"Honam"
A powerful and passionate spoken word poem by Cynthia Amoah
This piece was performed at TEDx Ohio State University. "Honam" is defined as the word 'skin' in (Twi), the native language of Ghana, West Africa. Doesn't the spelling of "honam" almost look like the spelling of "human?" Their definitions are closely related as well. This poem intertwines these concepts to the ever loved actress Lupita N'yongo's success story while raising an anthem of loving ourselves and our brown girls.
Cynthia Amoah is a spoken word artist who started her artistry through national poetry recitation competitions and motivational talks. An activist in her own right, her literary pieces often highlight the forgotten stories of the world, while transcending the often times marginalized groups that she delineates in her work. A large part of what she believes God put her on this Earth to do is to use words, whether written or spoken, to breathe life into spaces and moments, where silence has masqueraded itself as king. Cynthia aspires to leave an indelible mark on the way in which we discuss race, gender and culture through her literary works.
Cynthia Amoah is a spoken word artist who started her artistry through national poetry recitation competitions and motivational talks. An activist in her own right, her literary pieces often highlight the forgotten stories of the world, while transcending the often times marginalized groups that she delineates in her work. A large part of what she believes God put her on this Earth to do is to use words, whether written or spoken, to breathe life into spaces and moments, where silence has masqueraded itself as king. Cynthia aspires to leave an indelible mark on the way in which we discuss race, gender and culture through her literary works.
With the world we live in and hear about every day - and seemingly more and more lately - this piece made me choke up. Maybe it's where I'm from, maybe it's where I've been, maybe it's what I've seen...I'm not sure... but I just can't understand the world we live in sometimes. What makes people so disgusting? What drives so much hatred - and, on top of that, who is teaching this hatred? Why is it filtered down so freely and unnecessarily? Those are just my thoughts on the topic. Cynthia's poem is amazing in every way and I hope you'll join the conversation below. You don't need a magazine cover to tell you that you are beautiful!