positively african

I came across a message today that made me smile and feel good about being here, now. African and in Africa. It was a message of hope. One that could look beyond all the 'obvious' signs and see a future where the world would be able to look at us and look past our darkness and see the light than shines out strong and bright across our continent. It hard to put it in words and describe what it means to be African without sounding unusually political or separatist. In the spiritual world of oneness and love it is seen as backward to think of yourself as not part of the whole. And in many ways there is a collective oneness that unites us all. A common thread that runs throughout humanity. But Africa has long carried the burden of blackness for the rest of the world.

There is a darkness that we are born into that we seem to carry for the rest of the world. For the most part we carry it silently, our light is strong and our spirit unwavering so in the light of darkness we still shine. We carry the things that you would not bear to look at. And we hide it far away in hard to find places so that you do not need to see it unless you want to. And still we shine, still we strive. There is an inherent struggle against the weight of the darkness of the blackness. And while some among us are driven to shed it or run away from it, you always take it with you. And it is only when you acknowledge it, when you learn to see it, only then can you transcend it. For when you do see it you recognise it for what it is. Its beauty shines out and colours your world helping you look past the 'obvious' and see the truth.

On the days when the burdens weigh us down though, we hope for a day when it will be easier. When things will be clearer and when the light will shine more visibly and the beauty can be openly acknowledged. It is at times like this when it is good to see a message of hope. One that talks of a different Africa. The Africa that we all carry in our hearts.