COULD THIS BE THE FINAL CURTAIN-CALL FOR AMANDIYA?

SUNDAY TRIBUNE, 04 August 2002

THE frank engagement and commitment dis­played by members of all I races during the two-day KwaZulu-Natal African-Indian Dialogue over the weekend has finally put to rest all the uproar stemming from Mbongeni Ngema's AmoNdiya song.
The artistic capabilities of the popular anti-apartheid play­wright Mhpngeni Ngema have gone beyond any historical per­spective of stereotypes in race relations.
Ngema has opened up a melt­ing pot aimed at unqualified rec­onciliation among races.
The message of Ngema is that our government must not hide its 'head in the sand when, almost a decade after democra­cy social and economic dispari­ties keep widening.
The song (makes people) question whether the blood shed to defeat the crime against humanity was necessary
With credible participants such as King Goodwill Zwelithini endorsing the sentiments expressed in the song, who can accuse Ngema of fanning inter­racial fires?
The colonial masters had a grand scheme of setting races against each other, but the song transcends that.
Academics of the high calibre such as Prof Hebert Vilakazi and Dr Saths Cooper articulated that the legacy of the successive oppressive white regimes created a state of mistrust, prejudice and unwarranted hate among racial groupings in this country.
Impediment
While one may not approve of the lyrics of the song, they do not constitute hate speech and an incitement to harm. After this constructive engagement by Idasa. Indians' fears have dimin­ished.
Surely, there's a thin line between freedom of expression and hate speech. In a heteroge­nous country like ours, does not Ngema exercise calls for various communities to be bilingual?
Was the lack of understand­ing of the Zulu poetic language not an impediment in analysing the song in our rainbow nation?
Eminent religious leaders such as Bishop Rubin Phillip, Advocate Ash win Trikamjee and prominent business people Mr Vivian Reddy Mr Zenzele Mhlungu and Mr Don Mkhwanazi agree that both Indian and African people need interventions aimed at address­ing and improving economic inequalities among themselves.
Having defeated apartheid col­lectively, business people argue for the formation of partner­ships between these groupings. People spend most of their time at their workplaces. These cen­tres must be used to foster and improve relations.
The renowned political ana­lyst Protas Madlala has called upon government to facilitate nation-building initiatives, in terms of creating trading cen­tres that are African-Indian
inclusive.

NKONZO MQADI
Durban