Culturally Speaking

Laugh at me all you want

But I

Refuse

To straighten my tough kinky hair,

To speak in your imported tongue,

To adopt a name that my heavy tongue cannot pronounce.

For I

Am N -,

Daughter of L -,

Granddaughter of M’Ndegwa,

Great-granddaughter of M’mirii,

Great-great-granddaughter of Kanake.

And I

Will hold my black head up,

And walk tall and proud.

Because I

Know where I come from,

Am part of the soil that feeds me,

Understand the ways of my people.

So you

Foolish women,

With your creams lotions powders

That lighten skins and straighten hair,

And you

Silly men,

With your nasal accents, foreign gadgets and superior ways

That illustrate your disdain for things indigenous,

Should know that I am deaf to your laughter,

For I

Embrace my background

And I

Belong.

– All rights reserved. ©, N.L., 2006