Colonialism

Celebration, Colonialism, Slavery: The Year of the Return – Part 5 of 5

But my pain!… Okay Universe, I understand – I get it. But since the world has been thus blessed, return my children to me! From the north south east and west, return them to me. Ah, but life never tarries or returns. It always goes forward. Besides which, it is difficult and traumatic to return …

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Celebration, Colonialism, Slavery: Black Bodies, African Gods and Rhythms – Part 4 of 5

But the loss was not mine alone. In our forgetting we neither called on our ancestors nor our gods. Orunmila. Obatala. Ogun. Osun. Amadioha. Oya, the beautiful wife of Sango. On both sides of the Sea we no longer shared our food with the Earth. We callously allowed our ancestors to starve! Ah my pain! …

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Celebration, Colonialism, Slavery: Slavery, Colonialism and African History – Part 3 of 5

While I lay prostrate writhing in a pain that lasted for centuries, I was again undone. This time nothing was taken away – but worse, an alien thing was forcibly grafted into me! This was a poison! I screamed and recoiled in horror to no avail. A similar vile, alien spirit had also been grafted …

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Celebration, Colonialism, Slavery: Capture, Loss, The Middle Passage, and Adaptation – Part 2 of 5

It was at the farm that they took 12-year-old Fulde.[1] I heard his screams. To run faster, I dropped my baby Tswana.[2] I never found Fulde. As his screams faded away, I rushed back to Tswana. But by then she also was gone. They took her – a suckling baby. I died that day. I …

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