PRAISE SONGS BY CREDO
THE BABOON
Credo Mutwa
Imfene, the one who looks like a man but who is not a man.
Listen to me, imfene, you dweller among the kranses
Listen to me, oh hairy one
Old man who wears a coat stolen from a white man’s farm!
Listen to me, oh long-tailed one
You of the red backside that alarms the women
ploughing in the mealiefields
Lord of all the thieves!
Lord of the most cunning!
Master of all guile
Imfene, you are the member of the Thusini tribe,
the people of bronze, who owing to their laziness,
were changed into your kind by the vengeful goddess
Imfene, your wisdom is great, as great as your nostrils
which looks like the flutes of Venda herd-boys.
Your eyes are red as the eyes of a wizard concocting
mysterious preparations in a cave.
Your tail is curved like a gentle caress placed upon
the shoulders of a maiden by deceitful lover.
Your eyes see very far away.
For they are sheltered under the cave which is your brow
You are ugly and beautiful, imfene
You are wise and far-seeing
You are the finisher of pumpkins in the cornfields and
the devourer of grain in our granaries.
You watch and laugh while women sweat in the fields,
planting groundnuts, for you know that you shall eat them
when the fools have gathered the harvest
For you are fed by the muscles of human beings
And in this world you fear neither king nor peasant,
neither warrior nor coward
You fear only ingwe, the leopard of the mountains.
Only he is you king
Only he is your equal
Around you a thousand fairy tales have been
woven by snuff-taking grandmothers
Around you a thousand songs have been
composed by young men heading bulls upon the mountainside.
You are imfene, the king of the desolate land
Where the drought has devoured the trees and
left nothing but empty branches
Your voice is still often heard, shouting at the
world from the mountainside
Imfene, bayede!
King is cunning!
Master of all guile!
I salute you!
About us
Khulisa Social Solutions is a non-profit company that helps vulnerable children, youth, and communities unlock their potential and develop skills toward a sustainable future. It operates nationally, employs over 180 staff through 18 offices, and works in approximately 150 communities in collaboration with 350 NGO partners, impacting the lives of close to 200,000 people per annum. Khulisa partners with national and local government departments, schools, correctional facilities, community leaders, corporates, thought leaders, academic institutions, and private companies.
Khulisa’s internationally
acclaimed and locally rewarded best practice programmes deliver positive and measurable impact with the main focus on youth and community development.
Through their work towards peacebuilding and restorative justice, Khulisa has been recognised locally and internationally. Within the past year, Khulisa has been awarded the Best Social Solutions Not-for Profit 2023 at this years Global Excellence Awards.
Founder and managing director, Lesley Ann van Selm was also awarded CEO Today Africa Award for her leadership in the peacebuilding and restorative justice space.
For more information, contact
Lesley Ann Van Selm | 082 601 2299 | lesleyann@khulisa.org.za | media@khulisa.org.za
