Who is an African?

The man said I am not African because I am white,

I didn’t argue because I didn’t want to fight,

but I sat at my desk and asked myself out loud,

Who then is an African?

in fact,

       Who am I?

Journeying down the Ages in my mind,

trying to stretch my senses through the murky shadows of Time,

ships setting sail from the North,

hungry from reports of minerals and land,

laden with dreams,

and bloody agendas planned

People and wildlife chased and killed,

lands cleared, cities built,

all in the name of Religion and Crown

pristine forests became Man’s towns

Farms planted,

prayers chanted

“heathen” converted for “their own good”

taught to live how obedient “natives” should

Wagons trekking,

some building,

some wrecking,

blood spilt in humans’ never-ending wars

always grasping,

killing,

wanting more,

tribes clashing,

burning, slashing,

black on black

white on black

black on white

white on white

Time passing,

Greed seated on His Throne of Empire,

tentacles spreading wide, 

growing power swallowing all,

little bushmen no place left to hide

Until I am back in 2016

Am I really rooted in this land that I call home?

if I am African why do I so feel alone?

I look around at this poverty and crime

do I even want to be African?

to call this mess mine?

Must my child be hated just because his skin is white?

is there no place for him here without a fight?

and if not here,

well then where should we be?

where on this Earth is home for Me?

Who is an African?

Is it a love of the land and the beasts? 

or a peace within from feeling at home?

does participating in the economy count –

the money you earn, what you own?

is it the prayers one confides to the soft African Night

of a society based on Love and Light?

Is it one who listens to the wind how it could be?

or the elephant herd showing how it should be?

or seeing the future in the flames how it would be

if people stopped naming by color,

and just looked at a man and saw brother?

Could it be that it’s not a question of skin pigment but of Soul?

That to be an African

is to draw strength from Earth Mother,

to be whole?

And now the heavens just opened

and rain is splashing through my window,

easing the drought and parched Soul,

and all of a sudden the storm drama strikes true

‘cos to be African is to REALLY REALLY TRULY love the rain

and run out and dance in it before drought claims us again

So I put it to you that Africa is a chord,

a mood, a scent,

and being African is to hear Her in the winds,

and the waves,

and hungry bush flames,

and to see Her in Her summertime ripeness,

and Her dry Winter death,

to smell Her in the elephant dung,

and the sour City sweat

and if you’re born here,

and live here,

cry here,

and try here

in Her lonely, silent spaces

and noisy, human places

then you’re African, no matter your race!

Mother Africa was here before humans

and will remain when we’re gone,

She doesn’t care what colour we are

if we could all just get on,

and if we’re defining being African by being from a place,

then She is The Boss not any one race!

So now I know who I am,

but do You?

have you looked deep inside and felt it all through?

do you have to dominate to make yourself feel good?

to make yourself more by making others feel less than they should?

do you have to break down instead of building up?

‘cos that way you’re in control and you’re afraid there’s not enough?

and are you using excuses ‘cos deep down you’re feel afraid you won’t measure up?

Are you prepared to rise higher and break this cycle of hate?

Then now imagine! 

a South Africa truly free

from this heart-breaking division,

and instead there is Unity

built on a foundation of Love, 

and manifested in TRUE Equality

There’s surely enough arable land,

no one need starve if common good is our aim

instead of profit,

and chuck out the GMs and fracking -

if we allow nature to die so do we

Sun gives us enough power, 

and it’s healthy and basically free

stop allowing our animals to be killed just for fun

They are African too - We are ALL One

if we are building with their blood

we weave violence into our society

because like attracts like -

so we need to set our frequency

for the highest good of all

with Love and Light at our core.