Ode to the Beauty of African Culture

By Anaya White

Oh, African culture, tapestry so bold,

Woven in rhythms, in stories once told.

You dance through the deserts, the forests, the seas,

In drumbeats that echo with power and ease.

Your colors so vivid, in fabric and art,

Burst like the sunrise, straight into the heart.

Kente and mudcloth, a language in thread,

Telling the tales of the living and dead.

Your voices rise in songs full of grace,

In every tongue, in every face.

From Swahili chants to Igbo lore,

Each word a doorway, each tale a door.

I thank you for wisdom passed down with pride,

For ancestors’ courage that still walks beside.

For jollof and injera, for spice and for soul,

For feeding the body and making it whole.

Without you, the world would lose its fire,

Its rhythm, its spirit, its deepest desire.

But with you, it sings, it dances, it lives,

In every breath your culture gives.

So here’s to you ancient, strong, and free,

A masterpiece of humanity.