We give you 2021’s prominent headlines in the following spoken word rap by Anele Chinembiri. Be sure to click the link at the bottom and listen in on Soundcloud.
One morning.
It was January.
I closed my eyes and opened them and now
We’re in December.
I don’t remember much of the outside.
From the time I resolved to make resolutions,
To the time wrinkles on my forehead.
Headlines were already talking about locking us in.
Memes reading “January is cancelled.”
Me, me reading in between the lines.
I’m reading goals are over, sports over.
I’m reading
“Seeing the same people daily under stressful environments will cause a spike in gender-based violence”
and in a country where the police hardly ever acknowledge that as a crime good luck getting them to
investigate when they work from home and sometimes people’s pockets
It’s no wonder the health care sector was overwhelmed by COVID
One morning it was February.
I closed my eyes and they brought us vaccinations. As if that wasn’t enough,
amidst the time
some families were trying to make a living with no paid leave,
The people
they trust to faucet that living had them under water with the taps closed
when a report by maverick citizen highlighted the blatant corruption of state officials.
One morning it was March
I still haven’t done anything I resolved to do.
And for a minute we forgot our troubles.
I learnt that some parents can’t afford to live in low densities cause they send their kids to good schools
to condition them and equip them for a better life
But when you take that school out of the equation
You’re left with an inequality
You’ve got future doctors and surgeons addicted to crystal meth
When instead they could’ve learnt to braid hair
Kuruka
Guka is all their mind is fixed on the next fix
One morning it was April and there was rise in teenage pregnancies. Remember what I said about
reading in between the lines?
It was May!
May you tell us why we had the chief justice step down if he was doing such a great job?
By June
New York times said we were out of vaccinations.
Even though half the country was still sceptical about them??
It’s almost like being in the titanic and they tell you they have life boats for half the population on the
boat.
Closed my eyes skipped July and in August churches opened…
…for the vaccinated.
Remember how we condemn churches for limiting your entry into heaven by offering well I’m sure you
can read between the lines
September
October
November
Now we’re in December
Somewhere in these months we had the time and funds to build a 5-million-dollar statue but not
address or dress the street kids or naked roads
you haven’t even heard a single thing about my resolutions
that’s because I couldn’t complete any.
This year …
I wanted to travel
Face my fear of heights.
I wanted to learn a new skill
which I did but there’s so much better that we can all do
Listen in here
Source: Anele Chinembiri
