Black doesn’t exist
It’s an illusion
My colour is Africa
The land with everlasting riches
With rich ancestral souls
That turns into diamonds and gold
Don’t sell us
It’s no longer a dark age
My children shall never test
The sweet of the cursed
Let them hear this
It rains honey here
It’s a title of a new song
It’s killing beats and seeds of curse
All their treaties in bins
Not for sell is the new gate of Africa
Africa is more than their coins
Come
and take your paper
No Africa is black.
(About the poet from the horse’s mouth)
My name is Tembo John and I was born on 18th February, 1995 in the capital city of Zambia know as Lusaka. I am a poet who has grown up in a lower class area of Lusaka known as Misisi compound.
Growing up in this lower class area has not been easy. As I observed most people in my country consider the people of my ward illiterate. For this, many youths are not employed and some who have completed secondary school find it hard to sponsor themselves and to access government scholarship to further their studies. This has somewhat led to an increase of the usage of gangs, crime and drugs as a means of savoring.
I became a poet through life-changing events. I have suffered numerous barriers which at some point in my life time made me to be a bit anxious and live a stressful life without my parents knowing. This was like death knocking on my door step, luckily, my door was always closed.
I came to love poetry through a late best friend of mine. He introduced me to the world of poetry as a means of teaching me memorization. As days went on, I became addicted to poetry and thoughts of writing my own started developing. Regardless of how difficult and hard it was to master the tips of reading and writing poetry I did not back down. The more I started reading and writing poetry, the more I became a free soul from any form of life barriers.
Regardless of my passion for poetry, I have experienced challenges such as, lack of mentorship, sponsorship to put my work on public and support from the general public as their few people who value poetry and the impact it can make in the society.
My aim is to raise the consciousness of Africans through poetry. To make them realize that Africa is a Paradise which needs the water of their brains not to dry up or burn in ashes in the hands of those with fire from hell.
My message to the African youths is that Africa is the only land that we have. We have everything we need. God has blessed as with abundant nature resources and we have powerful brains. Let’s not put Africa in the hands of outsiders the will not value it as we do. If only we can love, unity, raise and put peace in each other’s hearts, Africa will be a better Continent than another continent on this earth.
The Ethiopian Herald Sunday Edition 17 Novebmer 2019
(BY TEMBO JOHN from Zambia/Sent to The Ethiopian Herald)
