A Letter to Ibrahim Traore, Assimi Goita, and AbdourahmaneTchiani By Campbell Kitts To Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso, Assimi Goita of Mali, and Abdourahmane Tchiani of the Republic of Niger, In the vast expanse of the African continent, where the sun rises with a promise and sets with a whisper of hope, your names have become synonymous with bravery and resilience. You stand as the vanguard of a new dawn, a beacon of hope for millions who have long been shackled by the chains of subjugation and oppression. Your actions resonate with the echoes of history, and your courage is a testament to the indomitable spirit of Africa. In the words of Rumi, "The wound is the place where the Light enters you." Africa has borne the scars of colonialism, exploitation, and systemic injustice. Yet, from these wounds, a new light has emerged—a light that you have kindled with your unwavering resolve and steadfast leadership. You have dared to challenge the status quo, to confront the forces ...
We know we deserve better and that’s why we strive for better. We don’t always necessarily get to our satisfied place mentally, we fallout, fall back, and give up and embrace mediocrity. Growing up my dad would tell me stories of the first member of our family to make it big. King Kaku Ackah. A nation builder and leader in the 17 and 18 century. He fought long against the Portuguese, Dutch only loosing to the deception of the English. His family scattered and struggled to find the past glory and nation building skills again. When I was in middle class foster care I was surrounded with comfort luxury and a seemingly easy life. Tryouts for the regional juvenile team in serie A at 9 was quite an achievement. My dads incapacity to reconcile with his failure and submission to Christianity made him jealous .The task to be great had stumbled on me and so he did what every narcissist does best: he destroyed everything; himself, me, and his family. What has all this got to do with mediocrity. S...
In 2021 I went to dinner with a mixed couple. We chose a Caribbean restaurant in Brixton, South East London. During one of the conversations I had to describe where we lived. In Gravesend. We described Gravesend as “white trash”. I noticed the expression on their face, it looked like they just swallowed turtle poop or something similar. I have had numerous occasions where I have described something I’ve done or experienced and people have had the turtle poop reaction. But why? I grew up with white Italian middle class foster parents. I went skiing in the winter and beach in the summer. We had a German shepherd as guard dog in a colonial 3 floor house with a basketball court. I’m saying this to make the point, that I’ve seen what middle class looks and feels like. The other side of the coin was that we’d go camping, do charity at the local Catholic Church where my foster parents were personally involved, we recited 50 Ave Maria’s every May for a week, and I remember we housed a family o...
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