The World Does Not Accept Us To Be Fully Africans -Sena Voncujovi

A world that prioritizes Western academic achievement and material accumulation over knowledge of self or nature.

A world that tells you to depend on a Eurocentric system that will interminably oppress African people instead of building systems that primarily serve African people.

A world where a human being’s value is measured by how much they can take from the world and nature, not how much they can give back.

A world where “progress” means the continuous exploitation of nature and the mass extinction of species, not the preservation of all forms of life on the planet.

A world where some lives are more important than others. Human life is more important than animals and plants, while some human beings are more important than others based on race, nationality, economic class, and creed.

A world that only recognizes western medical knowledge as scientific truth, while all other forms of indigenous medical wisdom like African medical wisdom are seen as mere superstition or religion.

A world that says Africans are not beautiful or handsome unless they are validated by non-African beauty standards. The gaps in our teeth, our kinky hair, and our bodies are all evaluated from another’s perspective.

Some of us have rejected that world and those colonially-imported values. We have rejected the worldviews that continue to keep us mentally enslaved and reduce our dignity. So much so that many of us are unable to see our own value as Africans.

If following the spiritual path of my African ancestors will let me burn in Hell, I have no interest in going to such a “Heaven”

If following the path of my African ancestors will make me be labeled “unaccomplished,” “uneducated” , and “uncultured,” I have no interest in upholding such a system that denies me of my inherent dignity. One does not require titles to manifest one’s destiny.

If wanting to be treated equally to everyone is “radical,” then I would happily embrace that label. After all, Dutty Boukman, Mbuya Nehanda, and Yaa Asantewaa were all labeled radicals in their time. I won’t be the first to die still believing in and working to serve our loving mother, Africa.

My ancestors faced the same challenges. While some Africans capitulated to Western domination, others rejected it and put their lives on the line to maintain their African dignity. In doing so, they preserved the dignity of their ancestors. Those are the ancestors I choose to venerate and will always honor, for because they were, I am.

So I will continue honoring the memory of those African ancestors by my actions, my values, and my work as a Vodu and Afa priest in this world that does not accept you to be fully African.

You can learn more about the author and his work on our ReVodution: Voodoo education website and on his family shrine’s (Afrikan Magick Temple) website.