Two million years ago, or so,
It all began.
With a drift from the Rift

Primitive man – Australopithecus
Then Homos three:
Stabilis, erectus, sapiens.
Hunting and gathering
Merging and fading.
And moving on.

New shades of skin
A myriad tongues.
Developing, settling,
Sometimes stable, often clashing,
Always moving on.

Fast forward
Innumerable generations,
Invaders from the North
Pale of skin, harsh of speech.
Arrogant, domineering,
White supremacy their creed -
Primitive men.

Defining a man’s status
By the shade of his of skin..
Black and coloured
The lesser beings.
Downtrodden, oppressed
Living with apartheid -
- in a pariah state.

Then ….

…. enlightenment …

…. light is not white
And neither is skin
Shine light through a prism -
A rainbow appears.

Rainbow nation.

Mandela the prism.