She Could Not Complain About Not Having

I Have My Father's Lopsided Mouth. When I Smile, My Lips Slope To One Side. My Doctor Sister Calls It My Cerebral Palsy Mouth. I Am Very Much A Daddy's Girl, And Even Though I Would Rather My Smile Wasn't Crooked, There Is Something Moving For Me About Having A Mouth Exactly Like My Father's.

If I Had Not Grown Up In Nigeria- And If All I Knew Of Africa Were Of Popular Images- I Too Would Think That Africa Was A Place Of Beautiful Landscapes, Beautiful Animals And Incomprehensible People Fighting Sensless Wars, Dying Of Poverty And Aids- Unable To Speak For Themselves And Waiting To Be Saved By A Kind White Foreigner.

Papa Sat Down At The Table And Poured His Tea From The China Tea Set With Pink Flowers On The Edges. I Waited For Him To Ask Jaja And Me To Take A Sip, As He Always Did. A Love Sip, He Called It, Because You Shared The Little Things You Loved With The People You Love.

I Didn't Know I Was Even Supposed To Have Issues Until I Came To America

I Don't Believe That Art And Politics Or Social Issues Must Be Separated. In Writing About Marriage, For Example, Money Can Be A Big Factor, And Money Is Linked To Earning, And Earning Is Influenced By Politics.