Jeg Er Afrikaner (Danish Translation)

I Am An African by Wayne Visser
Danish Translation

JEG ER AFRIKANER

Jeg er afrikaner
Ikke fordi jeg blev født der
Men fordi mit hjerte slår med Afrikas
Jeg er afrikaner
Ikke fordi min hud er sort
Men fordi min sind er fyldt med Afrika
Jeg er afrikaner
Ikke fordi jeg bor på hendes jord
Men fordi min sjæl har sit hjem i Afrika

Når Afrika græder for sine børn
fyldes mine øjne med tårer
Når Afrika hædrer sine ældste
Bøjer jeg mit hoved i respekt
Når Afrika sørger over sine ofre
Folder jeg mine hænder i bøn
Når Afrika fejrer sine triumfer
Er mine fødder levende i dans

Jeg er afrikaner
For hendes blå himmel giver mig åndenød
Og mit håb for fremtiden er lyst
Jeg er afrikaner
For hendes folk tager imod mig som familie
Og lærer mig meningen med et samfund
Jeg er afrikaner
For hendes vildnis lindrer min ånd
Og bringer mig tættere på livets kilde

Når Afrikas musik slår i vinden
Pulserer mit blod til hendes rytme
Og jeg bliver essensen af lyd
Når Afrikas farver spiller i solen
Drikker mine sanser af hendes regnbue
Og jeg bliver naturens palette
Når Afrikas historier genlyder rundt om bålet
Går mine fødder på hendes stier
Og jeg bliver historiens fodaftryk

Jeg er afrikaner
Fordi hun er vor fødsels vugge
Og nærer en ældgammel visdom
Jeg er afrikaner
Fordi hun lever i verdens skygge
Og rummer et strålende lys
Jeg er afrikaner
Fordi hun er morgendagens land
Og jeg genkender hendes gaver som hellige

Copyright © 2005 Wayne Visser
Translation by Øjvind Fritjof Arnfred, 2015

He Lived Among Us - Tribute to Nelson Mandela, by Wayne Visser

HE LIVED AMONG US

By Wayne Visser

Tribute to Nelson Mandela (1918-2013)

He lived among us –

This child named Rolihlahla

This boy called Nelson

This man we knew as Mandela –

And now he is gone

He shared our days –

This son of Africa, our Madiba

This father of a nation, our Tata

This guardian of humanity, our Elder –

And now he is gone

He was one of us –

This shepherd of the people

This harbinger of hope and joy

This legend of our time and place –

And now he is gone

He was our leader

Our defender, our nation’s spear

And he showed us how to fight

He was our enemy

Our nemesis, our conscience

And he showed us how to be free

He was our light

Our sun, our inspiration

And he showed us how to forgive

Yet did we ever really know him?

This lawyer who became an outlaw

This soldier who became a peacemaker

This prisoner who became a liberator

How can we fathom his depths?

This father who lost a son and wife

This comrade who lost so many friends

This martyr who lost twenty-seven years

How can we see into his heart?

This intellectual who became an activist

This statesman who became a gardener

This icon who became the world’s beloved

We remember him

For his skilful manoeuvring

Through the political maze

And even more for his love of dancing

We remember him

For his human touch

Among the powerful and powerless

And even more for his love of children

We remember him

For his human foibles

That made him fallible like us

And even more for his love of justice

He lived among us –

And now it is for us to carry his torch onward

It is for us to follow his shining example

It is for us to fight for his unshakeable ideals –

Now that he is gone

He shared our days –

And now we must make the rest of our days count

We must work as he did to set others free

We must show that the spirit can triumph in the end –

Now that he is gone

He was one of us –

And now we are challenged to become one of him

We are inspired to be the best we can be

We are reminded that ‘I am because we are’ –

Now that he is gone

Nkosi Sikelel’iMandela!

We will honour his memory

By never losing faith in times of adversity

We will celebrate his life

By always daring to hope for a miracle

We will keep his legacy alive

By choosing to walk daily in his footsteps

On the path of love

Amandla! Awethu!

---

Image credits: Painting by Alfred Hilton (c) 2013

I Am An African (Original English Version)

By Wayne Visser

I am an African
Not because I was born there
But because my heart beats with Africa’s
I am an African
Not because my skin is black
But because my mind is engaged by Africa
I am an African
Not because I live on its soil
But because my soul is at home in Africa

When Africa weeps for her children
My cheeks are stained with tears
When Africa honours her elders
My head is bowed in respect
When Africa mourns for her victims
My hands are joined in prayer
When Africa celebrates her triumphs
My feet are alive with dancing

I am an African
For her blue skies take my breath away
And my hope for the future is bright
I am an African
For her people greet me as family
And teach me the meaning of community
I am an African
For her wildness quenches my spirit
And brings me closer to the source of life

When the music of Africa beats in the wind
My blood pulses to its rhythm
And I become the essence of sound
When the colours of Africa dazzle in the sun
My senses drink in its rainbow
And I become the palette of nature
When the stories of Africa echo round the fire
My feet walk in its pathways
And I become the footprints of history

I am an African
Because she is the cradle of our birth
And nurtures an ancient wisdom
I am an African
Because she lives in the world’s shadow
And bursts with a radiant luminosity
I am an African
Because she is the land of tomorrow
And I recognise her gifts as sacred


Creative Commons 2005