avatarCocoa Griot

Summary

The web content is a poignant reflection on the author's unwavering love and connection to their African heritage and motherland, despite societal pressures and divisive rhetoric.

Abstract

The author expresses a deep and enduring bond with their African heritage, emphasizing that no amount of societal labels or fashionable ideologies can sever their identity as a child of Africa. Through evocative poetry, the author honors their mother, Africa, as a source of pride and ancestral connection, despite her children's estrangement and internal conflicts. They celebrate the rich history of African royalty and lament the defamation of their ancestral land. The author takes pride in the diverse nations that form their identity and refuses to be ashamed of their ancestors, even composing a song prayer as a tribute to those who endured the African Diaspora. The piece concludes with a note of gratitude to the reader for engaging with their personal reflections.

Opinions

  • The author maintains a steadfast love for their motherland, Africa, viewing her as an integral part of their past and identity.
  • They reject the erasure of African history, choosing instead to embrace the stories of African kings and queens.
  • The author expresses distress at the internal divisions among Africans, particularly those who align with hateful ideologies.
  • They take pride in the diverse ethnicities and nations within Africa that contribute to their personal tapestry.
  • The author is unapologetic about their heritage, countering any negative narratives with a sense of dignity and pride.
  • They acknowledge the pain of their ancestors during the African Diaspora and honor their journey through a song prayer.
  • The author uses the metaphor of DNA to underscore the unbreakable biological and cultural connection to Africa, supported by data from Ancestry.com.

Poetry of Pain

You Will Always Be My Mother

No matter what label is in fashion, I will always be a child of Africa.

DNA story courtesy of Ancestry.com

I will not break away. No matter what distractors say. She is my mother and my past. My love for her will forever last.

Divisive words spread contention. Her name they say we should not mention. Although I am her estranged progeny, I feel her roots deep within me.

I do not heed the call to make her null, and start my history from the slave ship’s hull. The wonderful stories of her children’s reigns, make me proud to share their blood in my veins.

I am descended from kings and queens, not just folks of modest means. I wish she could sue for character defamation. She must be weeping because of the constant assassination.

Watching her children align with mongers of hate, makes me question our collective future and fate. As I stand in the mirror, I admire her geography. So many of her nations are a part of me.

Nigeria, Cameroon, Senegal, Mbuti, all blend together in symbiotic harmony. Ghana, Benin & Togo, Ivory Coast, no nation competing to reflect in me most.

Western and Eastern Bantu and Congo, meld together to create this Cocoa.

I am not ashamed of my ancestors. I thought about the journey of my ancestors during the African Diaspora and I composed a short song prayer my ancestors might have uttered during their travels across the ocean.

Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts on paper.

Poetry
African American
Black
Black History Month
Dr Mehmet Yildiz
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