~ My African Names ~

Well I’m thankful to Szavanna of www.szavannablog.wordpress.com/ who posted a song by Nneka. Nneka is an African singer born in Nigeria. Hope you will enjoy her music.

Misali Island, Pemba, Zanzibar
Originally uploaded by 8mt.

~ My African Names ~

As I opened my eyes
Born in Africa
So they told me about Zanzibar
They poured my heart with many tales
Wrapped in stories of Stone Town
So I was born in Africa
In a womb of African Island
Embraced with Indian Ocean
With petals in pride of mix
Comoro Island glowed my ancestor’s petals
Mgazidja * I would hear my dad say
Then they poured me with other colors too
Manga * they will call, tracing my Omani heritage I suppose
Yet what it had remained Mpemba * where the Island I was born
An island famous for growing kalamti* tree
Yes I’m born in Africa
Struggling with broken Swahili
I call it price of living out of Africa
So as I stand here in Oman
It does not frighten me
When I’m called Afriqiyah *
Nor am I offended to be called Zinjibariya*
For its noting but the truth
I’m the daughter of Africa
So you can call me all those names
For nothing bothers me at all

Copyright 2007 Nasra Al Adawi

*Mgazidja is referred to people who live in Zanzibar with Comorian origin
*Manga is a Swahili word referred for those who have origin of Oman
*Mpemba is Swahili word referred to those who are born in Pemba Island
*Kalamti is one of sweet cuisine which is known in Arab world and I think in most of Eastern Africa. The say people who are born in pemba have kind of sweet teeth. So instead of cooking kalamti they actually grow it in Pemba (its known to be a joke for everyone come from Pemba Island are addicted to sugar but that’s not true)
*Afriqiyah is an Arabic word when you call an African lady
*Zinjibariya is an Arabic word for a lady from Zanzibar

Its very Strange to explain who I’m all that but its nice to be a mixed of everything…It took awhile to understand that as a child…