Chief Basil CoetzeeSpeeches made at OudeMolen, Cape Town at the Unity of Land and its People's Ceremony  The National Council of Khoe Chiefs in South Africa accepts this and I will submit it to the Council with great thanks and to be honoured to be in this position today. I also undertake on behalf of the National Council of Khoe Chiefs to return a similar document to brothers and sisters in Namibia with your permission. Baie dankie almal! U sal sien ek het nou n “gown” aan. Ek het u netnou verwelkom, maar nou is ek in n ander mode. A Mode that speaks straight to the heart to the point, because where we as a people are there are no place or space to speak and say, ”ah shame did I hurt someone’s feelings. No. That I leave for somebody else. So when I have this on and this authoritive staff in my hand, I speak truthfully. And we know that truth hurts. And love hurts, but truth I believe hurts more.
 I stand before you now, as Chief Basil Coetzee. A name I will soon get rid of, because I am neither Greek, where “Basil” comes from and I am neither Dutch where Coetzee comes from. But as from 2009 I will take on my father’s surname, Mathuis and I will take a Khoe name, in order to fully reintegrate myself with Africa. Why does my name have to be European? I don’t want to be, I want to be me!
Now you that are from Lavender Hill…In Lavender Hill there are no lavenders. Our people live in Bonteheuwel, but there are no heuwel. Our peoplelive in Mitchells Plain, but nobody knows who this “Mitchell” is. Our people stay in Paarl,butthere are no “perels” only wine.
Hoekom ek dit vir u noem. Net agter my, is Devilspeak ne? Now how come this Christian people that came with the ships, named something that God created after the devil? The true name of the mountain is Birds Beek. In Afrikaans is dit “duif se kop”. Lyk dit nie na n duif se kop nie? Maar u sê ook “Devilspeak”. Dan wil ek vir u sê. Aan my linker kant het ons Leeu Kop. Nou net agter hom is n Khoe khoe sacred site. As jy kyk hierdie kant is die agterkant van die leeu. Daar is sy kop en aan sy regter oor ,is die site waar hirdei Leeu Kop soos jy hom daar sien; hy stel presies die vrou wat besig is om geboorte te gee voor. En dit is die kop wat gebore word
Geen Khoe het verby daardie punt beweeg, voordat hy nie gebid het nie. Want dan is Robben Eiland se verste punt direk in lyn met hom waar hy staanmetdie hoogste punt van Leeu Kop. Eknoemdit vir u wantdaarwas vroeer vernoem na Olifants oog, die grot net bokant Pollsmoor. Die Gorachou Khoe Prinsses het altyd na die grot gegaan om kerk te hou,soos ons dit noem. En uienaardig genoeg,die grootste simbool van verdrukking van die Khoe menselenet onder hom, Pollsmoor gevangenis.
Verlede week was ek nog in Kimberley en ek lees in n publikase in die koerant dat in elke 1 100 mense in die land, is 647 “Kleurlinge”,die helfte daarvan is Swart mense en 50-40 is Blankes en Indiers. Nou on sweet wie die Klerlinge is van wie hulle praat. Dis die Khoe. Ons is maar net 9% van die land se totale bevolking, maar ons is die meeste in die tronk. U kanmy glo ek het 30 jaar lank vir die Staat gewerk, waarvan 20 in Polsmoor was. Ek weet waar gaan julle kinders. Ek weet waar my kinders gaan. Ek noem dit weet jy hoekom? Omdat Kolonialisme en Blanke Christelikheid vir ons vervreemd van ons Godgegewe simbole, ons taal, ons kultuur waarvoor ons skaam is. As Me. Suid Afrika gekiesword is dit altyd die een wat die naaste aan n blanke lyk wat wen. Jy verdien R600 per week waarvan R300 na die hairdresser toegaan. Weet jy wat Blankemense het nie n kultuur nie. Hy het nie eer nie en al die gemors wat vir hom n Eerste Land maak vat ons vir ons. Nou is ek ook mooi. Terwyl u mooi is soos ons hier sit. Die Xhosa en die Zulu vrou vandag, die een wat aangestel word as die nuusleser, moet lyk en klink soos n Blanke. You must even be dressed like one.
Rastafari people are being rejected by our own people, because I am a good Christian. You know why they are being rejected? Not because of their dreadlocks, but because of ignorance. The first thing Christianity put in your mind is ignorance; to be ashamed of yourself. Yet they firmly belief in the Old Testament where it states that Samson got weak after Dililah cut off his locks. Show me a White man with locks. We have so much to be proud of, but we are ashamed.
ʼn Elstation hond het n naam. Het u al gehoor van ʼn soortgenaamde”elstation”. Why are you that were created by the spoken word of God, a so-called “Coloured”. If a dog has an identity, why not us. ʼn Japanees is n trotse Japanees want hy praatJapanees,n Zulu is a trotse Zulu want hy praat Zulu… n Kleurling kan net trots wees as hy van Kleur kom and Kleur praat. Ek is vandag n trotse Khoe maar ek is steeds n slagoffer van Koloniale onderdrukking. By Genadendal kon jy n Christen word op voorwaarde dat jy jou Khoe naam buitekant,jy sweer jou Kultuur af, jy vergeet jou erfenis. Dan is jy Christen. In al die sending plekke het hulle gekom en n kunsmatige mens kom skep. Hoekom? Wie hierdie Christus-kind vind… Wie het jou “Kleurling”genoem. Hulle skryf hom mos in aanhalings tekens. Ons mense is vandag “tik” addicts. My eie seun het gesterf hierdie jaar. “Stay away from drugs!!”…”yes Daddy…” He is gone! At 21! Idon’tfeelbad cause I never taught him how to do that. So I feel good. I still have a daughter of 17 years. I taught them who they are. My son met his grandfather in prison, simply because he had “dagga’ on him. “Dagga” was verbied in 1654 in hierdie land, omdat hulle ons afhanklik wil gemaak het van alkohol, hulle wyn. As U Christelike beginsels het,se vir my dat ”dagga” is onwettig, its destructive. Everything that God created, including me and you… God said and it was good. But because the White man put chemicals into me… that is good? Don’t be confused.
Die Khoe identiteit. God het mens, mens gemaak. Khoe khoe beteken mens se mens. Great people. On that mountain range you find many many animals of rock. If you go closely and spiritually you will see what is there. Ek en jy mag nie huise bou op daai heuwel nie, then it’s against environmental laws. But the White man can. Europeans have no relationship with the land. Elke jaar as die Indigenous people bymekaar kom, is die theme altyd; Indigenous people and their relationship with land. Today we all say we KhoeKhoe; Monday at work, you “Coloured” again. For you are ashamed, you have to fit in. Don’t fit in just be! Engeland beteken land of angels, Los Angeles beteken city of angels, hence Anglican Church is the church of the angels, because it’s named after the term Anglo meaning angel. Those angels came here to rape, they came to steal our land, they came to piss on our graves, and they came to remove your name. They came and took the relationship you have with God and made you his servant. |
