What is Africa to me:
Copper sun or scarlet sea,
Jungle Star or jungle track,
Strong bronzed men, or regal black
Women from whose loins I sprang
! When the birds of Eden sang?
One three centuries removed
From the scenes his father loved,
Spicy grove, cinnamon tree,
What is Africa to me?
-- Countee Cullen, Heritage
Every black American who journeys to Africa seeks an answer to that question -- and I was no different during the 2 1/2 years I spent as a Time correspondent on the continent I think of as the motherland.
On Goree Island, a rocky...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
