Proud of African Flavour

Transcriber: Tien Nguyen
Reviewer: Hani Eldalees

When we go to our home village
in Taremah

which is in my region in the northern
eastern part of our country,

my parents always told me to
love everything around me.

The sky is blue as it is. The ground.
Birds singing in the air. Nature.

Everything. Everyone. And I’m so happy
that I was able to connect with

the African soil when I went
to shumba with my grandma.

And that’s when I realized that life,
real life is on that side.

The African heritage and culture
in that sense of belongingness

and community are all on that side.

The African village, but some still
think Africa is a dark continent.

An isolated continent. But guess what?

We have been proving them wrong and we
can continue to prove them wrong.

A strong as we are, as united as we are,
we can give them that African flavor.

So, hey, Africa. Let us tell
our true stories and

celebrate our beauty.

Let us brand our
continent and bring flavor to this world.

I am tired of meeting people who
value me more just because

I can speak good English.
But hey, matter of fact,

I am not any better than a child in
my village who speaks so good,

Swahili or Kuria.

Africa is where I smell beautiful,

fresh fragrance of bare grounds covered
by sand when the rain comes.

Africa is where I connect with nature
through walking and stepping on

the ground when I am barefooted.
Africa is where I am taught

the real meaning of community and love.

Having chosen an African child speaking
a native language among

another language
honoring her elders,

listening carefully and attentively

to the old folk stories
told by our uncles and

aunts around the fire. Haven’t you seen

an African family celebrating their
harvest with matches, happiness,

and knives in their hands

with love.

A kerosene lantern used in a five star
hotel

apparent from Kibera, Kenya,
Deronda, Malawi, Mukoko, Nigeria.

Caddyshack, Cape Town. Dandala, Tanzania,
who have raised doctors, lawyers,

innovators and athletes.

Africa, my pride. Africa,
my mother. Thank you.