The Afrika They Never Showed Us

These words were inspired the very first time I entered the Elmina castle at age 8. I saw for the first time and heard for the first time how my grand fathers were treated. Even though I am a native of the land, I had not gone into the castle before.

I came home that evening and “sat” my grandmother down. I asked her to tell me all she knew or heard from her grandmother about how things were in the olden days and when the whites came.
When she was done, I learnt what they were teaching us in school was his-story and not our story. There is an Africa they never showed and they never wants us to see.

I grew up thinking black means bad
I was a confused person and always sad
Made to believe white means good
Africans can't provide anything, even food

The Blackman built nothing
They didn't colonize only our lands
They subdued our land ruled our minds
To believe we can't do anything

We have to study in their country,
Eat their food, wear their clothes,
Speak their language…or else the Blackman can do nothing!

They didn't tell me my fathers had kingdoms
And clans before they came
They didn't tell me my father's built families
Strong as an army and built farms and houses even if mud

Foods all natural and safe before they brought genetically modified organisms
They could have told us to improve on our farming methods to increase yield, they didn't, and they want us to follow them

They could have just told us not to worship God through a medium
Such as a smaller gods, and that we can worship God directly instead of abolishing our traditional religion, our fathers knew God that is why they were making the effort to worship him through smaller gods
They told us the Bible says we shouldn't marry many women, yes, but now they want a man to marry a man which is an abomination in our traditional society which they called barbaric some time ago.
They could have told us too write our language so we can preserve it
Instead of forcing theirs on us
Where a fellow Ghanaian will make fun at a Ghanaian who can't speak English language while no one in England can speak Fante, Twi, Ewe, Hausa.
We loved our local foods until they brought fast foods and so we are dying fast

Yes, we appreciate their help, massive contribution to the growth of the world at large
But they could have helped Africa without exploiting us of our values, traditions, making slaves and colonizing us.

They told us the younger generation that we have to look up to the white man or else we can't do anything…..Blackman can do nothing they keep drumming it into our heads everyone want to travel to Whiteman's land.
They never showed us Africans never gave up and they are high spirited men who never stopped fighting.
The black skin is not a badge of shame but a symbol of peace, grace unity and accountability.

Oh they didn't tell us chaskele is as good as baseball.
Oware is as intellectual as chess
And Kwaku Ananse stories better than boring bed time stories
Our batakali, fugu and kente are more decent and decorative than Gucci
They didn't tell us “aboodoo” is more nutritious than McDonald burgers

Did you have to abolish our own to instil yours?
But now I know
We respected our chiefs and elders
We practiced democracy before they came to divide us
With their so-called democracy

We were not allowed to tell our illustrious story
He told us his-story
We are now going to tell our story
In our own language, in our own way.
Now we know the real Afrika!