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To be seen, to be noticed to be understood,

To be heard as you intend and not as the listeners ear prefers,

To evolve to all of yourself without confinements, to make mistakes and rise above  them.

To find light after darkness, to be accepted after failures,

To find positivity after negativity, to find greener pastures after years of drought,

To prosper, to become better,

To see life with new eyes, to see yourself with new eyes,

Despite any stories that may be told about you.

To have those around you view you with new eyes, to have them hear your new stories of adventure, expression, liberation and success.

To move beyond that which they thought you were confined to.

To stand strong, to find kindness in places that were previously not too kind.

This is my story, to me this too is what the push to tell Africa’s story in truth and accuracy signifies.

It is poetry, it is a people finally finding ways of telling their story in their own way, in the way that they feel is fit.It is a celebration, a beautiful celebration of the beauty that can exist in a culture, the amount of music and dance that comes out of this culture, the way we talk, the way we see the world, the way we want to understand the world.Refusing the idea that we must bow to different notions of who we are apart from the definition we give ourselves.

Refusing the idea that we must bow to different notions of who we are apart from the definition we give ourselves.

Standing in line with historical principles of prosperity, we strive to embrace our true identities while refusing those handed to us.

 

To rise above,

To look back and see that you are no longer where you used to be.

To take a moment to sink in the reality of where you used to be.

To realize that grace always carried you, and continues to carry you.

To be filled with gratitude, sometimes overwhelmed because of the blessings you now have.

                                   

We can all find our stories mirrored in what the push for a positive representation of Africa represents.

The need to have your own story told just as you would want it to be told and not as others thought or as others misunderstand it.

It is everyone’s story as we all seek to love ourselves more, to celebrate ourselves more to be seen and heard accurately.

To walk into a room knowing that you are beaming nothing but pure love, joy and light, confined to nothing, and limited by nothing. and hoping that you will always be able to express yourself as you truly are because it is in your authenticity that you shine the brightest.

It is in Africas authenticity that it shines the brightest.