people of the motherland!
from now on
for the sake
of balancing
our patriotism
with our loyalty
to our art
we will ask
you to be patient
with us your writers and artists
and grant us
to request you to
allow us to
at some point
speak to you
through alter-egos

in case that some
of the true comments
about certain characters
that are purely figment
of our innovative imagination
may be mistaken
for a snide on
very important people
in the high echelons
of our noble society
we flatly deny any relationship
with these personas that speak
what we out of knowing
what is good for us
and our country
will not be heard drunk
voicing out

to avoid
some cases
of mistaken identity
we will make sure that
troublesome characters
in our plays and poems and so forth
present and articulate
themselves in absences
or rather speak
their chants in silences

people of the fatherland!
when you get this communiqué
(if it does reach you)
don’t even for a second
think we are abdicating
our responsibility
to mirror society
as we see it with our eyes
all we ask for the sake
of us all is for you
to fill in the missing words
in our poems & plays
and fables & stories
sure you can apply a bit
of imagination
to play in your mind
the omitted scenes
& picture the skipped episodes
in our soapies & sitcoms

as patriotic artists
knowing you too are
responsible & law-abiding citizens
we do recommend in sincerity
when you read in our scripts
state tenders going to cronies
and the big man’s family
becoming instant billionaires
doing business only with the state
don’t go around looking
for any relationship
with real characters:
when you see in our films
scenes of mysterious
disappearance of dossiers & witnesses
and trump up charges
of some or other common crime
against some journalists
or litigation against humor & cartoons
or hear in our poems
the melodramatic voice
of some narcissistic despot
passing a decree demanding
caressing his goatee\belly
& kissing his arse to be declared
a national sport
just do not even for a moment
think there’s anyone
in this great nation
fitting that description
or at least
keep it to yourself
this homeland can do
without rubble-rousers

BROUGHT TO YOU BY PAMBAZUKA NEWS

* Mphutlane wa Bofelo is a cultural worker and social critic.
* Please send comments to [email protected] or comment online at Pambazuka News.