FOUNDING TEXT

Since our early childhood, 

we have been aboard a boat

whose captain we have never seen.

We moved forward without a map, 

Convinced that motion alone was enough, 

before understanding that movement does not always give direction.

We searched for our lands within our certainties, 

worn down by repetition.

Sometimes the horizon looked like a promise. 

Sometimes it looked like nothing at all.

There was a black sun above us.

Too dark to cross without going blind.

And yet, we did it anyway. Because survival was all we had learned.

Around us, pirates moved through the storm.

They spoke of victory and power, 

Raising black flags bearing the image of death. 

They told us it was time to surrender.

We did not yet know that we were all aboard. Only that we were learning to remain proud And standing, while the sea decided for us.

African College™