There has been serious xenophobic tensions between some South Africans and other Africans of recent, but Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle is having none of it. She came to South Africa with a pan Africanist message yesterday.
And her voice reverberated in the four corners of South Africa, nay, through out the world. As a royal she is not supposed to comment on political matters. So she chose the most subtle way possible. And for that I duff my heart.
The Afro American Duchess and wife to world famous Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex chose to subtly speak to South Africans of the universal sisterhood of all black women when she addressed a crowd that had come to welcome the Sussexes.
She told them thus: “While I am here with my husband as a member of the Royal family, I want you to know that for me, I am here with you as a wife, as a woman, as a woman of colour and as your sister.”
Heart warming words from a partly African woman, who while not being South African, remains a sister to all South African women. Note how she reached out in love and not judgement. She didn’t want to be seen as being just a member of the British Royal Family. She wanted to be identified as a sister. Now, that’s great.
She reminded many South Africans what African sisterhood should mean when she said, “I am here with you and I am here for you.”
That is the Mandela-like Ubuntu spirit of sharing and sacrifice that should reign in South Africa. It is time for the women and good people of South Africa to spread this message of love once again to the rest of the African world.
Wow!
Intelligent message from her.