Free to be African
Meet Tamasha (Kenya) and Nosipho (South Africa)...smart, compassionate and beautiful African women who helped us contemplate what it means to be where we are and who we are. In celebrating being African, their thoughts are a reflection of their experiences and give us a glimpse into what makes their hearts beat.
1. What makes you African?
Nosipho: I didn't think this would be a hard question but now having to think about it and answer it, I realise that I've never actually thought about what makes me African. It isn't an idea that I have had to question but rather that 'I just am'. Bearing this in mind, I think that may be part of my response...what makes me African is that I was born in Africa. The values, the weird little sentences and sayings that Africans have that I get to be a part of and that I get to understand. I am Zulu so I believe that my culture, my history, where I am in a physical sense, my ability to connect with other African people based on similar histories or similar upbringings, those are the things that make me African.
2. What makes you proud to be African?
Tamasha: Our tenacity. No matter how we are represented in the
media particularly internationally, we are a tenacious people. We do not give
up. Historically, our fore-mothers and fathers fought for our rights and
independence amidst the shameful and treacherous world systems that worked
against them at the time. It is because of their tenacity that many of us enjoy
privileges they could only dream about. Today, with unreliable and perhaps even failing government
systems in some African countries, we continue to press on. A perfect example
for me are the vibrant markets that exist in almost every African country.
These spaces (informal markets) tell a story of the many entrepreneurs who were
not able to fit in the mold of a western capitalistic system and so created spaces
where they could serve the masses and create a livelihood for themselves.
Nosipho: What makes me proud to be African is our sense of Ubuntu. You don't have to be Zulu for you to be able to identify with that. I think it is a value that is present within all our African cultures.
3. What do you love most about being African?
Tamasha: It’s diversity. I love the diversity that exists in
this continent. It’s vibrant, exciting and wonderful all at once! We have
diverse cultures, dress and food as well as varied landscapes, thousands
of languages and language groups all existing in one continent. Africa is a
continent of creative people and it shows through all these things. And did I mention that I love my
continent?:)
Nosipho: I love the colours, particularly the display of colours and tradition at events like weddings; things that just belong to African people. That is what makes me most proud of being an African. I love that the entire continent has so many things in common. For instance, if I were to be in a different African country I wouldn't be lost because there are so many similarities. There are so many things that we do that connect us. There is so much to discover, so much culture, so much colour, so much love, so much joy. And we are loud:) I love that although we have been through so much as a continent, we are finding our way. We are connecting, especially in the world of social media. Because of social media I have more connections with African countries. I love the folk stories. In IsiZulu we call them 'Izinganekwane'. Many, if not all cultures in Africa, seem to have these stories that your aunt or your gogo (granny) tells which scare the living daylights out of you some times. But those are the things that I love the most. More than this, are the lessons and values that were instilled in us to respect older people, how to conduct yourself in different spaces and how to be respectful of other people's cultures and yourself. But most importantly, language. What I love most is the diverse languages, cultures and thinking. I love that you can go to a different African country, you learn a different language but there is still something that you all have in common. But I also recognise all the things that make us different from each other; it makes me appreciate where I come from because there is so much to learn and so much to see.
Keep on following Salt&EarthBlog for more features on African creativity, resilience and the future:)
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