Africa Mother,
Africa Father,
Africa Daughter,
Africa Son…
Birth of the first family
Cursed with a terse Misunderstanding
Of this wanderer of alabaster skin.
African sun-tanning;
Melanin is a felon in
The new eyes of the African
Whose old eyes have been
Denied by European contacts.
Now how can Africa be perceived
Through dark eyes trying to
visualize
A world tinted blue?
Where the sinless spew religious
billets duox .
Christians on missions holding a
heavy Holy Book
Meant to whip the light-hearted
dark-skinned
Savage until Jesus Christ underpins
his habits.
The light-hearted African becomes
Saved! Saved! Saved!
Now he, now she writes with a
ferocity of a freed slave.
Equiano, Wheatley;
African culture replaced
With one that gives their existence
meaning.
Yet listen to Adichie,
And ask yourself if she’s wrong.
Are You in America tasteless
On the tip of the outsider’s tongue?
Your Ebony Speech dismissed as
dumb.
Ask Princely Hope Glorious about
that one.
Africa Mother,
Africa Father,
Africa Daughter,
Africa Son…
Conrad’s breath…Okonkwo’s death.
Blue Eyes and Blond Whigs.
Beauty and politics mix
Well for those who sell
Themselves for a pair of tales.
Organic food for thought used to
come naturally,
But now has turned the women and
MENdacity
Into MENtal perverts seduced by
European chastity.
The new African mantra: Capitalism
is everlasting.
Those blue eyes, everlasting.
Ask the Asian kid Lee Min kyong
About her blepharoplasting.
Africa Mother,
Africa Father,
Africa Daughter,
Africa Son…
Birth of the first human breath.
This breath escaped,
Returning only to collect blood
diamonds.
Young kids dying over fashion
statements,
Diamonds, eagerly sold by persistent
tradesmen.
Meanwhile, the African clans are
quiet
Or dismissed from the African scene,
Reduced to National Geographic TV
and color maps
Folded inside a magazine.
Africa Mother,
Africa Father,
Africa Daughter,
Africa Son…
You are strong, so get off your
knees!
And roar like the Lion King.
Use your cunning like Anansi or
stomp like the
Mighty elephant or charge like the
bold rhino
Or creep like the hyena, the croc,
the hippo…
Or beat your chest like the
silverback.
They think you to be a gorilla
anyway. Insulting?
Gorilla’s are more peaceful than a
human being.
That human who’d kill for his luxury
car,
Her animal scarf,
For his private jet,
Her silk dress.
Africa Mother,
Africa Father,
Africa Daughter,
Africa Son…
Yes, you have every reason to be
steeped in
Nervous Conditions—Tambuitis.
Can you fight this?
Tsetse flies try to destroy you,
But you survive.
Nodding disease tries,
But you survive,
AIDS tries,
But you survive.
Colonists try,
But your heart still beats
Yes, you bleed…
And though many have left you in the
dark,
There still lies a spark
Within a soccer ball. Give it a kick
And get a few hours of artificial
light,
Thanks to Jess and Jules.
Some care about your plight.
Some people care enough to fight.
Africa Mother,
Africa Father,
Africa Daughter,
Africa Son…
Africa, the Strong.
