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In a world that does not celebrate my sun-kissed skin, my curves and curly hair, where my social standing is based on how refined my brogue is and in a world where I am constantly told “no” simply because of my lineage and my way of doing things, it is imperative that I embrace who I am, where I come from and what makes me a rare specimen.
The best way I can do this is by looking from within – by looking at what was, what is and what will become. I believe our culture, heritage and tradition in this instance becomes a critical cradle and reserve.
It can be argued that all this is pointless because, for many, heritage is a faraway concept and is out of reach – forgotten and buried in the scars and fissures of Azania.
Colonisation has stripped us naked; we have been uprooted and our fertile lands have been left barren and are no longer in our hands. To this day, the legacy of apartheid lives on.
All this is true, but another fundamental truth about apartheid, colonisation and slavery is that it interrupted African history.
The dust is settling and it is time to look beyond this dark and inapt age of the interruption of our history. It is time to unearth the fallen African antiquity and it’s time to find out who we really are – we are power, beauty, wealth and royalty.
Africans were kings and queens, we reigned over kingdoms, we were well fed, we were proud and we knew who we were, but, most importantly, we understood that, with unity, came greatness.
I, therefore, challenge you to scratch beyond the surface, to look beyond our interrupted history and see Makeda, the Queen of Sheba, Queen Neferneferuate Nefertiti and Queen Yaa Asantewaa. Look beyond and see King Shaka Zulu, King Tenkamenin and King Mansa Kankan Musa.
These are African leaders who were not only the epitome of wealth, but also possessed wisdom, intellect and care.
Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, we can draw from this realisation and the undisputed truth to find our identity and rebuild, redefine and rectify the African legacy. We can take the broken pieces and put them together with gold.
We can look around and find an excuse to see opportunity, an excuse to love, share, impact and preserve – an excuse to be great in this ocean of challenges and shortfalls.
I promise you that the silver lining is there because each one of us has a role to play and has something to offer. We are meant to be great, so let us not stagnate in mediocrity.
All this may sound inspirational, but it is not easy to do. Simply put, I am asking you to start feeling uncomfortable, I am calling you out to push harder and to start breaking barriers.
I want you to ask yourself these questions: What is my impact? What am I doing to contribute? What legacy will I leave behind for generations to come?
I have asked myself these questions.
Inspired by my passion for the potential that lies in Africa, the power of self-love, specifically impacting our continent through the empowerment of young black women, I started Headdoeks & Gear.
The objective is to teach people that beauty comes in different shades, forms and sizes, therefore allowing you to be content in your skin.
I draw from the concept of a doek – in the African culture, a woman or a person who wears a doek is respectable, beautiful, confident and is royalty. These are attributes I hope to pass on to anyone who interacts with the Headdoeks & Gear.
The objective is to build a network of young women, and eventually young men, who will work together to impact others and themselves – financially or in other ways – and Africa.
I hope that inspires you this Heritage Month to draw from who you are to make our continent a better place to live in.
Mathizerd is the founder of Headdoeks & Gear.
Follow her on Facebook @TheQueenYouAre and Instagram @headdoek
