The Black Badge of Africa Gift Mudzingwa

I was born with the scent

of wild flowers in the air,

The smell of wood-fires,

And the cooking pot.

My first tears flowed

from the sting of smoke,

From the pain of the thorns

in my naked small feet.

How I hated, at first,

The long hours, herding cattle,

But loved the hills,

And the river - when it gave me fish!

I learned to listen

to the songs of the birds,

To watch the colours

of the dawn and sunset.

I learned to love

The land that gave me

My own black badge.

The black badge of Africa,

QUESTIONS

1. Where is the poem set? Provide two sets of evidence from the poem that support the

setting

13]

2. What does the black badge symbolize in this poem?

(1)

1. The poem is set in Africa. Evidences of this setting are found in the lines "The smell of wood-fires, / And the cooking pot." and "The land that gave me/ My own black badge. The black badge of Africa".

2. The black badge is symbolic of his identity as a black man, an African man.

Gift Mudzingwa's "The Black Badge of Africa" is a short poem about his acceptance and love of his homeland, Africa. The speaker describes the land that made him who he is and is proud to call it his home.

A badge is something that is worn by a person as a sign of one's identity, belonging, etc.

It is used to show the openness and pride in being a part of whatever the badge represents.

In this regard, the speaker of the poem also declares his pride in having "the black badge of Africa."

Here, the "black badge" is more symbolic of his identity as a black man, a product of the African lands.

Moreover, he also declares his pride in his background, his childhood of "wood-fires . . . smoke", "long hours, herding cattle . . . hills", etc.

But most importantly, he concludes by declaring "I learned to love

The land that gave me

My own black badge.

The black badge of Africa,"

In the given poem, the main idea seems to be that of accepting and proudly declaring his love for his land and his identity. The poet commends the land that brought him up and gave him his identity.

Learn more about identity here:

brainly.com/question/12665933