Mother Afrika…
My love of Afrika is difficult to explain to people in a way that most will even begin to comprehend. She has been my calling all my life. I don’t know how else to say it. Perhaps it would be easier for folks to understand if my skin were dark. But, alas, that is not the case.
I can remember being a small child & dreaming of Afrika, her people, & one day going to that far off place. Admittedly, I had no idea at that time where Afrika was or anything more about it than that which I read in National Geographic Magazine. All I knew was that when I saw photos of Afrika & her people or read stories about this land I always felt a sense of belonging & longing all at the same time.
I’ve never quite, personally, understood this sense of “other” that so many people feel about folks from different cultures & lands. Because, for me, Afrika & Afrikan people were always my land & my people – home… See, I know that seems odd to many, but so natural to me because it’s always been a part of me.
As I have grown older I have grown more into myself & this calling. It may not make sense to a whole lot of people, but it doesn’t have to either. I know now that my life is intended to be dedicated to Afrika’s higher good. I want to visit as many countries in Afrika, live amongst the people, & eventually teach there. I believe that education is the key to Afrika’s future… I know I am to be just one small part of that future.
