By Amb Phatse Justice Piitso
Conversations across ages, changing coarse of history of mankind, magnificent occasion celebrating national women’s day, eventful moment in the calendar of history of our liberation struggles, womenfolk of our democratic republic, our democratic movement, women of the world working class formations, my dear beautiful wife, Delsey Madume Piitso, whom we emblazon her birthday today, I inscribe the historic day to all of you, enamoured by indispensable leadership role of women, the struggles for freedom and dignity, triumph of humanity against adversity.
To you, heroic women of our democratic republic, to you our Queens, Princess, Roses of our revolution, on the occasion of the historic day, I dedicate the following poem by the renowned Algerian scholar and organic intellectual, author and poet, Dr Alaeddine Boutamine:
From the land of freedom and martyrs
We come with pride and salute you
We African sons and daughters
We cherish this day, we celebrate it too
Oh mother Africa, in the beauty that is you
We stand gloriously at the Mediterranean gates
Stretching from a sea which is sweat and blue
To vast plains and golden dunes and dates
Today our African identity we celebrate
Our homeland we remember with pride and glee
In a continent so mighty, so great
shining jewel for the whole world to see
With our arms open wide
We deliver a message of unity and love
Putting all of our difference aside
We come together and rise above
On the occasion of your birthday, to you my love, my beautiful wife, there is no remedy for love but to love more!
Butterfly of my dreams
One which instead of throwing bullets
But red roses to her foes
From the balcony of bowers of paradise
To you my beautiful wife
On the occasion of your birthday
Hanging garden of Babylon
Wonders of the ancient Mesopotamia
You are the tallest and most blossoming
Like the sun in the desert
Outshining them all
Even if I cannot give you my heart
For it belongs to the living God
You are not just a part
But you are the whole
May I sing a song for you
Sweet melodies forever
My sincere friend and Comrade,
Caring mother of my kids,
Flames of love between two people,
Gleaming warmth of love,
Beauty in the eyes of the beholder.
I dedicate your birthday, unquenchable tales of heroism, what the future is yet to tell history, legendary warrior Princess of ancient Kingdom of Congo, Aqualtune Ezgondidu Mahamud da Silva Santos, mother continent Africa, galloping medieval path of supercontinent Gondwana, along the banks of Congo-Amazon paleodriver, not a dream but living reality, centuries becoming decades and decades becoming years, tectonic forces of our mother nature, towering continental ridge, Atlantic Ocean dividing the Congo river on the African plate, Amazon river on the South American plate.
Whispering into posterity, seeds we sow today, what our present is yet to do, declaring heroes of tomorrow, storms shaping tree roots deeper than our imaginations, modernity breaking chains of slavery, human folk episodes of heroism, deeper walk into heartland of our universe, assembly of beautiful garden of fauna and flora, sacred marks in our veins through eternity, our America, our Africa, swamps of future hope, our universe is one, motherland its beautiful creation.
Birth of an African daughter of royalty, 16th century kingdom of Congo, most powerful tribal kingdom, living ahead of itself, struggles against Portuguese colonial domination, struggles for territorial sovereignty and independence, against colonial conquest and dispossessions, Princess with a crown of gold over her head, defending her kingdom with untold bravery, Commander of the battalion of ten thousands warrior men and women, bloody historic battle of Mbwila, more than five thousands warriors killed, her father king Antonio I captured and decapitated, destiny to those enough to acclaim.
Captured and sold into slavery, what become to be with her three children, their hands chained and legs shackled, before thrown into the slave ship, introduced to Christianity by giving them new names, descendants of African royal blood, kingdom crown shining brighter than stars into the land of the unknown, through strong waves and winds of the Atlantic, dungeons of the Antilles with lonely hearts, warmly hearts crying in silence, a poem from an unknown African Patriot, dedicated for her living memory:
Crown of an African Princess in the Antilles
From green-crowned hills where Congo rivers run,
She marched ten thousand underneath the sun.
Shield of the kingdom, royal, fierce, and grand,
A sudden storm across the Angolan land.
When iron fell and shadows crossed the sea,
They bound the body, but not the majesty.
Through slave-ships dark and sugar-crushing mill,
The royal pulse of Africa beat still.
She broke the chains and walked the forest green,
To find Palmares, where a soul is queen.
Mother of kings who made the empire rise,
Freedom lives deeper than the tyrant’s lies.
Arriving at the shores of the Portuguese colonial Brazil, fatigued by long crossings through the Atlantic, in the land of magic and myth, rushing into the ocean to return home, cutting edge of African horizons, At Recife slave market, washed and anointed with lemon to look gorgeous, sold a breeding slave, raped to produce more workforce for colonial oligarchy, a revolution from the womb, wrapped in the spirit of resistance struggles, African princess in combat through ages, skies different from horizons of native Africa.
Whilst pregnant, organised more than two hundreds fellow slaves, escaping from the plantation, into the dark forests and mountain high of our America, joining her children in the slave republic of Palmeres, leadership of her son Ganga Zumba, taking forward struggles for liberation, training thousands and thousands of slaves, war skills and techniques, turning them into courageous battalions, warrior men and women, waging guerrilla warfare against colonial authorities, building formidable African Kingdom, shores of our America, acts of incredible courage and audacity, universe peaceful garden to all humanity.
Brazilian historian, Decio Freitas, cognisant of the growing number of Maroon slaves, escaping from brutalities of colonial masters, seeking sanctuary into the mountains kingdom of the Maroons, the slave republic of Palmeres:
From an initial stage of mere concern, the colonial authorities began to be startled by the growth of Palmares and the mass escapes. What was worse, this wasn’t the only problem. What came to haunt plantation owners were the raids carried out by the people of Palmares on sugar mills, properties and local villages.
Large estates were looted, plantation storerooms and village warehouses were pillaged, cane fields were burned and enslaved people — mainly women — were kidnapped. Colonists who tried to resist were killed. At a time when there was a constant fear of foreign invasions by the French and the Dutch, fugitives grouped together in mocambos [communities of escaped slaves] were considered internal enemies.
The colony was on full alert. There was alarm among plantation owners and residents. The metropolis followed the events closely. Colonial authorities were watchful. Enslaved people in plantations were hopeful. The war was just beginning”.
The slave republic of Palmeres existed for over hundred years, with the death of Princess Aqualtune, later her son, Ganga Zumba, her grandson continued with the reign, fierce battles against colonial settlers and their establishments, captured and mutilated, castrated and his penis put into the mouth, one of his eyes gouged, his legs and hands severed, his head perambulated at Recife slave market until it decomposed.
In the words of warrior Queen, Yaa Asantewaa of Ghana, anti colonial struggle heroine, refusing to be subjected to British colonial rule”
I shall call upon my fellow women, we will fight the white men, we shall fight until the last one of us fall in the battlefield”.
In memory of Queen mother of the African continent, ancestor of the slave republic of Palmeres, Aqualtune Ezgondidu Mahamud da Silva Santos, we owe to ourselves and coming generations, giving irrevocable wisdom for future to come, the true story of courageous bravery and heroism of African women, history to be told, where it began, undying spirit of our martyrdom, struggles freedom of humanity.
Tales of decorated acts of heroism, indomitable warrior Princess, ancient Kingdom of the Congo, our mother continent Africa, our mother continent our native Americas, transforming obstacles into stepping stones for progress, we are children from the womb of the universe, are not telling our story to the generation of today, but of the coming ages, inspiration of unwavering episodes of resilience and selflessness, our freedom, future humanity.
*****
Ambassador Phatse Justice Piitso, member of the African National Congress and the South African Communist Party, writing this article in his personal capacity.