I am not white; I am black. You wouldn’t disagree with me if you saw me. You’d perhaps agree, ‘Of course, you’re black.’ But do you see what is beyond my black? What IS before my color? Unfortunately, we live in a world that needs a constant reminder of its sameness.
I wrote my poem FIHANKRA in Ghana before our national elections in 2024. The tension in the air was so thick, you could cut it with a knife. As a poet, what could I do to remind my people of ‘What we were, before color,’ before tribes, and political parties? That elections were simply the people deciding what ideas are best suited for our beloved nation, and that violence was needless. Ghana historically hasn’t experienced any civil wars post-independence, but as a young man growing up, I always feared that our peace was taken for granted whenever I heard of violence during and post-election. Yet, with every passing day, the usefulness of ‘FIHANKRA’ extends beyond just my people. It is even more important now, as the human race needs a daily reminder of what comes before color in this fast-paced, information-choked world, where unproven claims flood our screens every minute with over 10,000 likes. It scares me that the world is hungry; it is hungry for what differentiates us, when all it needs is to see beyond the color. See beyond the color and you may find a brother, a friend, a mother, a husband, a son or daughter.
‘Fihankra’ was published in Pathos Literary Magazine in the fall of 2024. The title ‘Fhankra’ is from the Asante Adinkra symbol family. It represents an enclosed or secured compound house. It is a poem written in free verse that touches on themes of brotherhood, safety, security, completeness, solidarity, unity, family, colonization, and poverty. It is written in a blend of Ghanaian language and English, enacting its idea of unity in differences. In terms of its structure, it uses a blend of short phrases and long sentences to symbolize the long and complex history of the continent.