She made a regal entrance to their summit and instructed

they could keep the stolen artefacts, they’re world materials;

they could keep her dead children erased from their dirty files,

but she wanted back her children who were being ill-treated.

She wore a kaftan of rich brown and carried all her rivers in it:

Nile, Niger, Zambezi, Limpopo, Congo, Orange, Senegal,

Ubangi, Kasai, Shebelle, and their budding younger siblings.

When she walked, the river waves flanked her like warriors,

clearing the path for her determined feet to tread like a lioness.

The battalions of the big five flew above her as air guardians.

It was her savanna and no one had the rights to her children.

They adjourned in closed sessions to discuss her demands.

Her children held little value to them except as cheap labor.

Letting them go would impact their economy and global status.

They did not see it coming—her calling in the godparents:

Indian Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and Red Sea.

They towered above the convention halls and rooms, ready to

sink any suggestions of takeovers, collaborations, or charities.

None of them understood the lessons she gifted on adaptability.

None of them understood the pain she endured to instill pride.

None of them had the right to imprison her children with wealth.

None of them had the right to strip away the nobility of her children.

She stood tall and adamant, bearing an insignia of rare Tanzanite,

and commanded her children to walk proudly to the front door.

They came from all the concealed crooks of suffering and indignity.

She stretched her kaftan of all the rivers and led them all out.

Her big five battalions—lions, leopards, elephants, African buffalo,

and rhinoceroses—roared above to ensure safe passage home.

The oceans sailed them back to the wealth of their African roots.

Today, no land dares offend or take her natural wealth for granted.

They no longer hold summits or video conferences to pressure her.

They no longer offer bribes for her fall or assume she is corrupted.

They no longer attempt to bend her will with economic sanctions.

Her children are re-learning pride and dignity of being Alkebulans.

Author’s note: According to the Alkebulan history of Africa, the indigenous name of Africa before it was colonized is Alkebulan, which means the Garden of Eden or the Cradle of Mankind.