It might be too personal to ask a friend if they had a decent childhood, but I am often curious to hear about the childhood experience of my peers and how their society impacted their upbringing. Unfortunately, for some societies, including my country, upbringings and childhood are complicated subjects and exceedingly difficult to explain.
12,636 km away
I often find myself speaking and envisioning a point in my life when I will return to Zimbabwe and settle. However, there seems to be a gap between my vision of returning to the motherland and my parents’ vision of returning. I do not want to dismiss my parents’ sacrifices to give me better opportunities in North America. Still, I believe all the knowledge I have acquired can be re-invested into Zimbabwe or the continent at large.
I spoke to seven young adults about travelling to Africa and the Caribbean during the pandemic. Here’s what they had to say.
As the world begins to transcend to a new kind of normal, many people in the western world feel as if it is safe enough to connect to our roots once again. However, the question of whether we should be travelling during a pandemic, which is not truly over, is on my mind.
Who did the Year of Return Forget ?
The Year of Return was a collaboration between the Ghanaian Tourism Authorities, the Panafest Foundation and the Adinkra group in the U.S. The mission was to “celebrate the victims of the Trans-Atlantic slave Trade who were scattered and displaced throughout the world in North America, South America, the Caribbean, Europe and Asia.” The Year of Return took place in Ghana, …
My Privilege to Return was my Grandfather’s Ultimate Sacrifice
In 1993 my grandfather, Kasenda Mpinga, stood up at the National Assembly in the United Nations and quoted this parable “When our neighbour’s house is on fire, we must not ignore the flames, we must go and waft them out to avoid the flames coming to our own house.” A mere year later, he was killed in a plane crash …
Returning When you Never Left
My relationship with my culture can be compared to a healthy body being infected with cancer cells. As with most illnesses, through help and support, this relationship has returned to its original state and continues to thrive.
Power of the Powerless
Power is not always embodied or rather disembodied as ‘the man’, an institution or the government. It feels slippery, you know it exists but you can’t hold it in your hands. It is impossible to define, so much so that approaching an essay on the topic feels daunting. What could I possibly contribute to the conversation around such an unwieldy …
Inheritance of War
To be Eritrean is to have a direct link with war and its psychological undoings. Intergenerational trauma caused by war and displacement has become etched into the very meaning of our national identity.
A Case for Reparations in the Caribbean:
Does money equal justice ?
We cannot compensate those whose ancestors worked on the plantations, but we can make sure that the generations reap benefits they were denied long ago.
Sikhism’s Teachings on Justice have Taught Me about Myself.
This idea of justice has always been central to Sikhism, the principle of being fair and righteous. Sikhism’s teachings and philosophy preach equality, unity, and truthful living, ultimately implementing moral equity among all individuals of society, regardless of their race or social class.
