The Africa of My Dreams

By Ndongo Odile

Africa has always been great. From time immemorial, she has always been personified by great strength, riches, and above all, her love for unconditionally accepting all people. This unfortunately came at a great price. Many believe that the continent is synonymous with the word “black,” which has been perverted to represent “harm/darkness.” Unfortunately, the term black has been mischaracterized through years of mischief, hatred, and malice, thus painting the minds of youthful generations with conspiracy theories. 

We at Black Phoenix Ink believe in reshaping the “Black” narrative and telling our story from another viewpoint: the black experience as lived by us. For a long time now, others have told our stories from their erroneous viewpoints which have caused the stigmatization and marginalization of black people everywhere. It is time for all black people to unite again as one confident and brave people. Together, standing for a common cause, we can achieve greatness and make the black narrative honorable and worthy again. This is what we believe at Black Phoenix Ink. Let nobody tell you who you are, or what you can or cannot do. 

We are some of the strongest and smartest people who have ever lived. Despite the challenges we have faced — from the boundage of slavery to the resulting suffering and mass migrations — our unique technological innovations, from the invention of mathematics, developments in modern medicine, and metallurgical craft, were on par or surpassed those that existed in other parts of the world. For example, in the 1100s Africans devised a way to provide hot and cold water to remote parts of the Sahara —several hundred years before Europeans did.  These examples prove that black is creative and industrious. Black is power. Black is beauty. Black is unlimited, it cannot be contained or restrained by anyone or anything. It is only the mental prison—others’ narrative about us—that has held us back for long. This lie convinced Black people that they were to suit the needs of their perpetrators.

Black is sometimes defined as that which “completely absorbs light.” This description becomes true in the sense that Black individuals are absorbing the darkness which has been perpetuated as “light” by envious people who promoted a stigmatizing agenda against Black people worldwide. Their “light,” which indeed is gross darkness, is rapidly fading away, as a new dawn approaches. This is a time in which Black people everywhere are becoming more and more enlightened about our value, our rich history and culture, and our economic power. It is indeed a metamorphosis on the rise, not only for people of African descent, but for all who identify with the color “black.” 

Interestingly, this is not a new occurrence but rather, the rebirth of the Black narrative. This is history repeating itself for good. Africa has always been at the forefront of creativity and innovation and has always been extraordinary. We were simply unaware of this fact because of the lies created to hold us in low self-esteem. 

Here at Black Phoenix Ink, we desire to positively inspire young minds by telling stories about Black people as a means of building a generation that is fearless and proud of who they are because God made them so. We want to influence a generation without limits. This generation, unapologetic for being born Black, will feel empowered to impact society in tremendous ways and in any field of study they choose. We seek to instill in our younger generations a high sense of self-esteem, so they can lead the next generation and make the world a better place.

The Africa we want believes in equity and fairness for everyone. A world not dominated by a minority but one which provides equal opportunities for all. It advocates creativity, security, and acceptance. A society void of racism and prejudices based on the mere fact that one is different. Different doesn’t mean strange and isn’t defined as bizarre. Different simply represents variety, diversity, and it is beautiful.

This is the Africa we dream of. This is the starting point for our narrative, told by us, for us, and with us. A world of acceptance, respect, and love. A world in which every life, color, and voice of people of Black descent matters.   

Odile is a young Cameroonian writer with several articles to her name. She believes in positively changing lives by creating inspirational stories and articles.Volunteering with Black Phoenix Ink is a joy for me. I am aware that young minds will be reoriented and inspired to accomplish extraordinary things.