Africa

Does it have to be Africa in general or can I write about a specific region? I'd really like to concentrate on my home country.

Old - new? Submission limit?

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lg4ishXC0P1qgfbgio1_1280.jpg

THE KUSHITE DYNASTY


I am the Pharaoh's favorite concubine

He is married to his sister

To preserve the sacred line

They have many children

But none rivals the Pharaoh

It is my son who shines


I am the Nubian Princess

A gift to the King

My son has had his destiny read

By the priests of the Temple

There was great dread

For all their astrologers

For all their sages

Foretold that my son

Would be the next ruler

The priests did not want the Pharaoh to know

That all his sons would fail to show

The leadership my son had

Until my son grew from being a lad

To the head of the army


They went to war

Only Kashta had the bravery and the might

To save Egypt's plight

He saved the Royal family

But a great plague came

Which killed all the Pharaoh's family


The Kushite Dynasty

Was mighty and kind

Made great works

That the dams did seal and hide

The secrets of the Kushite Dynasty

Will soon come to light.



http://emhotep.net/dynasties/twenty-fifth-dynasty/

My first perception of Africa was Ancient Egypt:

Egypt is one of the most populous countries in Africa and the Middle East, and the 15th most populated in the world. The great majority of its over 84 million people[4] live near the banks of the Nile River, an area of about 40,000 square kilometers (15,000 sq mi), where the only arable land is found. The large regions of the Sahara Desert, which constitute most of Egypt's territory, are sparsely inhabited. About half of Egypt's residents live in urban areas, with most spread across the densely populated centres of greater Cairo, Alexandria and other major cities in the Nile Delta.

Egypt has one of the longest histories of any modern state, having been continuously inhabited since the 10th millennium BC.[10] Its monuments, such as the Giza pyramid complex and its Great Sphinx, were constructed by its ancient civilization, which was one of the most advanced of its time. Its ancient ruins, such as those of Memphis, Thebes, Karnak, and the Valley of the Kings outside Luxor, are a significant focus of archaeological study and popular interest. Egypt's rich cultural legacy, as well as the attraction of its Red Sea Riviera, have made tourism a vital part of the economy, employing about 12% of the country's workforce.

WHY?

When I was 11 I saw the Egyptian exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC.  From then on I was hooked on everything Egyptian.  It was also continually mentioned that MOSES, the Prophet of our faith was a Prince of Egypt. Recent archaeology has shown that the rulers of Egypt were of different backgrounds.
The Kingdom of Kush or Kush was an ancient African kingdom situated on the confluences of the Blue Nile, White Nile and River Atbara in what is now the Republic of Sudan.

Established after the Bronze Age collapse and the disintegration of the New Kingdom of Egypt, it was centered at Napata in its early phase. After king Kashta ("the Kushite") invaded Egypt in the 8th century BC, the Kushite kings ruled as Pharaohs of the Twenty-fifth dynasty of Egypt for a century, until they were expelled by Psamtik I in 656 BC.

During Classical Antiquity, the Kushite imperial capital was at Meroe. In early Greek geography, the Meroitic kingdom was known as Ethiopia. The Kushite kingdom with its capital at Meroe persisted until the 4th century AD, when it weakened and disintegrated due to internal rebellion.

http://d3tn233v01gkf3.cloudfront.net/images/marriage.jpg


ANCIENT EGYPTIAN LOVE POEM 1.1
This is an experiment in writing in the form
of Ancient Egypt...I have tried to incorporate
their manner and my own form of writing
 
ANCIENT EGYPTIAN LOVE POEM 1.1
 
****************************************************
 
Sister, my mother has called me
 
Sister, you are invited to my house
 
Brother, my father said to me
 
Daughter, I have found you a husband
 
Go forth and spend time with him
 
See if he will make a good spouse
 
 
Brother, when I met you
 
I saw myself in your eyes
 
Sister when I first saw you
 
My body could not disguise
 
The longing for one so comely
 
 
Sister, come and dine
 
On pomegranates and wine
 
Your face is so lovely
 
Your breasts are high and firm
 
Your hips are wide and hide
 
The portal between
 
Your womanly thighs
 
A delight to my eyes
 
 
Brother, take me to your bed
 
Brother, please be tender
 
Brother, I am a virgin
 
 
Sister, your voice is like a murmur
 
Of water in the stream
 
Sister, your breath is fragrant
 
Likes cloves, cinnamon and honey
 
Sister, do not fear, for I am kind
 
 
Brother, when you kissed me
 
I felt sensations like never before
 
Brother, when you touched me
 
You lit the fire within
 
Embrace me, brother and take me
 
For in your arms I find delight
 
 
Sister, I think I am your true love
 
Our union was blessed by the Gods
 
For only in the Gods sweet blessings
 
Would have I found such ecstasy
 
 
Brother, it was not painful
 
For the ointment your mother brought
 
Made your entrance so smooth
 
Though your manhood is so large
 
 
Brother, I cannot describe
 
How I feel directly
 
My heart flutters and my loins ache
 
Only to be with thee
 
 
Sister, this is truly marvelous
 
My father will consult the priests
 
There will be a wedding for us
 
And after the wedding...the feast!



Please note: the terms "brother" and "sister" used in context was one of love.  While the Pharaohs did marry their brothers and sisters, the rest of Egypt did not.  However the terms brother and sister were used as terms of endearment.

Cry, beloved country
=====

Tata* Madiba, beloved father of our rainbow nation
the African sun who chased away the dark clouds of apartheid
that rained inequality on our motherland
the strength behind democracy
breaking the chains that dehumanised so many
cry for your beloved country
I weep for her still

Drawn into the dark by struggle leaders
the ones who fought for liberation
and knew the pain of injustice and discrimination
now turning a blind eye to new horror
pillaging the land you set free
cry for your beloved country
I weep for her still

One thousand two hundred kilometers of corruption
the rape capital* of the world
where every four minutes a woman is defiled
and our children are no longer safe
cry for your beloved country
I weep for her still

* Tata is isiXhosa for father; In South Africa, we call Nelson Mandela "Tata".
* statistics from the NHI show that 3600 women are raped in S.A everyday; this does not include child rape which has escalated since idiots believed that having sex with a virgin will cure aids

Witchcraft War (The Liberian Warlord)
====

Liberian voodoo priest appointed by Khan elders
another power drunk warlord
marching into battle, naked, save for his boots and rifle
leading scores of child soldiers into combat
to construct an empire on witchcraft and blood sacrifice

A young girl, held face down on red soil
suffocating on her own screams for mercy
the knife-edge plunged between emaciated shoulder blades
swiftly removing her still-beating heart

"Fresh blood to satisfy the devil"

Temporarily appeasing thirsty deities in return for protection
to remain invisible to the enemy and impenetrable to gunshots
kicking decapitated heads through crimson stained streets
and feasting on human flesh by firelight

Virgins, lead by their mother's hand
like cattle to the slaughter
smiling as they stare death in the face
a cost easily paid for the greater good of the tribe.

====
* muti murders occur daily in Africa
* the Liberian warlord IS real and still very much alive
* yup, he really went to war naked and committed all other atrocities mentioned.

White

Born during an uneasy peace
In a fortunate family
'94 came
Many left
We still remain
Oppressed as they once were
Left jobless and food less my brothers
Why must it be them and us
Why not one people?
Because this is Africa...
Where white killed white
Where black, black
And white black
And now, black white...
Maybe it isn't the races
But the fact that this is
Africa

Die, is leeu wereld(this is lion country)
Waar die leeu ballas wys(where the lion shows balls)
Waar die leeu sy eie moet staan(where the lion must stand his own)
Waar die leeu vreet of vrek(where the lion must eat or die)
Die leeu, vrek nie(this lion doesn't die)

I am but a young man
But my own I have stood
Times have been hard
But africa blesses in abundance
But reaps 10 fold
This IS my home
This is where I was born
Where I will die
I am white
I'm an African
A man forged by blood
Not by the spear
But by the gun

Daily

I have only my words

"A Million Cheetahs"
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/media/factoid-cheetah-bci/factoid-cheetah-bci_480x360.jpg
The underbelly of
dead colonial dreams,
raped and pillaged,
her dark-tribal voices
still sing of
mystery and beauty.
On endless savannahs,
in the deepest jungles,
on dunes so high
you can touch heaven,
one finds endless-enlightenment.
She is the Land of the Pharoahs,
the stronghold of Zulu warriors,
the keeper of Maasi-secrets,
a kaleidoscope-continent
of diverse-peoples
whose hearts beat
with a brilliant-effervesence,
with the strength of
a million cheetahs
running free in spirit,
they will never be captured,
they will never be stopped,
they will never be silenced.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/Dahomey_amazon1.jpg

Mino

My skin midnight in pitch to echo my panther's        
Hair tufted and coarse flows like the savannah        
For the Gods greet me with morning whispers        
Service and duty to my king is nestled in my womb      
The only seed I have ever known        
It is sacred      
Cherished        
Life affirming        
       
Men would take of me if they could        
But my eyes were never trained to succumb to their weaknesses        
Their vengeance is met with fury and turned to vexatious screams      
Their foolish appetites fed with their own blood and that of their brothers        
Their stubborn will reduced to a rotting carcass not fit for a jackal's pup      
They are defeated      
Beaten      
Sold        
       
My love is as delicate as any willow      
It's only protection the sinewy roots that beg at the Earth      
Taking from her blackened essence speckled with our ancestors' adulation        
and cowering remnants of fallen enemies      
These veins embedded in Mother are my sisters of the Mino      
We are warriors      
Conquerors      
Feared      
       
Our king gives us light and direction with each cockcrow      
Sun, when others only see the unknown      
Warmth, when others are trapped in the gelidness      
We attack even when we retreat        
He is our Emperor      
Father      
Kingdom      
       
I      
is      
We      
       
We      
are      
Mino      
   
 
Postscript  
 
(from http://www.badassoftheweek.com/dahomey.html  )  
 
The Dahomey or Mino Amazons  
 
"If soldiers go to war they should conquer or die."  
 
- Motto of the Dahomey Amazons  
 
The Dahomey (Mino) Amazons are the only documented all-female official front-line combat arms military unit in modern history. Tough, uber-intense asskicking women single-mindedly devoted to hardening themselves into ruthless instruments of battlefield destruction, these machete-wielding, musket-slinging lady terminators were rightly-feared throughout Western Africa for over 250 years, not only for their fanatical devotion to battle, but for their utter refusal to back down or retreat from any fight unless expressly ordered to do so by their king.  
 
If you were some poor conscript douchebag militia soldier hanging out around your barracks and you saw these scary-as-fuck kill-chicks suddenly start charging out of the woods in your direction, screaming their war chants with their muskets barking fire and their signature double-edged two-foot-long machetes brandished threateningly over their heads, you had one fleeting moment to overcome your crippling panic and defend yourself.  
 
Because if you failed to kill them – and I mean if you failed to kill every single last fucking one of them, some murderous woman was going to club you unconscious with a musket butt, drag you back to her capital, chop off your head with one swing of her machete, boil the skin off of your decapitated face, and then use your skull to decorate the royal palace.  
 
       

“Thoughts on Ancestral-Sins”
http://www.tomatodirt.com/images/silverfirtree.jpg
(My African-American Friend Brian and His Awesome Family)
I have a family of
foreign-immigrant-customers,
they moved to the States
back in ’02,
who knew we’d
become good-friends.
They live out east,
they’re tomato farmers,
grow beautiful green beans,
have some pigs,
there’s a few
head of cattle, too.
A great looking couple,
‘cept for
Brian’s nasty deep-scar
on his wrinkled forehead,
above his deep-set brown eyes.
His wife is rather quiet.
The children,
all five of them,
are a bit rambunctious,
but kids will be kids,
it’s the same everywhere.
One day last year,
he asked me
to lend him a hand,
help him mend
a barbed-wire fence
and I obliged.
While we were working,
I nonchalantly asked about
his head.
Holy cow,
I thought he was going to kill me,
leave me for dead right there.
He tugged at his hair,
his eyes turned back
as he spat,
“It’s from the butt of an AK,
I got it when I lost the
family-farm in Zimbabwe,
Mugabe said it was a
legitimate-payment for the
sins of my great-great-grandfather !”
I could see him holding back tears,
so, I quickly said,
“It’s okay man, no harm, no foul,
you’re in the land of the free now!”
He calmed down,
smiled and replied back,
“Don’t bet on it.”
We went about the business of fence-fixing,
I never mentioned the incident again.
Later, I thought about
the sins of my own ancestors,
wondering if my payday
was ever going to come.
I let those scary thoughts
fly away for the moment,
I had other stresses
to think about.
But I do thank the Lord
for my Friend Brian
and his awesome family,
they still shop in my store.
At least
once a month,
they drop some serious-coin.
Imagine that,
an African-immigrant-family
teaching me about global history
while helping me to pay my own bills.

Moral of the poem:
We all come from somewhere,
it’s a strange world we live in,
be thankful for it,
it could be much worse!

True Vitality

In the mid-seventies, on board a flight
From Tanga to Dar es Salaam, the seat
Next to me was taken by a woman
With baby. She was dressed unsuitably
In tweed, most probably for the first time.

She tugged repeatedly at her thick skirt,
Though it quite fully covered her knees.
I wondered whether I should promise
I would not look, then thought better of it.

The plane took off. The woman, on my side,
Pulled out her breast and then fed her baby.
Shamefaced, I reflected what little worth
Our wazungu codes of decorum have
In face of such natural life- giving.

wazungu= in Kiswahili, at first European colonists then later those of European origin from all continents.