I Am
I am the Atlantic and Indian ocean
Their waters are fused in mine
I am the yellow Indian gold
And the bronze of the masks of Benin
I am sweet fried plantain
And roti, hot off the tava
I am the pale skin of the invaded Punjab
And the colourful black of the displaced and exploited Nigeria
I am hot and dry hamatan
And the stormy wet heat of monsoon
I am the sticky syrup of gelibi
And the strong watery sweetness of sugar cane.
So when you look at me,
You may think you know what you see
But I'm telling you
Inside my flesh and bones
Are things I don't even know
Wars that have been waged
Love that has been made
Children that were taken
And truces that were broken.
You see, Africa and India
Created something together
A little nugget of, something
That is changing all the time.
I am Africa – the mother land
I am India, my mother's land
God's creation.
Reading by Sally Amaka Okafor at PIH Conference 2006