Meanwhile, the infectious energy of Yoruba movies drifted in from the living room. My dad, a fervent fan, would often have them playing in the background. The booming pronouncements, and the lyrical exchanges, often delivered in poetic verse, were a constant companion to my afternoons spent with African poetry. It dawned on me – both the poems and the movies revelled in the power of words. They held the magic to weave stories, paint pictures, and stir emotions, all with the simple tools of language.
In this hometown, my uncles have feigned an onset dementia. They have made caste difference, the mark of a malignance. One is taken to the backyard shrubberies , to be uprooted with exasperation. To be done away with wrath.
Last year, I wrote poems influenced by various fruits, melding their physical traits with cultural meanings. A nostalgic childhood memory of oranges and my mother's love for them vividly resurfaced, inspiring a haiku I greatly enjoyed creating.
Through the #hashtag #homeiscalling, The Tribe invites all to find solace and belonging within its embrace.
𝐻𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑜. 𝐻𝑜𝑤 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝐼 ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑝 𝑦𝑜𝑢? The AI instructs a petition. 𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑓𝑖𝑔𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑢𝑠𝑒𝑟'𝑠 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑠, I modulate into a binary human. 𝑃𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒, 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑚 𝑦𝑜𝑢'𝑟𝑒 ℎ𝑢𝑚𝑎𝑛. I click on snapshots of traffic lights.
Seeing this “system” collapse has been slightly comforting, but it is heartbreaking that so many people lost their lives for us to get here. People are still dying for this cause. At the end of it all, I’ll still be black. And my future children, regardless of my partner’s race, will be black. But maybe it will mean something different for their generation.
Sampa The Great has tears, true tears, when the audience flows with her as a whole body. For myself, I felt touched by the courage of an outstanding presence, out of shyness.
