In the spirit of it all.
...
I am 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 setbacks of the moment, nothing can stop us now! 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!
Thank you.
Thabo Mbeki (Delivered on behalf of the African National Congress, on the occasion of the adoption by the constitutional assembly of "The Republic of South Africa Constitution Bill 1996." Delivered in Capetown on 8 May 1996)
big ups yourself for making reference to this speech; if there ever was a poignant affirmation of who we is, this is one of them - one of my favourite speeches in that regards, next to the likes of w.e. du bois, steve biko, kwame nkrumah et al...
makwande*
Nothing can stop us now!
word
nothing can stop us now - but us...
Rainbow nation's outsiders live in fear http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8070919.stm
i wait and pray for the day when this statement is really true "nothing can stop us now!"
@blacksheep but that's point of 'nothing can stop us now', isn't it?
the phrase is not referring to the state of utopia, but it say: nothing can stop us now.
to be stopped (or as you put it: wait for the day when it's true) by a few individuals who don't see beyond the obstacles is to not believe in it.
nothing, can stop us now! [even the things that are in existence, even our failures, even our fears, even hate, even war, anything (xenophobia included) that attempts to stop us].
that is what I get from it: I do not believe it meant: we are on a good path, but I do think it means: we will get there, nomakanjani!
lebogang - thank you for that!!!! i have to read it again..
"Whatever the setbacks of the moment, nothing can stop us now! Whatever the difficulties, Africa shall be at peace! However improbable it may sound to the sceptics, Africa will prosper!" - to your point