Mother Africa by Deolinda Rodrigues de Almeida Africa Mother Africa you who gave me birth to me from your womb born of colonial soil nursed by the milk of your breast I grew stunned but still I grew rapidly into youth like a start that falls across the sky upon an ancestor's death today I am a woman I don't know yet if I will become an elder woman but it is to you I return Africa Mother Africa You who gave me birth do not destroy me nor strike me with your curse otherwise, I have no future, brutalized by my own mother. I am Angola, your Angola not linked to the oppressor nor friend of the oppressor nor the bastard child that taunts you they tumble into a trap deceived not able to distinguish truth from lies by candid or secular force now blind as you are Africa Mother Africa giving strength to the bastard brother who suffocates me knifes me in the back The oppressor, the friend of the oppressor your bastard child (you, too, Mother Africa?) turn away from my dying breath but Africa Mother Africa by your love you grant understanding still I want to believe in you. From Marcia Glecklers' book Dear Deolinda: Letters to Deolinda Rodrigues de Almeida pgs. 19 and 20
Invitation: “Still I want to believe in you ….”
Deolinda Rodrigues Francisco de Almeida (nom de guerre Langidila;[1] 10 February 1939 – 1968) was an Angolan revolutionary, writer, and poet. She was a member of the Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola (MPLA, transl. 'People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola') and, in addition to seeing combat, worked for the organization as a translator, educator, and radio host.
We will meet for the Community Table Monday, March 174th at 8:00 PM ET. Contact us for information HERE.
We will continue our daily Shared Solitude: Embracing the gift of silence in community offered by our Courageous friend Emily - Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 6:30 am ET and Tuesday, Thursday at 3:00 pm ET through April 18th. See details on our Calendar HERE
Learn More About Circles of Courageous Commons HERE
Still I WILL believe in you. I need to.
In this moment I think about Deolinda - what a model for us all in the fight for freedom. There are so many stories - so many efforts in so many places where hope can seem lost. Deolinda made the ultimate sacrifice in her quest for freedom. To speak truth. To rise. And learning about her spirit - ignites a fire in me - to believe.