written by Ingrid Jonker
translated to English from Afrikaans
The line “The child is not dead” → is repeated throughout the poem
It symbolizes the hope and the resilience of the spirit of the nation, despite the constant killing. The child is a stand-in for the entire country, for the children in Africa, and for the entire nation of Africa
The child rises his fist against his mother his father
Child is the shadow of the soldiers Child is present at all meetings, legislations; peeps through windows of houses and into the hearts of mothers the child who just wanted to play in the sun at Nyanga is everywhere
ends with “Without a pass” → the child is free to go anywhere, doesn’t need a pass / permission