Africa Day: Honoring Our Roots, Living Our Wisdom

May 25th is more than a date, it is a call back to our origins, a drumbeat reminding us of who we are and who we can become.
Africa Day commemorates the birth of the Organization of African Unity in 1963, but for many of us, it is a moment to pause, reflect, and reconnect with the ancient heartbeat of our lands and our people.

It is a celebration of unity—not just political unity, but spiritual unity. The kind that flows through the rivers, dances in the wind, and echoes in our ancestral stories. The kind that says:
“I am because we are.”

Ubuntu: The Spirit That Binds Us

At the soul of Africa Day is Ubuntu—a truth I have come to live by. “I am because we are.” It is not just a proverb. It is a life philosophy. It reminds us that our strength lies in our togetherness. In our ability to hold one another. In the invisible threads that connect village to village, soul to soul.

When we celebrate Africa Day, we honor that sacred web of interdependence. We remember the freedom fighters who dreamed beyond borders. We remember the mothers who nurtured hope into being. We remember the stories whispered in firelight, and the wisdom shared not in textbooks, but in lived experience.

Africa Day tells us: You are not alone. You are part of something ancient, powerful, and beautifully alive.

Wisdom That Grows Like the Baobab

I often say that the wisdom of Africa is not loud—it is rooted. It grows like the baobab tree: wide, strong, and impossible to embrace alone. Our proverbs, songs, and oral traditions hold truths that have carried generations.

Take this one:
“Wisdom is like a baobab tree; no one person can embrace it.”

It reminds me that no matter how much I think I know, I must always return to the community. To elders. To ancestors. To those who walk alongside me. Wisdom, like healing, is a collective journey. And the moment we try to carry it alone, it slips through our fingers.

This is why we must preserve and honor our traditions. Because they are not just culture—they are medicine.

It Takes a Village: Community as Sacred Ground

Another proverb that shaped my own motherhood and path is:
“It takes a village to raise a child.”

Raising my children while rebuilding my identity, healing, and navigating migration has not been easy. But I never did it alone. Community has held me when I could no longer hold myself.

This is the African way—you do not walk alone.
Whether it’s planting a garden, starting a business, or raising a child, we are meant to lean into each other. To uplift. To share our harvest, and our lessons.

Community is not a convenience. It is a spiritual necessity.

Every Small Act Matters

In a world that often overlooks those on the margins, I hold onto this simple truth:
“If you think you are too small to make a difference, you haven’t spent the night with a mosquito.”

Even when I felt invisible, even when I was told I had no "real skills" because of my career gap, this wisdom reminded me—my presence matters. My choices matter.

This is what Africa Day also means to me: the courage to act, even when it seems like no one is watching.
Plant a seed. Teach a child. Offer a hand. Share your story.
Each act is a ripple. Each ripple, a revolution.

Living the Legacy

Africa Day is not just about looking back—it’s about carrying forward.
About how we take the lessons of our ancestors and turn them into living fire—fueling change, justice, regeneration, and healing.

Whether you are in Benue, Kigali, Berlin, or Zürich, I invite you to reflect today:

• How can I walk in deeper unity with others?

• What wisdom have I inherited that I can pass on?

• What small act can I take today to honor the continent that birthed me?

This is our day.
A sacred space in time to remember that we are rooted, resilient, and richly woven into the fabric of life.

Happy Africa Day.
With love,
Elizabeth Iember
The Hibiscus Light Path