I am an African, Thabo Mbeki’s speech. Possibly the greatest African speech ever.
Today, the June 18 is former president Thabo Mbeki’s birthday. Perhaps it would be prudent to famaliarise ourselves with his great speech, “I am an African”.
On 8 May 1996, then deputy president Thabo Mbeki made a speech to the people of Africa and the world. The speech tells of President Mbeki’s belief in the capacity of all people from Africa.
“Friends, on an occasion such as this, we should, perhaps, start from the beginning. So, let me begin.
I am an African!
I owe by being to the hills and the valleys, the mountains and the glades, the rivers, the deserts, the trees, the flowers, the seas and the ever-changing seasons that define the face of our native land. My body has frozen in our frosts and in our latter day snows. It has thawed in the warmth of our sunshine and melted in the heat of the midday sun. The crack and the rumble of the summer thunders, lashed by startling lightening, have been a cause both of trembling and of hope… The dramatic shapes of the [landscape] have… been panels of the set on the natural stage on which we act out the foolish deeds of the theatre of our day.
At times, and in fear, I have wondered whether I should concede equal citizenship of our country to the leopard and the lion, the elephant and the springbok, the hyena, the black mamba and the pestilential mosquito. A human presence among all these, a feature on the face of our native land thus defined, I know that none dare challenge me when I say – I am an African! …
Today, as a country, we keep an audible silence about these ancestors of the generations that live, fearful to admit the horror of a former deed, seeking to obliterate from our memories a cruel occurrence which, in its remembering, should teach us not and never to be inhuman again. I am formed of the migrants who left Europe to find a new home on our native land. Whatever their own actions, they remain still, part of me. In my veins courses the blood of the Malay slaves who came from the East. Their proud dignity informs my bearing, their culture a part of my essence. The stripes they bore on their bodies from the lash of the slave master are a reminder embossed on my consciousness of what should not be done… My mind and my knowledge of myself is formed by the victories that are the jewels in our African crown, the victories we earned from Isandhlwana to Khartoum, as Ethiopians and as the Ashanti of Ghana, as the Berbers of the desert….
I have seen our country torn asunder as … my people, engaged one another in a titanic battle, the one redress a wrong that had been caused by one to another and the other, to defend the indefensible. I have seen what happens when one person has superiority of force over another, when the stronger appropriate to themselves the prerogative even to annul the injunction that God created all men and women in His image.
I know what it signifies when race and colour are used to determine who is human and who, sub-human. I have seen the destruction of all sense of self-esteem, the consequent striving to be what one is not, simply to acquire some of the benefits which those who had improved themselves as masters had ensured that they enjoy. I have experience of the situation in which race and colour is used to enrich some and impoverish the rest.
I have seen the corruption of minds and souls [in] the pursuit of an ignoble effort to perpetrate a veritable crime against humanity. I have seen concrete expression of the denial of the dignity of a human being emanating from the conscious, systemic and systematic oppressive and repressive activities of other human beings. There the victims parade with no mask to hide the brutish reality – the beggars, the prostitutes, the street children, those who seek solace in substance abuse, those who have to steal to assuage hunger, those who have to lose their sanity because to be sane is to invite pain. Perhaps the worst among these, who are my people, are those who have learnt to kill for a wage. To these the extent of death is directly proportional to their personal welfare…
All this I know and know to be true because I am an African!
Because of that, I am also able to state this fundamental truth that I am born of a people who are heroes and heroines. I am born of a people who would not tolerate oppression. I am of a nation that would not allow that fear of death, torture, imprisonment, exile or persecution should result in the perpetuation of injustice. The great masses who are our mother and father will not permit that the behaviour of the few results in the description of our country and people as barbaric. Patient because history is on their side, these masses do not despair because today the weather is bad. Nor do they turn triumphalist when, tomorrow, the sun shines.
Whatever the circumstances they have lived through and because of that experience, they are determined to define for themselves who they are and who they should be… As an African, this is an achievement of which I am proud, proud without reservation and proud without any feeling of conceit…
But it seems to have happened that we looked at ourselves and said the time had come that we make a super-human effort to be other than human, to respond to the call to create for ourselves a glorious future, to remind ourselves of the Latin saying: Gloria est consequenda – Glory must be sought after!
Today it feels good to be an African…
I am born of the peoples of the continent of Africa. The pain of the violent conflict that the peoples of Liberia, Somalia, the Sudan, Burundi and Algeria is a pain I also bear. The dismal shame of poverty, suffering and human degradation of my continent is a blight that we share. The blight on our happiness that derives from this and from our drift to the periphery of the ordering of human affairs leaves us in a persistent shadow of despair. This is a savage road to which nobody should be condemned. This thing that we have done today, in this small corner of a great continent that has contributed so decisively to the evolution of humanity says that Africa reaffirms that she is continuing her rise from the ashes…
Whatever the difficulties, Africa shall be at peace!
However improbable it may sound to the sceptics, Africa will prosper!
Whoever we may be, whatever our immediate interest, however much we carry baggage from our past, however much we have been caught by the fashion of cynicism and loss of faith in the capacity of the people, let us err today and say – nothing can stop us now! ”
It is a great speach
Regards
Warren
Great speech, thanks for publishing it, excellent political history. I think Thabo gives Robert Mugabe or Obama a run for their money.
this is one speech that, till today, makes me proud to be and take a stand as an african. It is, and will be for some time, the greatest speech ever… I am an African, Thabo Mbeki’s speech
This is one of the best.Let any President beat this one.He just one of the intelligent.He is a legend
this is too beautiful and makes me proud to be an afican we do owe our being to the valleys and the hills and i applaud that he acknowledges everyone
An inspiring speech indeed. A true definition of an African,”A human presence among all these, a feature on the face of our native land thus defined, I know that none dare challenge me when I say – I am an African!”
excellent speech,wich goes to show,we AFRICANS!, Lost our faith in him,we let him down at the time he needed us most. Thabo will always be my president, no matter what Africans!say. THABO you’re the best
Indeed i’m a an african “that’s a great, encouraging but lovely speech by the inteligant fomer President
THE SPEECH HAS GROWN US AS AFRICANS AND EVERY TIME I READ IT I AM RENEWD AND ENCOURAGED. THIS IS THE BEST SPEECH EVER. PRESIDENT BARRAK OBAMA TRY YOUR LUCK. I AM AN AFRICAN.
To me as an Afracan this is the best speech although others have lost faith in him (Thabo Mbeki) but it will never change that he is the best. This is one of the speeches that i will never forget in my life.Indeed I am an African
Thabo Mbeki will always reign as the greatest African president that ever ruled. This speech vindicates the above statement, he is a meticulous writer, a legend in the making. I love Thabo Mbeki.
Excellent and lovely speech indeed.And i’m proud to say, “I AM AN AFRICAN”…….. Period
this is classic,it asures me that i’m an africa, Mr mbeki’s legecy will live on no matter what, it does not with this speech, every time he takes a stand one word out of his mouth is a build to ones soul..long live Zizi!!
this is classic,it asures me that i’m an africa, Mr mbeki’s legecy will live on no matter what, it does not end with this speech, every time he takes a stand one word out of his mouth is a built to ones soul..long live Zizi!!
As individuals that has made this country to be of great as it is, to me,i still believe president Mbeki will always be a hero.To me he is Africa & he is the world.This was a speech and half.
The best President Africa ever had in recent times.I have already framed this speech. Mbeki seem to have have a monopoly of knowledge and wisdom.He will forever be my HERO,no more , no less. He is my candidate for the presidency of the United State of Africa.
President Mbeki will remain the president of Africa, with his hyper and super interlectualism that he displayed during his time in politics
This speech will always remind the greatest president we ever had. Say what you like, this is the poweful speech by a powerful man. Long live Zizi Long Live
However improbable it may sound to the sceptics. africa will prosper. When the truth and all that represent goodness comes out, people will know what truly did the great son of the African soil did. He was truly a servant of the people, who worked tirelessly to ensure that South Africans in particular and Africans in general, gets to live a decent good life. Truly you are were and will forever be an oustanding statesman. You were a God gift to Africa. We shall never despair in our atruggle to emancipate the people of africa from the shackles of poverty.
Beautiful intelligent words… He will always be my president, my hero and my role model. South Africa is lucky to have had such man as a president he is beyond description… I AM AN AFRICAN!
This is one greatest son of the soil who had a great vision for Africa but a few of his own were just not ready to undergo modernization. They had this deep hatred of him either informed by misunderstanding of him or by jealousy. History will always put him in his rightful place – “Top”. He always reaches out to me whenever he talks – There are people who talk and talk but you find that they just don’t reach out to you.
Thanx
Halala zizi,u r the best president ever,will always lav and respect u.i’m so proud of you.
Wow… I always feel so blessed when I hear this man’s words. It is as though I were standing on the edge of greatness, poised to jump into my ultimate dream.
Mbeki is the literature godgather I’ve always dreamed of!
“I am born of the peoples of the continent of Africa” – an I nod in agreement to the statement. Africa has always been central to President Mbeki and forever it will be. He built a library in Mali to preserve the priceless Timbuktu Manuscripts. This one is probably the best speech by an African head of state. I have read it more than 200 times and everytime I read it again it is still fresh…. Mbeki is the man – for those who don’t know, this speech was analysed by many political science students throughout the world and everybody agrees that it was penned by someone massively intelligent.
I happen to come across this speech just a day after the President of South Africa J Zuma has given his State of the Nation (2010). I cant help it but feel that S Africa has been robbed once more. I couldnt help but concur with TM Mbeki…”S. Africa will prosper”…it wont take 10 years to destroy our resolve as Africans to prosper..the reversal of all the gains we have made a SAfricans cant be destroyed by the current crop of leaders that have been forced on us….men will come and men will go…TM Mbeki, like both his parents is a TRUE SERVANT OF OUR PEOPLE. God will richly bless him.
I am also an African and proud of it. His speech actually also included me as an African.
It is just a pity that Mbeki’s actions made it very clear that I am quite a bit less of an African than he is, due to the colour of my skin.
This speech also sounds especially good against the background of what we had to endure last week …
Today it feels good to be an African. Time will tell a true story about Thabo Mbeki, he who made it possible for Africa and Africans to occupy the centre stage of the world politics during his time, he who was prepared to fight tooth and nail for the development of his continent and his people, he who is/was a principled leader which costed him politically, he whom today we miss so dearly because everytime he opened his mouth, we learn one or two things. Thabo Mbeki, wherever you are, whatever do you now, I amcertain that history will exonerate you from those who villified you unjustly so. I for one will forever hold you in high regard and it remains my wish to meet you in person.
He is a doyen of the AFRICANS . . .intelligent and may the good Lord bless him wherever he is today
Oh! THABO . . .
He is a doyen of the AFRICANS . . .intelligent speech from an intelligent person and may the good Lord bless him wherever he is today.
great indeed……big up Thabo
Oh;THIBOS WE WELL ALWAYS REMEMBER YOU
How i wish S.A and Afria can always nurture people like TM. I doubt if there’s anybody who misses him in our political landscape like i do, that man was first and foremost a teacher who always sought the best for his teacher. I believe a statemen must indeed have that kind of intellectual rigour as Tbos which is necessary in modern politics. I wish he can write a book even if it published posthumously, (only if i will still be alive coz i am 25 years young) for us who followed his thoughts with keen interest. I have realised that he hardly have time for petty issues which is good for a public servant that he was, despite a struggle with our media which is largely driven by its class interest than progating the truth. “I am an African” made me to be interested on who this man while i was still in high school. Long live my teacher long live.
How i wish S.A and Afria can always nurture people like TM. I doubt if there’s anybody who misses him in our political landscape like i do, that man was first and foremost a teacher who always sought the best for his students. I believe a statemen must indeed have that kind of intellectual rigour as Tbos which is necessary in modern politics. I wish he can write a book even if it get published posthumously, (only if i will still be alive coz i am 25 years young) for us who followed his thoughts with keen interest. I have realised that he hardly have time for petty issues which is good for a public servant that he was, despite a struggle with our media which is largely driven by its class interest than progating the truth. “I am an African” made me to be interested on who this man is while i was still in high school (By then fears were already said him which made it difficult for many(me included) people to have confident in him ). Long live my teacher long live.
Reply
I just read the speech again… for the 91st if my count is correct. Please forgive me if you think I am crazy, but this speech makes me proud just to be me and appreciate this continent, indeed “I am born of the people of the continent of Africa” – that’s a fact and good feeling I don’t regret….
His intelligence and wisdom made it possible for him to write such a wonderful speech, i am free to say he is one of the best leaders the Republic of South Africa has ever had.
Our country today badly cries for leadership in politics and there is just nowhere to get this. Even when our current president visits other countries he has to defend his polygamy, his huge number of children, his sex out of wedlock with a friend’s daughter, his unprotected sex with an HIV infected friend’s daughter. Chaos is ruling in the tripartite alliance, the ANCYL is in the news daily for all the wrong reasons, the ANC spokesperson, Jackson Mthembu was arrested today for drunken driving, Winnie Mandela has completely lost it.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Thabo Mbeki’s heart is sore when he sees all his hard work being wasted in the manner it is, notwithstanding the fact that he warned about this and his warnings are exactly what made him fall out of favour with the greedy ANC members. Zizi, you left a vaccum in our politics because they are no longer progressive, in fact we no longer have real politics. What a loss!
TM, thee man!! Captain my captain!!! Thank you for making me appreciate who I am… I too, am an African.
Yet you haven’t loose your sanity though it has invited pain for you. ENKOSI NGALO MZEKELO! (thank you for being that example). It feels somehow embarrasing for me to be reading this precious scripture for the very first time. I very well feel blessed by all these verses because I AM AN AFRICAN.
I am also an African and proud of it, I always feel so blessed when I hear this man’s words,I wouldn’t be surprised if Zizi heart is sore when he sees all his hard work being wasted in the manner it is, you are the best president ever and im pround of you. we as south african miss your intelligent
…..Everytime I hear the short clip of this speech from metro fm I feel so proud indeed! I remember his last speech to the nation as if it was yesterday….. I am trully proud to look back and remember what it meant to say I am proud to be an African, even though we have been disgraced as a nation it is great people like Thabo Mbeki who make us smile still in the face of adversity and proudly say nor matter what I am proud that I am an African….
I miss Thabo Mbeki so much. He was such an intelligent man who could give Obama a run for his money. This country is now in tatters and lacks any kind of leadership. All we see is infighting, powere hungry people, people being ‘tjatjarag’ on the international forum. It’s so sad.
This is the best speech ever from a african man,it makes you feel important and proud of who you are.THABO MBEKI was the best thing that eve r happened to south africa after mandela.the man has demostated his leadership skills not only in south africa but also internationally.SOUTH AFRICA seats on the G20 Because of him,the father of AFRICAN RENISANCE.THIS IS THE BEST ITERGRATED president we have ever had thus far.
Mhhm how I wish this poem could be taught and instilled in every school from Cape to Cairo. So that our children can grow up being proud of being an African, knowing that however it may seem to the skeptics, AFRICA WILL PROSPER. Thank you President Mbeki for your vision, and yes Africa will prosper.
no words can describe the way i feel when i read this speech…
Siyabonga Tata, history will judge us harshly for our silence after you resigned.
We miss u and I know that you are working behind the scenes for Africa.
Yes i am an African. Thank u Mr Mbheki for contributing your knowledge to this continent. With your speech we unlocked the chains of slavery for good, we thank u.
long live tata Mbeki my hero, my heart feel sad at the humilliation that he went through, they treated him like a criminal, happy birthday for the 18th of June 2010. This poem just uplift my spirit, I wish it could be repeated again on our national TV & radios & newespaper on your big day
good day african
south africa was blessed with this great TM AND i just wish he could be everywhere in the corners of our country to facilitate political education.
ANC WAS GREAT UNDER YOUR LEADERSHIP
thabo mbeki is larger than Mandela.he sacrificed the presidency because he believed in being an african.Mandela sacrificed being an African in order to be a so called hero of democracy
It will definitely take a century before Africa have a leader like Mr Mbeki. He is the greatest ever, a Kwame Nkurumah of our time. I thank God he ruled during my lifetime. How I wish he could still be running this country. Forever my president. Yes I am an African. Inspired Mr Obama. I am an African!
Indeed i feel like i’ve been robbed of a true interlectual.i voted because of my confidance in his wits,objectives,leadership and the oh so ever present charisma and calmnes.it is people like me that believe TM should be serving on the AU.africa still needs him.indeed ur an african.and i’m proud to have witnessed ur era.aluta.
yes thabo mbeki freed my heart from hatred….his speech was wow….
if we had to vote for ex-president again, definately i was going to….our economy to grow need such a great leader..enkosi thabo siyabulela
i wish i could turn back the clock mr Mbheki there’s a huge space and this space is unreplaceable and we cannot fill that space honestly i have never seen a brilliant person like
Let me start by saying thank you ZIZI for the great spheech,everytime i’m facing difficulties from the racist of this counrty whom always will make you feel inferior just because you black,i know when i get home and read this speech i’m revived and come out walking talk and feeling ready to face and challanges.
‘However improbable it may sound to the sceptics, Africa will Prosper”
Zizi, we have prospered. Having hosted one of the biggest events in the world, creating history for Africa affirms our prosperity.
Long Live Thabo Mbeki….Long Live!
It makes me very sad. Great speech, great man. Time will tell a true story about Thabo Mbeki.
Thabo Mbeki captured my imagination as a young boy and kindled my spirit to persuits greater than my personal problems. He widened my horizons and made me believe that true happiness for All can be achieved. I love Mandela but I would vote for Thabo until he’s 90. God bless him dearly.
” I have a dream” was a strong and a powerful speech but as an African.I feel that this is the best intelligent and well executed speech of all time.You made us all proud and I just cannot stop reading through it until I can sing it.Enkosi tata,sisafunda lukhulu kuwe ungabuyi ngamva.
Wow! What a lovely speech. Thabo Mbeki will remain 1 of the greatest people if not president in the entire world. This speech will also remain the greatest for decades i guess. I`m proudly an African becuse of Thabo Mbeki to be honest. He is the one who made me realise the beauty of our Native Land, the necessity of our ancestors and never to discriminate. Am proudly an African!!! We shall never be dispondent when the wheather is “BAD” nor shall we be “TRIUMPHALIST” when the sun is shining. Thabo Mbekis last words as a president. I lov i lov!!!
I miss you Thabo Mbeki!