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In April in South Africa, the air is filled with the afterglow of Freedom Day. When people look back at the historic moment of breaking apartheid in 1994, they always gaze at the national flag that brings together six colors – black symbolizes the indigenous people, green represents the land, gold represents the mineral deposits, white and blue embrace all skin colors, and red represents the blood of resistance. This rainbow-like flag is like the king protea blooming on the land of South Africa, melting different elements into a vigorous vitality. At the handicraft market in Cape Town, the pen holder carved from the king protea wood carries a profound meaning. This wild flower, known as the “pride of South Africa”, can bloom layers of gorgeous petals in the barren cracks of the rocks, just like the flower of civilization that grew in the cracks of colonization and resistance in this country. The spiral pattern on the inner wall of the pen holder coincides with the “convergence” pattern in the center of the South African flag, reminding the writer: when the voices of different ethnic groups are interwoven like colorful threads, a magnificent brocade of civilization can be woven. The Protea pen holder filled with pen barrels of various colors is like a miniature rainbow country. It silently tells the truth: just as each pen has a unique writing track, each ethnic group should retain its cultural characteristics; just as the Protea needs all petals to hold up the pistil, the future of South Africa must be held up by all ethnic groups. This April, when we touch the paper with our pen tips, may the colorful spirit in the pen holder turn into lines of poetry that break prejudices and chapters that build consensus.

In April in Suid-Afrika is die lug gevul met die nasmaak van Vryheidsdag. Wanneer mense terugkyk na die historiese oomblik van die verbreking van apartheid in 1994, staar hulle altyd na die nasionale vlag wat ses kleure kombineer – swart simboliseer die inheemse bevolking, groen verteenwoordig die land, goud is die mineraalafsettings, wit en blou sluit alle velkleure in, en rooi is die bloed van weerstand. Hierdie reënboogagtige vlag, soos die proteablomme wat op die land van Suid-Afrika blom, smelt uiteenlopende elemente tot kragtige vitaliteit. By die handwerkmark in Kaapstad dra penhouers wat uit koninklike hout gekerf is, diepgaande betekenisse. Hierdie wilde blom, bekend as die “Trots van Suid-Afrika”, kan lae pragtige blomblare in die dorre rotsskeure laat blom, net soos die blom van die beskawing wat in die krake van kolonisasie en stryd in hierdie land gegroei het. Die spiraalpatroon op die binnewand van die penhouer weerspieël die “konvergensie”-patroon in die middel van die Suid-Afrikaanse vlag, wat die skrywer daaraan herinner dat slegs wanneer die stemme van verskillende etniese groepe soos kleurvolle drade verweef is, ‘n manjifieke brokaat van beskawing geweef kan word. Die keiserlike blompenhouer gevul met penskagte van verskillende kleure lyk soos ‘n miniatuur-reënboogkoninkryk. Dit vertel stilweg die waarheid: net soos elke pen ‘n unieke skryftrajek het, moet elke etniese groep sy kulturele karakter behou; Net soos die koningprotea al die blomblare nodig het om saam te werk om die stamper te ondersteun, moet die toekoms van Suid-Afrika deur alle etniese groepe saam ondersteun word. Hierdie April, wanneer ons die papier met ons penpunte aanraak, mag die kleurvolle gees in die penhouer verander in reëls van poësie wat vooroordele afbreek en hoofstukke wat konsensus bou.