Di A Fela — Chaba

"If we only cry that we are perishing, we teach them how to die. If we plant, we teach them how to remain."

The phrase (or “Ditshaba di a fela” ) translates from Sesotho or Setswana as "Nations/Tribes are perishing" or "People are dying." In Southern African literature and oral tradition, this is a somber and powerful theme often used to describe periods of great suffering, such as the impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, war, or social decay. Chaba Di A Fela

She reached into her apron and pulled out a small leather pouch of heirloom seeds—sorghum and maize that had been in her family for generations. She reminded the elders that while the elders and the strong were falling, the children—the orphans of the village—were still watching them. "If we only cry that we are perishing,

The village of Manyeneng was once a place of "many waters" and endless laughter. But the seasons had changed. It wasn’t a drought of rain that took the people, but a silent thief that stole the young and left the old to weep. She reminded the elders that while the elders