The Metamorphosis of Black by Percy Thairu

In the beginning there was Black, and Black was beautiful. Black was heritage and culture. Black was pride and strength. It was articulated by art, attire, food and music. It was perpetuated by traditions, customs and intricate rituals. Black was simplicity but it was also depth. From the outside looking in, it was dark, complex and scary. It was barbaric, uncivilized and downright sinful. In their eyes, Black was so wrong that it needed saving from itself. At this point, Black was like the caterpillar, scorned and misjudged. Yet it knew itself to be unique. The quest for salvation of the Black savage very rapidly escalated to full blown persecution. Black became lesser than the rest of humanity. Black was irredeemable and consequently only good enough for a subservient existence. The slave trade flourished on this premise and whole economies thrived on the blood, sweat and tears of this race. It was a catastrophe. An entire continent was ravaged of its dignity and resources. But Black was resilient.

In captivity, Black was angry and vulnerable, but lost nothing of its resourcefulness. Like the caterpillar gathering strength, Black fed voraciously on the education of its persecutors. The only way to beat them was with their own weapons. Entire generations of Black dedicated their lives to acquiring White wisdom. The Civil Rights Movement was born in the educated minds of their descendants. Black was Booker T. Washington, who taught himself how to read and write using a dictionary while in prison. Black was Martin Luther King, who lost his life in the struggle for liberation. Black was the heroes that pushed for the end of slavery in the West and equal rights for Black people. It was a slow and bloody process, but Black regained a part of its stolen dignity. Back in the ‘dark’ continent, the cradle of Black civilization, leaders arose that drew on the victories of their brothers in the West. They resisted White occupation with every weapon they acquired from them. Black was Nelson Mandela, Jomo Kenyatta, Patrice Lumumba, Kwame Nkrumah and many other heroes of the struggle for Independence in the various parts of Africa. Eventually, the continent was free. But the struggle had just begun.

In order to sustain this freedom, Black had to go into another stage, a dormant stage. Growth and transformation were necessary. Black could no longer be like the crude and malformed caterpillar. It knew there was greatness and even magnificent beauty within it. It spun itself a cocoon and took time to learn, restructure and cleanse itself of the poisons of its past. Black in this phase was seen as unproductive, obsolete. But it still knew itself to be unique. Black then was inspiring like Maya Angelou, Ngugi wa Thiong’o, James Brown, Mariam Makeba, Desmond Tutu and Jesse Jackson.

Finally, Black emerged from its cocoon, transformed. Black is now emancipated and educated. It is sophisticated and powerful. Black like the butterfly has broken out of its state of reverie, its cocoon of inferiority. Black is once again glorious. In politics, Black is Barrack Obama and Ellen Johnson. In music, Black is Michael Jackson and Angelique Kidjo. In media and entertainment, Black is Oprah Winfrey and Will Smith. Black is Wangari Maathai the environmentalist, Usain Bolt the star athlete and Freidah Brown the educator. Black is in the boardrooms, in religion, in sports and in the military. Black is everywhere, shining and soaring even higher.

Now Black is you and I, bearing the torch our forefathers heavily labored to restore. Black is unstoppable. Black like the butterfly has wings and can fly. Black is no longer a symbol of oppression and humiliation. It is strength, elegance and brilliance. It is looking upwards and outwards. Black overcame fetters and shackles and Black can overcome HIV/AIDS, poverty, illiteracy, corruption and all other dark clouds in our blue skies. Black has only just begun its ascension. It can and will be much more. Black can be more influential in corporate, diplomatic and political circles. Black can expand its horizons in the field of sports. Black is capable of innovations in business, technology, entertainment and medical fields Black has opportunities and is overflowing with creativity. It is infinite potentiality. Its only obstacles are in its mind. 

In the spirit of Ghandi’s “Be the change you desire to see”, I am embracing my Black identity. I choose to educate and empower myself and others. I will use my talents to express myself authentically and to inspire others to rise to their greatest potential. I will strive for diligence over complacency, achievement over mediocrity. You see, Black was never about a skin colour. It is a distinctive and beautiful identity. We knew this all along and now it is time to let everyone else see it.

I am Black and gifted, I will be all I can be.