Dear Sir

Dear Sir,

I am writing this letter to tell you what I like in South Africa. I also want to tell you what I don't like.

In South Africa, I love to play soccer in my extra time. I like to find a small job and work so I can buy what I see. I know that my parents will say it's not necessary to have that my boy.

I like South Africa because there are people that had their families killed in front of them by the white people and they have forgiven them. I love South Africa because in 2010 the World Cup will be hosted here in South Africa.

What I don't like is that people who are not rich...they go and steal. Crime in South Africa is very high but the police who go to stop crime, they say "we don't know this guy, let's leave him."

Yours Sincerely,

Khanya Momoza

To The Americans...

To Whom It May Concern,

I write this letter to tell you about life in South Africa.

South Africa is my motherland. It is a place of joy and happiness and it's a democratic country.

I am staying in Grahamstown. It's a place of important memories, where there was a war between Makhanda and Britain in April the 22nd of 1819. It also has the 1820 British Settler's Monument. It is also where the Standard Bank Arts Festival in June and July is held every year.

South Africa is a nice place to stay, where as in some of its cities there is still crime, but the SANAF Police is taking good care of it. We have got some mountains to climb. We've got Table Mountain in Cape Town and also the Drakensburg Mountains.

We have some game reserves where you can see all the different kinds of animals such as elephants, springboks, giraffe, lions, etc. You can also visit our game lodges to have a pleasant stay. You can taste our South African foods and game meat. I think some of the Americans would love to taste.

We have got beaches in Durban, Port Elizabeth, East London, Port Alfred, Cape Town. Life is very easy and comfortable. If you wish to have a pleasant life, don't hesitate to come to South Africa. Everybody has got the right to do anything he/she wishes to do at his/her space. We will be happy to see you and you will be welcomed with love and warmth in our South Africa.

I am proud to be a South African.

Yours Sincerely,

Zezethu Mbete

"Our words. Our stories."

"What I love about South Africa is that everyone gets equal rights and everyone gets to be heard when they talk. During apartheid people were not allowed to work with whites, now these days we can. What I hate about South Africa now is some people are overdosing the freedom. They want too much freedom. People want more from the government than what the government is giving. I don’t think this is fair."
- Chumisa Sizani



"I want to talk about South Africa’s history. When the white South Africans and the black South Africans were separated there was a lot of fighting. Black people were arrested because they were fighting for their rights (i.e Soweto, Sharpesville). After the 1994 elections white South Africans and black South Africans were reunited and government made equal rights for everyone. I think that this is better. I am glad to have equal rights because everyone is equal now, just like black Americans and white Americans."
- Sibusiso Mathomana



"Before 1994 life was exactly the same because people were discriminated against for the colour of their skin and their beliefs. After 1994 life became much easier because we had a chance to go to school and our parents did not have that chance and we take our education very seriously so to compare Freedom Writers with our school they a’int alike. There are some similarities but not exactly. In our schools you can mix difference races in one class. They don’t discriminate against each other, they stay as brothers and sisters. So in that movie other races were discriminated against."
- Mangaliso Mqubuli



"In my school we are all blacks. We don’t have whites because they think our school is a disadvantaged school. I have been told this. I think this is wrong. My school is an advantage school. We respect teachers and listen to them when they give us instructions about life. So in my school there is not a lot of discrimination because we don’t discriminate against others because we come from different backgrounds. We trust, love and understand one another. In my school we love our teachers and listen when they are talking and do work that they give us. Nyaluza is a star school and I’m proud about my school!"
- Nopinki Jodwana



"Here in South Africa most of the cultures are different and we respect our cultures differently. When someone dies we go and bury that person and we come back and do a ceremony for that person. Our schools are different from U.S. schools because in our schools we respect the teachers and respect what they are saying to us. From what I saw in Freedom Writers they don’t respect other races and they discriminate against each other and they do not respect the teachers. Our personal lives are also a little bit different from theirs because other children in South Africa grow up in poverty, while others grow up in rich families. I think that there is a racial difference between these. In the U.S. there are a lot of rich people. I think everyone, any race, can be rich. In the U.S. there’s a lot of crime and here in South Africa we don’t have big crime. We have crime but it’s not that huge."
- Nokulunga Mlenze



"I am making a little journal about the movie that Jason showed us, Freedom Writers. I have seen many similarities to South Africa in that movie. When that girl watches her mother beaten by her father that also happened to me. And that child who has a fight with his mother, at the end of the film he goes back to his mother and apologizes. That happens here, too."
- Nomaxabiso V.



"Here in South Africa we have different transportation in our infrastructure. There are some differences in our animals and our transportation of cars because we use donkey as our transport. They help us to do many things, like take us many places and move our things. They also function as robots (stoplights) here in Grahamstown. They help with traffic, because they’re slow. My neighbors have a donkey. I like donkeys a lot."
- Akhona Heshu



"What I saw in the move is that children like to fight each other. In my school there are boys that like to fight with girls every time, that is very wrong to me because I came to school to learn, not to feel uncomfortable. They things that I saw in the movie are not right at all. Some of those children are very rude and they don’t have respect. They can say whatever they want to say to their teachers."
- Anathi Jama



"The beauty of South Africa. Here in Grahamstown, South Africa we’ve got heritage sites, our beautiful cathedral, library, museums and also we’ve got locations and townships, as well. In our environment we’ve got donkey carts, cows and chickens. When we are doing our traditional Xhosa ceremony we slaughter a cow and that is our culture. We also do umqombothi (African beer) and that is our way to praise and believe that our ancestors are still alive. We really like our culture as Xhosas. We got our way to dance. We dance very traditionally. This is the beauty of South Africa."
- Sanele Ntshingana





"I was shooting [taking pictures of the] monument and the monument created in 1953 by the 1820 Memorial Settlers Association of South Africa and was unveiled by Nuei Hamish Gilfillan National chairman of that association designed by Iran Mitford-Baberiow, A.B.C.A. It replaced and perpetuates a memorial to the British settlers of 1820, which was erected here in their honor a century ago.

After their landing this monument, many people find it interesting to go to Grahamstown because this monument, especially science projects and other things like science and technology is available in this monument. It helps students a lot of things and even if you’re doing projects you’ll find help in that monument. Ever our teachers at our school, we go to the monument at different seasons. Other people come during March because the SciFest starts in this month and other countries come to Grahamstown to see this heritage site because they want information about what happens in SciFest Festival."
- Asanda Singata



"I am a 14 year old who loves spending time with friends. My friend calls me “Miss Big Ego,” because she says that I’ve got more confidence than her. I don’t mind that. When I finish my studies I want to be a psychologist.

When I was round about 12 years old my mother told me about riots. She told me that black people were toyi-toying (marching) for their right. They said that the other black people should not buy food from the shops because they are making an income for the white people. If you were seen carrying plastics bags from the food stores they would ask you to take everything you bought and eat it, whether it was food or not. It was a very bad thing because some people died because maybe they bought washing powder, oil, raw food and you were forced to eat all of that. If you refused, they’d kill you.

Sometimes when I hear how white people think of blacks I feel like I could kill all the whites. There was a story, not so long ago, maybe in 2000, where a white man got on a bus, a bus where there were only blacks. When he got there he shot every black person and made sure they were dead. When was asked by the magistrate why he did that, he said he doesn’t like black people, they are not human beings and the animals are better than black people. This made me realize that there are still some people that want apartheid, and to be honest, sometimes I hate white people. They think blacks are criminals, dumb and animals."
- Nobenguni M.



"Culture is a beautiful thing in South Africa, because we have many different traditional events, namely Gumboots dance, a traditional dance. When we do our cultural activities we have to slaughter a goat and sometimes even a cow. These animals remind us of our elderly who have past away. We honour them by those kinds of things."
- Mbewu Bathini

"How am I going to grow into a better, brighter human being?" - Zikhona Nela

"Parents, teens and the dating world"
By Zikhona Nela, Grade 10, Nathaniel Nyaluza High School

Experts say that nothing can test a parent quite as much as the trials of raising a teenage child. Yesterday's sweet, innocent girl or book smart boy can turn almost overnight into a mood-swinging, rebellious bundle of hormones, and a once peaceful and quiet home can become a war zone or battle ground.

But not all teens are like that. Some teens listen to their families about dating and as a teen myself, I try to get along with my family and friends all the time. For example, my mother and siblings say that I'm not old enough to date but I'm going to be 16 in September. My cousin started dating at 14 and they won't let me date. To tell you the truth, I have had boyfriends without my family knowing. I only told my cousin. The only reason that my mother doesn't want me to date or have boyfriends is that she's afraid that I will sleep with someone and get AIDS, STDs or fall pregnant.

But we get educated all the time at school about these things! I'm not that stupid! I know what I want in life and I won't risk my life by sleeping with any guy who says "I love u" to me. I know how it feels to be heart broken especially by someone who you thought was the one for you. I'm not going to go back there, I understand why my family doesn't want me to date at the same time they need to let me make mistakes and learn from them because if I don't make those mistakes, how am I going to grow into a better, brighter human being?

“I live in fear, but I am fearless.” – Amanda Jibilize, ninth grade student at Nyaluza Secondary

“My poem talks about AIDS”
By: Mziyanda Yawa, Grade 9B, Nathaniel Nyaluza High School

We buried our families and friends because of you AIDS.
You kill our heros here in South Africa,
Doctors, nurses, they try their best to heal you AIDS.
They try medicine but you still keep going killing out families
AIDS is a parasite to old ones.
You parasite to young ones
You parasite to old ones
Most of the people dead in South Africa because of you.
Doctors and nurses, they give their patient medicine but still,
you’re a parasite to them.
Where is your manners AIDS?
You are the enemy of human beings.
Why AIDS?
How could you do this is in our families and to our loved ones?
You are so selfish AIDS.






“Death”
By: Sanele “Lucas” Ntshingana, Grade 9A, Nathaniel Nyaluza High School

People have read the wreaths,
Messages were passed from one to another
Filled with tears,
Death is ugly and messy,
I curse death,
It’s something which is nothing,
It’s something which does not distinguish between
The house of a rich man and that of a poor man.
It’s something which does not distinguish orphans.
No, death is ugly.

It takes worthy children from this Earth,
And it leaves criminals and scoundrels.
It takes worthy children from this Earth,
And leaves diviners and witches.
It takes worthy children from this earth,
And it leaves witches and faith healers.

I curse death!
I curse death!
Yes, it’s true that the way heaven passes
Into death, but it passes with difficulty.
It passes with pain,
It passes with a curse.
Death is untidy and ugly.






“Story about Jason”
By: Masixole Nkohla, Grade 9B, Nathaniel Nyaluza High School

Once upon a time the story begins. There was a tall man who came far away from New York. This man is called Jason and he is a white man with short hair. He grew up in New York but he wanted to visit South Africa and one day his dreams came true. He comes to South Africa to learn at university. He also loves black like he loves his people. And also wants to learn how to speak the Xhosa language. He is not a dangerous man as you see him. He has a smile on his face and he don’t want other people to fight and shout at one another. The man also visits Amasango school. Jason is a good man. He also teaches in our school called Nyaluza School. And finally, he is our “XX” teacher [which means] he teaches us English, his home language. My story ends.






“Is this Life”
By: Amanda Jibilize, Grade 9B, Nathaniel Nyaluza High School

I’m here, I’m alive
I’m looking over my shoulder to live.
I say I live in fear of my life.
I cry tears of blood.
Coz I feed my mind with goods
I pray for my life to be good.

I live in fear, but I am fearless.
During the night, I hear the gunshots
They make loud sounds like bolts.
I live with a gun under my pillow.
Put a rifle beside the pillow;
I say is this life? Is this life?
During the day there is no life but crime
But thugs say there is a life in crime.

I listen to TVs and radios,
I hear nothing but crime stories.
I ask, is this life? Is this life?
No one knows but the creator,
Nobody knows, only God.
So I say, let’s ask him, let him tell us.

Our thoughts; Our stories; Our words; Our lives.....Selected poems from Nathaniel Nyaluza Secondary, Grahamstown East, South Africa

"Time to become"
By: Zoliswa Bangiso, Grade 10, Nathaniel Nyaluza High School

I do not know
How to keep the white man's time
My mother taught me
The way of the Acoli
And nobody should
shout at me

because I know
The customs our our people
When the baby cries
let him suck milk
from the breast
There is no fixed time
for breast feeding

Children in our homestead
Do not sleep at fixed times.
When sleep comes
into their head
they sleep
When sleep leaves their head
they wake up

When a child is dirty
Give him a wash
You do not first look into the sun!
When there is no water
in the house
You cannot wash the child
Even if it is time
for this bath
listen
My father
is the wisdom of the acoli

Time is not stupidly split up
into second and minutes
it does not flow
like beer in a pot
That is sucked
until it is finished.







Untitled poem
By: Zikhona Nela, Grade 10, Nathaniel Nyaluza High School

My poem is about bringing yourself back from an unhealthy and dishonest relationship.
I'm that innocent girl you hurt a year ago
I'm that girl you thought would be miserable for the rest of her life
I'm that same girl who shut the door for people who wanted to love
and take care of her as some of them claimed.
I'm the girl you thought would never be able to love and be happy without you
I'm now not so hurt by your because I have found trust
found love and friendship in myself. That's why I said starting from now I will be my own best friend because I know that i will never disappoint me, myself and I.
Now without you, I am stronger, healthier and happy.







"Just Me"
By: Sindiswa Solani, Grade 10, Nathaniel Nyaluza High School

Nobody sees what I can see
for at the back of my eyes there is only me
And nobody knows how my thoughts begin
for there's only myself in my skin

Isn't it strange how everyone owns just enough skin to cover his bones...
My father would be too big to fit.
I'd be all wrinkled inside of it

And my baby brother is much too small
It just wouldn't cover me up at all
But I feel right in the skin I wear, and there's nobody like me anywhere.

Meet Zukisani Limani

My name is Zukisani Lamani.

I live at Extension Six 627 Grahamstown.

My favorite food is spinach and feta.

My favorite book is "I write what I like."

My favorite subject is History and Life Sciences.

The best part of my life is when I was at Bisho stadium for Zion Christian Church Conference.

If I could change one thing about my life I would not get angry quickly and I can be good and treat me equally regardless of their race.

When I grow up, I'd like to be a Journalist.

If I could live anywhere in the world, I would live in Cuba or America.

If I were president of South Africa, I would help people of my country and try to fix all the crisis we ahve in our country and the social issues.

If I wanted to tell the children of the United States a couple things about me I would say to them
sometimes we all have to wark hard to succeed in life and give them tastifications about life.

If had three wishes they would be:

1) To be an educated person one day.

2)To have good family that loves God.

3)Try to be good every time and control myself.