One Africa 2, By Mac Alunge

There is no enemy

We own our own our own remedy

We make up one body, we are one family

Soldiers in the same army

‘Enemy’, a blind invention of humanity

Designed to distract us from harmony

Causing division, pain and misery

Obstructing the anatomy of our economy

But if we do have an enemy

He would be ‘The idea’ that we all are each other’s enemy

He would be the one that made us forget the true meaning of living

And obscured our perception of the truth of victory

I may be no artist with a Grammy

Neither are we actors with an Emmy

But as many as we use our voices in agony

We’ll redefine each of our roles as family in this one body called humanity

There is more wisdom in the human body

Than in the deepest philosophy

Two hands work in synergy for balance

Two legs walk in synchrony, alliance

One body, different organs

Each with its mission, unique slogan

Working together in unison

Each at its pace, from its own place

We each wear different hats

But we are all in the same boat

Many hands, one mind

For none of us is as smart as all of us

Yet, identity could be a prison

If defined by the tragedy of our history

And not the glory of our destiny

For an eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind

There is a message we must each preach and teach

So bleeding societal wounds might be stitched

That though we all have freedom of speech

Free speech should not include hateful speech

For one inspire debate, but the other incites violence

One endorses collaboration, the other fans tensions

One humanizes, the other dehumanizes 

One says diversity, the other says difference

If the world were a school 

Then love is your fees

The way is not up in the sky

The way is in our own hearts

Though I’d disagree with what you say

I’d protect your right to say it

For human rights are not given

They simply cannot be taken

But may we think of freedom

Not as the right to do as we please

But as the human opportunity

To do what is right

So, on social media, think before you click

Off the media, think before you speak

Let no words in hate be spoken

Leave no words in love unspoken

Stand up for your rights

Stand even higher for others

Desire not to be liked

But to be true and truly heard

But oppose with respect yes

And return no disrespect

Tweet like you’d like to be twitted

Address like you want to be addressed

No fire or wind can erase a good

Choose not to see what is, but what could be

Light the camp for someone else

And the light will brighten your own path

Your imperfections are perfect

And perfectly perfected by others

One social architecture, many cultures

We are all connected, all are needed

To understand everything is to forgive everything

Together, we will mend our broken hearts

Refuse to deem our light

And turn our scars into beauty marks

An ounce of prevention

Is better than a pound of cure

So between polarized men, become the bridge of love and trust

‘Cause trust is the bond holding societies together

No one is complete on their own

Everyone is only someone in relation to someone else

And in the practice of tolerance

One’s enemy could become his teacher

Hear the words unspoken by language

See the culture beneath every culture

Where there’s no love, there’s no life

There was never us and them, just we

So do not let difference, divide, enhance collaboration

Inspire interdependence and embrace diversity of perspective

Experience peace by giving away peace

For peace is its own reward

Written by Mac Alunge

Based on and inspired by the DefyHateNow Field Guide 

by the r0g_agency for Open Culture and Critical Transformation