Underneath the rising sun of an African sky,
I sit with my pen and paper, the only thing that makes sense in my life
The one thing that has not judged me,
The one thing that has believed in me and my dreams
Writing a means of communication with the world.

My African child,
Do not let society dictate to you what you are able to do
You are able to do whatever you want to do, at your time and pace
You are in no competition with anyone
Remain true to yourself.

Society says our generation is the worst generation there is,
I say that is utter nonsense,
Society makes us believe we are nothing but mere losers
I refuse to believe what society tells me until society changes its ways
Society has killed many in the name of building them,
It has brought shame upon the African child
Because it makes her believe she mustn’t be comfortable in her own skin
Society has made the African child believe that
Being white or a yellow-bone is the only way to earn respect and preserve your dignity.

I say no, my African child
Go out there, embrace your melanin,
Love your skin for it is a different kind of beauty
Go get an education and leave the chasing of men to dogs
For they were created to chase
Remember, God is the only true Blesser, there is no one else
So love yourself.

It is about time we teach our child that being African is not a crime,
It is about time we led our African child by example
It is time we showed her that being African and staying true to her roots
Will breed the respect she deserves,
It will give her the dignity she yearns for
My dear child, wear those clothes with pride,
Don’t let society tell you what is befitting to be worn
Go with your heart, don’t let them break you.

I pride myself and my Africanism
Because if I were given a choice I would choose being African all over again
A woman taught me to follow my heart
Because if I were to listen to people’s critics I would kill myself.

Let me tell you a story of an African child who always thought society was right
She was depressed and society said she seeks attention,
She said she wanted to end her misery and society laughed and made fun of her
Then one day she killed herself and now the same society sings her praises
I say society killed her, do not judge me I have my reasons.

Society, do right by the African child
Teach her the right way of life, teach her to love herself
And teach her to voice her opinion and speak out
Society, you are indebted to her, that’s the least you can do to pay your debt.

I am an African child, I stand proud and cherish being an African.
I don’t let society hide the truth and only reveal it when they have forgotten it
Mina ngiyikuthezela entanjeni because I do what my strength can carry.

My African child, embrace your Africanism for that is your true self,
You want to see the greatest treasure, look in the mirror, you will be looking right at it
My name is Sharon Ncube and I am a black African child with no shame in being African
I’m not embarrassed by my skin colour, for I breathe the same air as everyone else
For when you tickle me I laugh, when I am sad I weep too
And most of all, my blood is red too.
My African child, you are human, embrace yourself.