The other day on radio I heard an advert on a book written by one South African author (did not get his name) .. The book apparently explains what an African is. The advert starts out with President Mbheki's famous "I am an African" Speech, then a white accent voice says "I, too, am an African", then an indain accent, colored and afrikaaner. Then this vioce laughs out and says "Everybody today is an African." It then goes on to sell the book being advertised. I would definately want to read that book, "What is an African?"

For me, there's two side..........Firstly an African is a black man. That is why African-American is synonymous with balck-American, and that is why in most of the career sites in which I have put my CV in will ask me....."Are you: African, White, Colored, Indian, or other (I suppose the other would be asians?). Obviously I wll say African, I'm a blck woman. So there, an African is a black man.

Secondly, an African is a child born into the motherland., who's roots as far as is generations and generations of ancestors is planted in the African soil. That is what an Africa is. Some of the White famers in Zim for example, who's generations were rooted here many years ago. Yes they are products of colonialists but let not man pay for the sin of his forefathers. Only The higher Being can judge right? Can't they call themselves African? A black man was asked once on radio, "What is being African?" He said Africans were balck. Then the radio personality asked him, "but what if you were to move to China and 10 generations down, your childern continue the legacy you started in China. Will they not then be regarded as Chinese?" He said" Not Chinese, citizens of China yes, but not Chinese" He has a point because chinese are not black right?

Anyone with a clear definition of what an African is?

I have concluded that whatever you choose to call yourselves, we are all citizens of the global village and if we can learn to live in harmony and look beyond race, beyond clolour, we will find that there really is enough room for all of us, whether in Africa, America, Europe or Asia, black, white, colored, indiann, chinese or other.

Formal school was brought to Africa by the white man to educate a society that was used to informal and social education, hunting and living freely and in harmony with the wild.

Sometimes I imagine myself having lived in those times..................free from school. School to me is like what a man is to woman...."Can't live with them, can't live without them". I love school, don't get me wrong but yesterday, I almost cursed those settlers who brought it to our motherland. Have you ever stayed up the whole night becuase of this mind-opener? I have, a zillion times! But everytime I have to its like the a new tormenting experience I can never get used to. I stayed up the whole night yesterday busy with one of my never ending school assignments. YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I almost cried....exhaustion, red teary eyes from starring at the computer for to long, it was hellish. The funny thing is I always tell myself after crossnighting, that I'll never do it agian. That I'll try to manage my time better and hopefully never have to experience being drunk without having taken any alcohol...................but what do you know? When I'm swamped with a load of work as I often am, I'm back cursing (well almost...I'm a Christian woman and I try to refrain from negetivisism..[if there is such a word])............anyways as I was saying.......back almost cursing and wishing I was born before the times of the civilisation and colonisation of the motherland.

On the bright side though, I would never have had the opprotunity to Take it Global...so thank God I'm living in this time hey!