Friday 26 September 2008

What Comes to Mind When You See This??

I saw the birth of my dreams, I saw my foundation, I also saw the future for my yet unborn child,I saw a people as a whole with warmth, the beauty Mother nature gave us, (Victoria Falls, the Namib desert, the wildlife, the jaccarandas) I saw education values, I saw resourcefulness, I saw resources (diamonds, gold, oil, farming, coal,copper, educated people)I saw how I might be from the South I will relate to some-one from the East or West side of Africa! I saw history - the pyramids, Gora Island, Robben Island, Great Zimbabwe. I saw the cities. I saw the pride that we live with inside our hearts, I heard our many languages, I heard our great rythms. Yes, I also saw the dark-side, I saw the civil war in Darfur, I saw the Aids pandemic, I saw poverty, I saw the pain we go through in the diaspora to be who we are, I saw the struggle of past and present, I saw the stereo-types they give us, I saw the silent tears we've shed just because of where we are from, I saw it all BUT I also saw HOPE!!

Nkwamme Nkurumah, Kofi Anan, Julius Nyerere, King Mswati, Nelson Mandela, Wole Soyinka, Fela Kuti, Mansa of Mali - Salif Keita, Angelique Kidjoe, Miriam Makeba, Idris Elba, Wale Ogunleye, JayJay Okocha, Didier Drogba, Queen Nzinga, Agbani Darego, Winnie Mandela, Brenda Fassie, Kirsty Coventry, Tshaka, Maria Mutola, the Masai warriors and many more are all children of Mama Africa

Africa rises and stands tall and with children like all you here on Blogville, she beams with pride...
When you see this map what comes to mind and what do you see??

41 comments:

Savvy Dreamer said...

im first on someone's blog!!! yay!!! im always late but not today!!!! yay!!!!

ok... when i see a map of Africa i think of my best friend who's from Uganda and all my blogworld friends. Africans are such wonderful ppl. I also think of my ancestors and how much i'd love to meet them one day and hear all the stories they have to tell.

Bondgirl said...

oh my god I am first!!!!!!! Ok let me go read now... let me first do the ndombolo dance...lol

Bondgirl said...

Ah mehn this was just lakka (nice).
I see strength, love, family and hope while others pity us for famine, war, political instability. I see my mother, my grandmother, aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews, nieces at braai's in summer eating mangoes with salt, dairy bell ice cream melting under the sun, running and playing with the WHOLE street and calling everybody your family. I miss home. I miss Africa

Bondgirl said...

ok Nahjaj...I am not first....damn...second will do... I guess...but no dance..

Rebirth said...

......3rd!!!!
i see home, strength, courage, wealth, hope, change. I see the streets where we used to play with skipping ropes, play card games and take baths in d rain (when i was much younger, b4 i'd breast). i see peace, comfort, good food, laughter, joy and pride. I see my motherland, a place im not ashamed to call HOME

Anonymous said...

What an inspiring entry! Africa is a rich continent because of all the brilliant minds who come from it.

Red Sapphire said...

I see life,hope,happiness,freedom,talents,skills,yet to arrive dreams.A very beautiful home.

You post does to one what unripe pineapple does to the mouth...i can even feel the taste right about now!

Rita said...

I really love the pix...

What I first see...I see a unique, united, strong body of people separated by language, beliefs, culture, power tussles and unbelief in self.

Yet I see potentials, great accomplishments and a home I am proud to be associated with.

Mz. Dee said...

I saw hope.. and African Pride. Without even reading ur post.

Dis was touchin shona.

Anonymous said...

I see the future!!! I see brilliance, I see passion and a people that will not die although they've tried. I see beauty - (Agbani, Shona vixen). I see courage (queen zainab of zaria, Ellen Sirleaf). I see intellectual capacity (wole soyinka, wangaari mathai). I see creativity (everyone in this blogging family, Chinua Achebe). I see so much hope, love, beauty, passion, ingenuity, in short I see the best in the world. we taking over!!!!

bumight said...

when I see that map, my eyes immediately focuses on Nigeria. I see great potential beyond anybody's imagination.

Smaragd said...

i see a lot of pain, aborted dreams, hunger, poverty BUT above all that, i see HOPE, home, happiness, pride, a future, endless possiblilities!

i just love the map of Africa.

uNWrItten* said...

i see home..i miss it so much..

Miss Definitely Maybe said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Miss Definitely Maybe said...

Cant believe i am 13th !!!!!!!!
I see home, my identity,I see the girl of my youth, I see who I was before the world corrupted me, i see a lot of things .......so much potential being choked to death at the hands of a few greedy and corrupt men.but most importantly i see hope

Anonymous said...

when i see a map of africa i think of my child hood when i used to think life was hard and complain so as to avoid bad breath, but now i would kill to have my childhood back. play with sand up2 the point u could only see my teeth and eyes , "yeah coz am black "lol, walk bare foot coz juss felt like it, grow up without fear of abduction ,no social service to harass my parents 4 livin u alone at home while at wek, cud go on and on but hate typin,......
this one of the best blogs i have read in a long time which i can truely related to and admire without doubt, wish i was as good as u a, love it mwah!!!!!!!!
ndizvo

Jotees Trendz said...

Nice piece...doing my normal rounds in blogsville and bumped into yours...

Buttercup said...

Hold up...

I read ur comment on someone's blog n saw u mentioned kombis n hugh masekela..r u south african??

ShonaVixen said...

@ buttercup - m Zimbabwean wv South African blood too...and Hugh Masekela and Kombis are popular in both countries...

Vee said...

Lovely post dear! Africa is who we are...

Katrina said...

Beautiful post! :)
I love African culture and the beautiful background and history! My dream is to go to Africa!

Unknown said...

I don't know why but for some reason I see Nigeria as having the same shape as the whole of Africa (see map shapes).

Nigeria in Africa, Africa in Nigeria!

Home is the place of rest no matter where you go - (Translated from Yoruba: Ile ni abo simi oko).

Moe Wanchuk said...

I saw a continent that I pray that one day, I'll be able to visit. I'm so tired of being broke!

Vimbai said...

I see a whole lot of countries i really need to visit asap :-)

Tamara said...

Hiya. Thanks for stopping by my blog.

When I saw this map, I thought of all the countries I know nothing about and would still like to visit. It's shocking how many of us never get to see the range of beauty our continent offers. I'm South African and have thus far only been to Namibia, Zimbabwe and Zambia. I'd like to go exploring further north!

Shubby Doo said...

i saw home...a land full of rich resources and traditions...i was filled with pride.

i saw a place where its people and its land have been raped & exploited...i was filled with sadness


i saw a place where its people are starting to take control of their destinies because they realise that they can make a change 4 the better bcos Africa has so much potential...i was filled with hope...

i was filled with hope 2 shonavixen

nice one

Buttercup said...

oh..ok!

loved this post btw!

Miss T said...

i saw home :)

Anonymous said...

I see hope when i look at that picture... Yup!!! I feel really hopefull too and smile coz of its beauty and the genuine peeps that are founded from there... Miss home something serious!

aloted said...

nawa o..i am so late...

anyway i see a third generation world continent (can't spell)

I see love, virtue, smartness, talents, sense of community, sense of family, good weather, good food and the best things in life

I also see people crying to be released from bondage, bad & greedy leaders, ignorance and poverty mentality.

Anywhichways there is no place like motherland Africa!

Anonymous said...

l see beauty.l see love. you nailed it on the head shonavixen. l see power, l see knowledge.l see poverty. l see hunger in a land of plentiful. Such is africa. A continent of great contrasts. Great piece of writing!!!!

O'Dee said...

I see Nigeria; my Home.

tobenna said...

I see me, I see you, I see us.
I see Africa arising.

Aphrodite said...

Wow. Really positive babes. Me likes.

Aphrodite said...

I see HOPE and WARMTH like you too.

Kafo said...

i see life
i see home

Tairebabs said...

I see home, African food which I miss like crazy right now, my birth place, my family, my childhood.

p.s. met two lovely people from zimbabwe recently and immediately thought of SHONA VIXEN!

Ekoakete said...

Hmnnn I usually immediately get a pang of nostalgia, then a sense of pride and finally a lingering sadness...

Waffarian said...

Smiles and laughter.

ShonaVixen said...

@ Tairebabs...so glad u thought of moi...yay

Queen of My Castle said...

When I see this map I see:

Power
Hope
Strength
Courage
Beauty
Intelligence

A place I desperately want to take my children

I see birth