As a Grandfather with a new granddaughter I am ‘Thankful’ to the Creator and Ancestors to be alive and able to greet her! In the Afrikan Akan tradition we have the 'soul' (kra) indwelling of the God-force, the ‘blood’ (mogya) of our mothers, and the ‘spirit’ (ntoro) of our fathers.
As an Elder to my new granddaughter ‘Aliyyah’ I have the responsibility to teach her about the divine presence within, teach her about maternal bloodline ‘DNA’ to self-heal, and ‘Spiritualize’ her with the best of my spirit and the spirits of our Ancestors.
I will teach my granddaughter the importance of living up to her name which mans ‘Loftiness’ - having a purpose in life and self-determination; having New Afrikan values and standards, understanding the bigger picture ‘vastness’ of life, nature, and the universe.
My granddaughter’s name must guide her to understand that she’s more than the racist propaganda stereotype of being a ‘nigga’ and pettiness; that she’s more than a sexual object and a consumer slave! That she’s a priceless sojourner in this life!
Unfortunately based on current data so many Black boys and girls are committing suicide, their taking their lives because of confusion and lack of self-worth; they don’t have a sense of ‘Roots’ or have ‘Wings’. There’s an Afrikan proverb that states “We desire to bequest two things to our children, the first one is roots and the other one is wings.”
Indeed Black history provides our children with a strong foundation, their culture provides them with resiliency tools to ‘elevate’ self-actualize themselves in the midst of racial oppression. Again it is my responsibility to my granddaughter as a grandfather as long as I have life to provide her with Roots and Wings – the spirit of ‘Sankofa’. Ashe!
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“Granddaughter, through you I see the future. Through me, you’ll see the past.
In the present, we’ll love one another as long as these moments last.” -Unknown |
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