It all started, as a lad; collecting silver coins from schools to schools, churches to churches, corners to corners and putting every silver coin meant for my ice-cream during my primary school years into a collection box in my primary school.
On Saturdays and Sundays, after my domestic chores, I play soccer to raise more silver coins for people of South Africa who then are in the dark days of apartheid.
The news videos and images from CNN are scarring more than horror movies. The most shocking moment is the Soweto Uprising when school children from Soweto township can no longer go to school and study to become the leaders of tomorrow.
I wept many nights for South Africa and worked tirelessly during the day to raise more funds to give more food, clothing items and shelters for my troubled friends from South.
As if it was not enough, Mandela, later was sentenced to prison and my pains became worrisome. And it was all stark-darkness and a long silence of injustice everywhere you go.
1994, Nelson Mandela, finally finished the long walk to freedom. The country was almost united through the struggles of freedom fighters in South Africa. And with more silver coins from many parts of the world; we gathered the shattered lives of the country and placed it on a golden platform for peace to reign.
Nelson Mandela underscored the importance of one South Africa between the white and black communities and since then series of positive transformations were beheld in the country but not until recently; the xenophobic wide spreads among few black South Africans; not forgetting the recent police brutality on African foreigners, who most likely do not care to read about the contributions of foreigners to the unity of South Africa or may be gullible or oblivion!
South Africa of today is beautiful, the world cup 2010; no doubts, is an eye-opener for people of the Western World and the rest of Africa, who once thought that "Africa was a dessert and was full of monkeys and gorillas."
Africa is rich in energy, human powers, talents, mineral resources and got many other things to offer the world. Affirmatively, Africa is not poor, and we are actually working to save the world again.
I, later moved to South Africa, few years after my high school graduation; to see how much those silver coins have helped the people of South Africa and honestly; they managed it profitably and the dividends are all over the country as the nation is truly free and you can do anything you like.
I abandoned my career to become a medical doctor and followed my dream to South Africa to see my second home and honestly the people here are emotionally different, but the atmosphere is welcoming but note: "nothing for mahala (nothing is free)".
Unlike where I come from where every foreigner is treated like gold. I am not saying, the South African communities do not love foreigners but what I am saying is that when you arrive you will always have something to talk about the local and foreigner relationship.
Life in general is nice but at a cost and people will continue to be nice to you as long as you can still pay your bills, and the street life is not different but more dangerous at night and social lives here are one of a kind!
Ladies drink alcohol as a fish drinks water and men make babies like maize plantations on the road-path to Bloemfontein. Fashion is more Western, and there is no place in Africa that loves entertainment and fun like people of Mzansi.
Politics here is of no nonsense, today you can be under immunity and tomorrow is taken from you like a borrowed garment.
People respect each other here and women are in high positions than men and you can actually get anything from a South African guy if you offer a Black-Label beer and for a lady; a Savannah drink will win her over. To get married as a man you must be ready to pay a large sum of rands and buy 10 cows as "lobola".
I love my baby back home and to whom I will return.
By Olagunju, Success Taiwo.
First published on Facebook: 21st November, 2011.
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