The African Woman

I am African, I am Woman

Born into a system

A system where boys were entitled to education

And girls taught about the shape of the kitchen

Boys encouraged to chase their dreams

Girls taught how to fry chicken and make beans

A system where women are subjected to laws

A system where women are threatened with divorce if they don't bare a male son

An African woman, born into a system of lack of freedom

Where our opinions don't matter, to anyone

Where society blames us for the death of our husbands

And we can't even protest or take a stand

Where husbands were chosen for us and we had no say

His nature of being a wife-beater wasn't considered, as long as he paid the bride price, it was okay

Where the waywardness of the kids were blamed on the mothers

And where we were asked to suffer in silence without tears

I am African, I am a Woman

Born into a system

A system where boys were told to hide emotions

And should they show it, they weren't man enough

Where boys were told they couldn't hit women

But yet suffer from the opposing force, being hit every now and then

A society where the man carries the whole financial pain of the home

But never shown appreciation because he is never home

Born into a system giving unfair judgements

A system ruled and climaxed with jungle justice

A system where the poor are a voiceless minority

A system where a child is welcomed with tagged responsibilities

In all, these systems are changing

Africa is getting better, getting more morally developed

I would have used the word "woke", but it stands for a lot of selfish wrongs

But all in all, Africa is becoming the dream I once had

Despite the economic flaws and leadership hocus pocus

Despite the image given to the world by media moguls

I am happy with how far we have come as a continent

And how we never forget our roots from mother nature's lineage

I wouldn't trade my heritage for silver and gold

I say it out without any iota in bold

For before I became a woman, I was an African

I am African, I am a woman