The story of Africa we read is not the African story, but the narrative created from the lens of the western world. This means that they tell us our history about us based on their experiences, which is far from the truth.
As a collective, we all agree that it’s time for us, as Africans to define and tell our story.
More often than not, our people are full of drama, and to an extent, exuberant. The dead can be more stubborn than the living by halting a hearse and taking over their own funeral, even though they never held such power when living.
What’s more fascinating are the traditional witch doctors with sign boards advertising their prowess in curing all kinds of diseases; from discomfort, loneliness, alcoholism, love, and even poverty. while they themselves seem to have made peace with being at the bottom.
Africa is a place where weddings and funerals have war cries, feasting, dancing, and all manner of activities. The difference between the two is that one is held in church while the other is in the village. In the same breath, some of our people, show their new status by getting a new wife as a gift to themselves.
The saying ‘Hakuna Matata’ is not just said, it is lived.
If the Olympics were held at night, nocturnal athletes from the continent would outdo, outshine and conquer every race. Some would call them night runners, I refer to them as athletes, nocturnal athletes.
With the season we are in, our African culture is slowly fading away. There’s less and less emphasis on our traditions, beliefs, and our heritage. There is this unsaid opinion that being African, in its fullness comes with a level of a disadvantage or assuming a position of being less than.
This mentality proves that we may have attained independence, but we are yet to overcome the enslavement of the mind. We’re free, but not fully.
Our story is sometimes exaggerated, comical, weird, and scary in the public’s eye, but it is our own. It’s full of adventure, and moments of both joy and grief. We can’t change who we are, so we need to choose to embrace ourselves with all our scars and imperfections.
By taking agency over your identity, you realize you are not just a child, but you are; an African Child.