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Ilizwe Lam

January 25, 2011

Ilizwe lam

A painting drawing inspiration from the beautiful Wild Coast in the Eastern Cape (South Africa).

The following poem, in Xhosa, appears along the clouds:
Apha kule ndawo intle,
Siyalibon’ ilanga xa liphuma ekuseni nalitshona ngokuhlwa.
Siyawuva umoya awusukelayo amafu esibhakabhakeni.
Abantu abahlal’ apha bayazazi,
Iinyawo zabo ziphethwe ngumhlaba.
Jonga! Nanzi iindidi ngeendidi zezinto.
Eli lizwe lezizwe ezininzi lilikhaya lentliziyo yam.

Rough translation:
Here in this beautiful place,
We see the sun when it rises in the mornings and when it sets in the evenings.
We feel the wind that chases the clouds across the sky.
The people what live here, they know themselves,
Their feet are carried by the ground.
Look! Here there are all manner of things.
This country of many nations is the home of my heart.

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