There is much talk of being proud of our continent and our culture
Simply because we come from here.
Popular culture has made it appropriate to love your own soil,
To never forget where you have come from.
But what if your home does not keep you well?
What if you are the unwanted child of the volatile “Mama Africa”?
What if you tried your best to embrace her,
But have been faced with rejection and opposition again and again?
Is it then fair to insist on pride in land that no longer feels like your own?
Our days on earth are few,
Not many of us can fight endless uphill battles
That seem pointless and arbitrary,
Where the odds against you never seem to let up.
So to the gate keepers of Africa,
Many of your children find themselves abroad,
Find themselves away from home.
Some by choice, and many by circumstance,
Because they could not find rest on your shores
Or opportunities within your borders
Or felt called to distant lands as many have been called to before.
Do not reject them all as bastards and traitors
When you have failed to make a home for many of them
Or hold them responsible for the voids in our communities
When you still have conditions that keep them at arms length.
The idea of being proud of where we come from
Should include having something to be proud of.
heartinscriber 