Africa is Home
It is an understatement to call Africa vast. It’s the beginning. It’s home to over 2,000 African languages; so many that most scholars estimate that number between 1,000 to 2,000.00. Personally, I think it’s on the higher side because of the amount of tribal languages, regional languages, and we have not even talked about slang which takes on an entirely modern flow and word usage- just like African American slang. It can be regional, local, or nationally recognized words that a particular community subscribes to.
So back to the subject, Africa is home. It’s home because without knowing so, diaspora and continental Africans do many things that are very very similar, like slang. But let’s go further, even some medicinal practices by diaspora like putting onions in your socks to break a fever, that is also done in many parts of the African continent. Indeed, we are vast!
As we return back to our homeland, typically we find a sense of familiarity in the air, a sense of comfort, maybe even it feels like a family reunion to some; whereas you can “un-repress” your hair because guess what? Everyone around you have the same or similar hair type. You can reduce facial makeup because, guess what? The sun warms your face and your rich color comes back in full bloom. Yes, that’s it! We bloom in Africa.
So as this begins as our inaugural RLA blog post, we will focus on just that, the blooming of Africa. From the calyx to the Bloom.
