I Am by Sally Amaka Okafor Print
Articles - Poetry
Monday, 17 August 2009 09:37

I Am

I am the Atlantic and Indian ocean

Sally Okafor

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

 

CONTACT US

 

News

'Making Mixed Race Matter' June 2013
Saturday, 02 February 2013

'Making Mixed Race Matter'  a short term project with events taking place in Bristol 21st &...


Read more...
'Mixed' and the 2011 Census
Monday, 31 December 2012

The census 2011 figures show a big increase in the 'mixed' population of England and Wales


Read more...
'Our Story'
Sunday, 30 December 2012

My husband, Ossie, and I met forty years ago on 21st July 1972. Our forty-year journey,...


Read more...
Making Mixed Race Matter
Sunday, 21 October 2012

The ‘mixed’ population is now one of the fastest growing. In mid-2009 in England and Wales it...


Read more...
PIH Parliamentary Reception
Friday, 14 September 2012

PIH Parliamentary Reception. Hosted Gavin by Barwell MP at Portcullis House, Westminster 22nd...


Read more...
Sickle Cell Research Study needs Mixed Race People
Wednesday, 08 August 2012

Sickle Cell Research Study with focus discussion groups for mixed race people


Read more...
PIH Mixed and Mixedness in Britain
Tuesday, 31 July 2012

 

"Mixed and Mixedness in Britain: What has changed over the years 1972-2012". 2012 is the 40th...


Read more...
PIH on the web
Tuesday, 31 July 2012

 People in Harmony on Facebook 1972 -2012, new development with timeline

>>like...
Read more...

'Mixed Race' Parents’ Identification of Their Children
Saturday, 30 June 2012

How do mixed race parents identify themselves and is a mixed race identity something that such...


Read more...
PIH 2012 AGM/Annual Conference
Wednesday, 21 March 2012

40th Anniversary of People in Harmony

'1972-2012: changing social experiences of mixed race'...


Read more...
Please wait while JT SlideShow is loading images...
Photo Title 1Photo Title 2Photo Title 3Photo Title 4Photo Title 5