Of Creative Mornings: A philosophy Of Communitism

“What Africa needs the most, is not food aid, drought relief or funding…… what Africa needs the most is Courage”

-Thembe Khumalo

 

 

A quote from Thembe Khumalo during her presentation at the Creative Mornings Harare Chapter #CMhre titled A philosophy of communitism.

 

Creative Mornings are monthly sessions held across hubs in cities all over the world, where creatives meet for a breakfast talk and a host shares a brief talk. The theme for the month was community… #cmCOMMUNITY

This is a brief overview of Thembe Khumalo’s presentation A Philosophy Of Communitism.

Thembe Khumalo is a poet, writer, newspaper columnist and descendant of the Zulu warrior clan and she shared this as preview of her presentation:

If you are wondering just like I did, when I first heard the word communitism, if it even is a word, well it is now…… Local action for a universal mission: communitism

Are you familiar with the story of the Redwood tree forests they grow tall, standing for centuries upon centuries, yet their roots are not overwhelmingly deep….

The secret lies underground, their roots, though they don’t grow deep, they grow wide, their roots intertwine…….

Young trees grow, their roots sheltered and nourished by the roots of trees of old, all trees connected, through time and space.

And just like this nature teaches us about how our strength lies in each other

People need people.

We understand this lesson and yet, here we all, here we all are and here we all are still knowing what we are…..

We live in fear, and the things we fear the most, are not soldiers, guns and rioting protestors, what we fear the most are the things that make us vulnerable yet these are the very things that make us magic that humanise us/

We afraid of intimacy because intimacy equals In To Me See

We sweep under the rug the parts of ourselves that we think do not conform, hiding behind labels and stereotypes, Pastor, Leader, Parent, Youth, Aunt, Uncle…. Imprisoned in safe spaces of silence where we can not speak.

Yet the things that keep us safe are not our safe spaces the bars on our windows, the walls and fences around us, locks, the army and their bullets. The things that keep us safe are one another.

What we need is the courage to be who we are and to be accepting of who others are. Being courageous is just like exercising a muscle the more you work it out the bigger and stronger it gets…………….

I have untold stories saved in draft folders in long forgotten drives because I am afraid of the little bits of my soul exposed to whoever chances upon my pages but if I never get the courage to tell my own story, who shall tell it for me, and this, this is why I write…..

#MyAfricaMyWords

~B

 

Day 2 of the blogging challenge

Photo Credits:

Thembe Khumalo

Cde Tseisi

The FeedZW

Silviakwin

FaithKats

Tony Howel redwood trees