Culture by Casandra Gaviao

I would have loved to be Japanese
to wear the Kimono and wooden sandals
or even to be an Indian woman
And wear the colourful Sari

But I'm only an African woman
Born of Shona and of Sena
mhapa and shashiko
now the African attire
for me the modern woman

Sure I'd have loved to English or French
To be called sophisticated among women
glamorous jewels and elegant dresses
But i prefer my wooden beads
Jewels of seeds, shells and stone

I would have loved to be a part of Ancient Egypt
To share with Cleopatra the riches of this world
To be bathed in milk and dressed in silk
But i do come from the South
animal skin, fabric made from plant fibre

I appreciate who I am
I appreciate other cultures
They bring a definition to who we are!