Now I get it. Malawi at 50 -Independence Day or What?

All day I hesitated to type and to publicise  the words, now I get it 

4th July came and it was so easy to press the button and to celebrate- US Independence with great pride 

It was so easy to be joyful and feel triumphant  

5th July came and passed, even though there was a golden invitation on the dresser waiting ... Waiting for me to show up to be counted as a Malawian at Malawi's 50th 

Counted in the the celebrations of expats abroad reunited by a common cause. A blood line, a cultural and identifiable bloodline to the roots of our accentors, to most- their roots are still  frest and current with  residing back home 

6th July and still I hesitated. 

I could not type the words so easily and could not, did not want to join in on the celebrations 

What did I have to celebrate, what I had contributed? What had been achieved in order to celebrate? 

Melancholy sunk in, joy no longer existed what was there to celebrate apart from being in the same room of identifiable roots and tongues? 

I could adorn nice attire from head to tore and show up to be counted. 

Counted for what? 

What could I or we celebrate?

Guilt has eaten away at my inner core the whole day  and tied me in notes

Guilt bound me to stay indoors

I would be none the wiser to celebrate 

What did I have to celebrate?

What did we have to celebrate?

Truth be known 

We are still not liberated nor free 

We instead have become mummified into subdued believers

Only this time around we are not

bound or enslaved by anyone else but only by ourselves 

We are enslaved in ourselves and to otherness 

How could I celebrate?

Celebrate, when a  woman, child or man is truly free?

How could I celebrate when basic rights to human entitlement are still not readily free 

How could I celebrate, knowing  the fact that today of all days after. 50years if independence someone - a woman, child or man could go to bed hungry 

what was there to celebrate?

Today is Malawian Independence Day. Independence from what?

For we are not mentally free,  

The time to celebrate will be when every woman, child and man has equal basic rights to- food, clean water, sanitation, medicine, education, and a roof under their heads to call a stable home 

Freedom to dance and celebrate will exert itself when greed comes to a halt. When those in power realise their power and use it for the greater good to look beyond their pockets & greed and into human kind. Fresh & fresh 

Such a basic formula right? So easy to get it right? One despairs  that something so easy, has not been achieved for the past 50 years 

Shall we wait another 50year to celebrate? 

 true independence and celebrations only arises in pride and not shame