WE BE BLACK PEOPLE

By Jane Musoke-Nteyafas

We be black people

We be African people

But we come in all shades

Of browness

We be espresso/latte/java/

mochaccino/megaccino/cappuccino/

chocolate mousse/gourmet coffee/

Arabica/robusta/cardammon/

We be Irish coffee/Irish Whisky/

We be café con leche

Café au lait.

We be black people

We be African people

But we come in all shades

Of browness.

Yellow ochre/brown ochre/red ochre/

Earth brown/forest soil brown/mud brown/

Sandy brown/golden brown/purplish brown/

Camel coloured/caramel coloured/

Walnut/groundnut/peanut brown/

We be suntanned shades/sub-saharan shades/

Pitch black/sooty black/ebony black/purplish black/

Onyx/jetty/inky/charcoal/carbon.

We be black people

We be African people

We be proud

Of our imperial splendour

Of our majestic colour

We be exotic woods

And black pearls

We be everything that is beautiful.

*   *   *   *   *

Written Tuesday 19^th April 2005

posted 30 March 2006

Jane Musoke-Nteyafas, poet/author/artist and playwright, was born in Moscow, Russia and currently resides in Toronto, Canada.  She is the daughter of retired diplomats. By the time she was 19, she spoke French, English, Spanish, Danish, Luganda, some Russian and had lived in Russia, Uganda, France, Denmark, Cuba and Canada. She won the Miss Africanada beauty pageant 2000 in Toronto where she was also named ‘one of the new voices of Africa’ after reciting one of her poems. In 2004 she was published in T-Dot Griots-An Anthology of Toronto's Black storytellers and in February 2005 her art piece Namyenya was featured as the poster piece for the Human Rights through Art-Black History Month Exhibit. 

She is the recipient of numerous awards for her poetry, art, and playwriting and is becoming a household name in Toronto circles. She is a columnist for Bahiyah Woman Magazine and is also a fellow for the Crossing Borders-British Council Writers Programme. www.nteyafas.com