I will speak truth to power even if y voice shakes. 

 By Smangaliso Areal Mbili

I have been caged by continuous oppression,

And I watched the eruption of corruption,

Tearing my native land apart.

I will speak truth to power even if my voice shakes.

I fled from injustice and prejudice,

Seeking refuge in the camps of the colonizers, my oppressors,

I executed the laws that oppressed me and my people

I became a slave that has fallen in love with his chains.

I will speak truth to power even if my voice shakes.

I will serve you no more, for I have found power in who I am.

An African before I become a South African.

I have resigned from the seat of oppression

And I have redesigned the way I see myself,

The scares you have given to me,

I shall wear them with pride for they are a symbol of my struggle.

I will speak truth to power even if my voice shakes.

I contravene your single stories,

In times like these I stand in the gap and become the historian for my people.

Yes plug your ears, put those headphones on,

My story won’t change and so is the truth.

I internalized your single pathetic stories but this is the time when I externalize all of them.

I will address you with my mother tongue and you address me with yours,