run?”. I imagine Mbeki ‘s emotions were of fear and of hope as he realised that as close as you may have come to achieving your dream, if the full potential of your ambition isn’t reached, it is unlikely to recover that dream but still you remain hopeful as you know your are on the right path.
With that being said we all know that dreams are dreams and are a figment of our imagination. It is unlikely that the next time you go to bed you will have that dream again and then finish it. Let’s admit it, a dream deferred is a dream deferred and it is likely to remain that way until infinity.
I watched with a heavy heart as Bafana Bafana took on former world champions France and emerged victorious. I was saddened further when I logged on to face book and realised that I was only a part of a minority that know that this too is a Dream Deferred. Most people seemed proud of their national team because they beat France, a top ranking team on FIFA rankings. This left me perplexed as I asked myself if this was what we as the host nation were aiming for coming into this SWC.
If my memory serves me right, the nation’s goal coming into this world cup was to at least proceed into the knockout stage which was obviously not achieved. We are now the 1st hosting nation since the inception of the world cup in 1930 not to get promoted to the final 16. Some may accuse me of being a pessimist (of which I am) but I refuse to settle for a 3rd class performance.
I am an African and I love my continent and my people but it seems as if we as black people have got far too content with settling for 3rd class service. Stephen Bantu Biko once said he would rather die for an idea that will live than live for an idea that will die. That is the kind of attitude we need as Africans if we are to ever be on par and even surpass world standards. You can accuse of being greedy but I’m tired of the “siyazama” mentality. I want it all and I’m not ashamed to say it. The world is ours for the taking. Why should we settle for crumbs?