Do We Deserve It? Poem by Fabrice Bukunguta

Africa did not deserve what it has become.
Black people lived here with no notion of whiteness,
Believing that black was the only color.
They did not even know that white birds existed.
But when they came like rain in September,
We were taught the meaning of white.
They arrived with white birds and white clothes,
And we rejected our darkest nature, thinking
It was because we did not wash our bodies every day,
For even demons were said to be black.
We started struggling to become brown,
Forgetting that brown is not white.
We began denying our own identity,
Saying that we must be like beautiful birds.
We thought of destroying all the darkest birds,
Claiming they were signs of darkness and hell.
While dreaming of heaven one day,
We decided to buy everything necessary,
As if humanity itself could be bought.


Fabrice Bukunguta all rights reserved