EFF president Julius Malema quickly entered a revolutionary state only akin to that of martyred US hip-hop Rex Magnus Tupac Amaru Shakur, who continues to reign nearly 30 years after his fatal shooting in Las Vegas.
Malema unveiled his connection to the unassailable Shakur, affectionately known as 2pac or Makaveli, during his much-anticipated stage appearance outside the KuGompo Magistrate’s Court in the Eastern Cape on Thursday.
The biggest Tupac tell-tale came when he referred to himself as a 45-year-old who had been conferred the title Ishe by the Lemba people.
The Lemba are a Bantu-speaking ethnic group in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Malawi and Mozambique who claim Jewish descent, and the Ishe title is ordinarily reserved for those aged 65 and above.
“But I was given that title before I even turned 45,” he said.
He went further, explaining that debate had followed the honour, with some arguing he was still young. However, Malema then told a very familiar resurrection tale, attributing it to a Lemba elder.
“When they had written him off, and carried coffins, and declared him dead, still he emerged and continued with life,” he said, quoting the old man on why he qualified for the Ishe title.
“When they put concrete on his grave and thought this plant will never rise, he emerged through concrete. He is still standing today. That’s what they don’t want to see.”
If the bell could ring, that line would be reminiscent of the younger Tupac, who once penned the timeless poem The Rose That Grew From Concrete.
“Did you hear about the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete? Proving nature’s law is wrong, it learned to walk without having feet,” Tupac wrote.
“Funny it seems, but by keeping its dreams, it learned to breathe fresh air. Long live the rose that grew from concrete when no one else ever cared.”
Just like South Africa’s apparent economic freedom fighter Ishe, Tupac Shakur was a modern rapper whose voice became a weapon against racism, poverty, state violence, and social neglect.
Centuries earlier, Túpac Amaru II led a major rebellion against Spanish colonial oppression in Peru. He adopted the name of Túpac Amaru, the final Neo-Inca ruler slain by the empire. The name itself comes from Quechua: Túpac (Tupaq), meaning noble, royal, radiant or resplendent, and Amaru, meaning serpent, sacred snake or powerful dragon-like being.
Thus, the name may be read as Royal Serpent or Shining Serpent.
Now that the rebel voice and passionate speaking have linked the two, consider what Malema said next.
“They are trying all manner of things, but still I rise.”
What a bell moment. Still I Rise was a posthumous Tupac release with The Outlawz in the early 2000s.
Therefore, it is plausible that Malema draws inspiration from the immortalised rapper. Both men have had repeated run-ins with the law, moving in and out of courts, only to blast authority before cameras.
The gangster rap muso often accused judges of racism, at times boasting about bail and throwing the egg back into the faces of prosecutors whom he said had an agenda against successful young black people.
It was Tupac, after all, who demanded that prosecutors envision his freedom in the line: “Picture me rollin’ in a Benz.”
While Tupac revelled in phrases like “No man alive has ever witnessed struggles I survived” and “Mama ain’t raised no fool”, Malema’s out-of-court salvage spared no feelings, drawing a bridge between hip-hop bravado and youth-led politics.
“No man or woman who didn’t give birth to me can determine my destination,” Malema quipped.
Lastly, Tupac once said of dying for belief, “You got a pistol, better kill me; you can never take the life of a real G… I’m not saying that I’m going to change the world, but I will spark the brain that will change the world.”
Here is what Malema told the EFF faithful: “Even if you kill Malema, another Malema is already born. Another Malema will emerge and lead the EFF into the future.”
- EFF president Julius Malema quickly entered a revolutionary state only akin to that of martyred US hip-hop Rex Magnus Tupac Amaru Shakur, who continues to reign nearly 30 years after his fatal shooting in Las Vegas.
- Malema unveiled his connection to the unassailable Shakur, affectionately known as 2pac or Makaveli, during his much-anticipated stage appearance outside the KuGompo Magistrate’s Court in the Eastern Cape on Thursday.
- The biggest Tupac tell-tale came when he referred to himself as a 45-year-old who had been conferred the title Ishe by the Lemba people.
- The Lemba are a Bantu-speaking ethnic group in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Malawi and Mozambique who claim Jewish descent, and the Ishe title is ordinarily reserved for those aged 65 and above.
- “But I was given that title before I even turned 45,” he said.
