We’ve Touched the World
by Masnoh Wilson
Out of Africa, we came
20 million strong, young, old, male, female
Fathers, Mothers, daughters, sons
Aunties, uncles, cousins, kin
Mostly from Africa South of the Sahara
From Senegal, Guinea, Liberia, Cote d’Ivoire,
Ghana, Togo, Burkina Faso, Nigeria
Cameroun, Mozambique, Congo, Angola
First taken to Spain, Portugal, Italy, France
England, Ireland and the Netherlands
Then brought to the U S, Jamaica, Haiti
Puerto Rico, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Trinidad, Tobago
On to Mexico, Belize, Honduras, Panama
To Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela, Argentina, Ecuador
India, Pakistan, and other parts of Asia
20 million strong, scattered all abroad
Impacting the world, wherever we went
And we’ve survived; 140 million strong
Making our presence felt, no matter where we are
Starting with creation, one can easily see
How that happened, the Garden of Eden’s in Africa
God used Africa to begin His creation
And then spread Africans around the world
To touch the world with our intelligence, culture
Knowledge, essence, attitude, spirit and soul
We’ve written books, mapped cities, performed surgeries
Commanded ships, invented machinery, done research
Built colleges, universities, secondary and primary schools
Built skyscrapers, designed buildings, and led armies
Written and performed plays
Published magazines and built industries
Established record labels, companies, and clothing lines
Designed fashion and run television networks
We are doctors, lawyers, engineers, and teachers
Nurses, entrepreneurs, singers, rappers
Dancers, models, bankers, preachers,
Plumbers, construction workers, and bus drivers
Is there anything we cannot do?
Actors, actresses, talk show hosts, athletes
Directors, producers, politicians, now President
Community activists, beauticians, musicians, and artists
Our music and dance have engulfed the world
From jazz to pop, soul, gospel, rhythm and blues, now hip hop
To line dancing, merengue, jive, quick step, samba
From Scandinavia, to Australia, to Tibet and beyond
Africa’s drums can be heard everywhere!!!!
And so today we remember the door of No Return
For through those doors, our Ancestors straggled
With broken spirits, but unbowed heads
They entered New Worlds, never to return
But their presence can be felt everywhere you look
When you look at us, you see them too
They are not here to tell their stories, you see
But through each of us, their voices are still heard
For they’ve passed on to us a kind of resilience
That has empowered us to persevere
For though they were not supposed to survive
Survived they did; now, HERE WE ARE!!!!
Their Beautiful Black, all over we shine
In Asia, Europe, North America
The Caribbean, Central and South America
Although we bear slavery’s sad legacy,
We forge ahead to create our own!!!!
I love this writing, powerful and relective. I'm glad i came to your site
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Michael...please spread the word:)
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful to learn about our shared history, African American to Liberian. I'm happy we met.
ReplyDeleteThis is a beautiful explanation of Africa's continued influence on the world from the beginnings of time to present day. Each word, each line, each stanza exudes a power that is distilled from millenia of wisdom. Ashe.
ReplyDeleteDear Sister,
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Ron