I am really African

Brighton Taruberekera, University of Zimbabwe
No matter how hard I try to sound European
The accent of a typical Karanga man is still distinctNo matter how I pretend to be a black Londoner;
The accent of a Zimbabwean man remains distinct
Even though I have assimilated some ideas from foreign cultures
I still suffer from my African conscience
I am told that things are shaping up with modern times,
Yet some of the traditional African ways still haunt me!
I am really African!

Even those skin lightening creams can’t take away my Africaness;
Being African goes deep down beyond the skin,
Being African defies geographical locations
Even when I go outside Africa, Africa resides in me permanently
Whenever there are racist tendencies against Africans,
When an African national soccer team is knocked out of the World Cup,
When I think about the heroes who died for the liberation of mother Africa
My heart bleeds with pain and sorrow
I am really African and I love Africa.

I hate it when fellow African brothers attack each other
I feel pity for fellow brothers who have betrayed Africa,
For the sake of American dollars
I am African and I love Africa
Africa resides within me.

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