Unshackling the Shackles
A poem by Sikhonzile Faith Malinga, a Zimbabwean alumna of Cohort 7 of the Advanced Short Course on Advocacy for Reproductive Justice.
I stand tall, a proud African soul,
Yearning for self-reliance, free from external control.
I need fellow Africans to rise with me,
To break the chains of dependency, to be truly free.
“Is This Justice?” I ask, with a heart full of cheer,
I know my problems, I understand my tears.
I appreciate your sympathy, your desire to comprehend,
But have you walked a mile in my shoes, where my reproductive journey ends?
There are things you take for granted, simple yet divine,
Things that mean the world to me, the core of my existence, my shine.
Have you lived as I have, with struggles and strife?
I have solutions to my problems, but why tie reproductive rights to endless life?
Conditions and clauses, a burden to bear,
A weight that’s crushing, rather than uplifting, with care.
Your kindness, though well-intentioned, can perpetuate the pain,
Rather than empowering me, it can sustain the cycle of reproductive oppression’s chain.
Let’s work together, hand in hand, as equals, as one,
To find solutions that truly understand, that are born from the African sun.
I am Africa, rising high, with pride and dignity,
Self-reliant, strong, and free, with reproductive autonomy as my destiny.
