African, Afro-Caribbean or just British

 

 

African, Jamaican or Just British?

A Jamaican’s journey written by J. Sigaud       

 

 Long Ago And Far Away

There is a world that exists

No one knows about it

They have civilisations, structures, tribes, hierarchies and wars

Just like everywhere else,  save the poverty, filth and degradation of many but the privileged.

But this new continent is vast

Newly discovered Landscapes, varied and awesome,

And yet Its beauty is recognised but by only a few, the adventurous. The richness of the soil and the hidden treasures that lie beneath are unnoticed

Who would dare to go inland?

It is the people who become the commodities. Try to find them now but you won’t

They are lost to that world…forever!

The Trade Winds Blow

An island of great and obvious beauty has risen up. The surface of the soil is evidently good for cash crops, sugar, spices

The people, though many lost on the way,  have risen up, great in number. The chains are removed

Yet, little did they know they are no longer lost. This is now home

The odd African arrives from somewhere far away

“Don’t associate with him if you can help it he’s not one of us”  they say

These people now have a land of their own

But do they really own it? Manage it at will. A land of springs, woods and waters Rocks of dizzying heights with sheer drops to the ocean

Hidden waterfalls leading out to abundant seas

The port towns bustle

Ships come and go from far away places

Joyful sounding songs from the ships are left on the tongue inherited from pirates and privateers

Blow Billy Boy Blow

 

Yes the trade winds have blown

And look what has blown in

Tales of chains and shackles reached inland

Told now with romantic nostalgia

Taught by rote

Could this be the lost of that land far away?

That land is long forgotten

Frequent tales of history orated through legends of how Two brothers arrived on a ship

Made a small fortune which of course has now has dwindled

That is how we got our name, or is it?

 

The Trade Winds are no more

The lost people make another move

En mass to a land that is green and pleasant

Filled with sights and sounds, structures, even hostile faces though we are invited

Today filled with peoples of all diversities from captured lands far and wide

This is where we are

Here and now

In this green and pleasant land

Masters of literature

Broken from a continent of literary masters of the western hemisphere

What is this place that people of so many diverse origins now call home?

A city of people who have prevailed through the millennia against all odds

A remnant

Who of us really knows the history

And yet, It is here that we first begin to learn the truth about our origins

Africa

 

 

J.A. Nembhard Comrie-Boothe is a British writer of Jamaican and a very mixed heritage, pick a few: African, Scottish, German, Indian, English, Irish or Jewish.  She writes short stories on everyday themes;  things embedded in our subconscious yet pertinent and real. She also advocates the teaching of Black History in Schools and calls for accuracy and careful planning of the curriculum.  She has been invited to  feature as a guest on a number of radio stations and television for her views.

 

© Joy Sigaud all rights reserved

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