This analysis is based on the poem "I am an African" by Wayne Visser. It is a line-by-line analysis.

1. I AM AN
AFRICAN
-Wayne Visser

2. STANZA 1
◦ Line 1-3: “I am an African” - The speaker tells us of his birthplace; he was born in a country in Africa. “But
because my heart beats with Africa’s” – the speaker uses personification in line 3. He says that Africa has a
heartbeat and that when her heart beats, his heart beats with hers. This tells us that the speaker and Africa are
in synchronisation; the speaker loves where he comes from and holds Africa very close to his heart.
◦ Line 4: The speaker repeats that he is an African. He is emphasising that he is proud of who he is and where
he comes from.
◦ Line 5-6: The speaker says that the colour of his skin is not what makes him an African. The speaker
addresses the stereotype that all Africans are black, which is not true. What makes the speaker African is the
way he thinks. The speaker’s thoughts are full of African history, culture, and traditions.
◦ Line 7: The speaker continues to emphasise that he is African.
◦ Line 8-9: The speaker explains that he is not an African just because he lives in Africa. No matter where the
speaker lives, Africa will always be his home.

3. STANZA 2
◦ Line 10: The speaker uses personification and tells us that Africa cries for her children. “Children” refers to all the
people who were born in different countries within Africa.
◦ Line 11: When Africa cries, the speaker cries as well. Literally, the speaks says that he cries when he the continent of
Africa cries. Figuratively the speaker means that when the people who live in Africa are in serious trouble such as
having wars, crimes, corruption, etc, the people cry for help and the speaker cries with them.
◦ Line 12-13: When the people of Africa honour the older generations who have fought for the good of the country,
the speaker bows his head to show respect to those elders as well. The citizens of Africa had to fight hard for
freedom, justice and their human rights. Africa honours these people who fought for everything that we have today.
◦ Line 14: ‘Victims’ refer to people who were harmed, injured or killed as a result of a crime, accident, or other event
or action. The people of Africa grieve for those who they have lost due to crimes or accidents.
◦ Line 15: The speaker joins the people of Africa in grieving and praying for their victims.
◦ Line 16-17: When the people of Africa celebrate their achievements, the speaker happily celebrates with them. He
is so happy that he dances.

4. STANZA 3
◦ Line 18-20: The speaker describes the beauty of Africa. The sky in Africa is so blue and bright that the when
the speaker looks up, it gives him hope that the future will be good.
◦ Line 21-23: No matter where in Africa the speaker is, the citizens treat him as if he is a part of their family.
The citizens teach him how important it is to stick together and look after each other.
◦ Line 24-25: Africa is a continent that is known for its unique animal kingdom and beautiful wilderness. The
beauty of the wilderness inspires the speaker and makes him extremely proud of his homeland.
◦ Line 26: Whenever the speaker sees Africa’s stunning landscapes, it will always remind him of where he came
him.

5. STANZA 4
◦ Line 27: The “music of Africa” refers to the traditional African songs that are being played or sung by the
citizens of Africa. When the wind blows, the music travels through the wind.
◦ Line 28: The speaker gets excited when he hears the music.
◦ Line 29: The speaker uses hyperbole to express how much he enjoys the music. He cannot physically become
“the essence of sound”. Line 30: Referring to the bright and beautiful colours of nature in Africa that shine
even brighter during the day.
◦ Line 31-32: “senses” refers to our five senses (seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling and touching). The speaker
appreciates Africa’s colourful landscape. The colours look like a rainbow to him. The speaker feels like he has
become a part of the colourful landscape.
◦ Line 33: People of Africa are telling traditional stories that have been passed down from generation to
generation, around a fire.
◦ Line 34: The speaker does not physically walk in the pathways of the stories. He listens to the stories being
told and it feels as if he has experienced those stories himself.
◦ Line 35: The speaker leaves his mark in history. He will continue to tell the stories that he has heard around
the fire and the people who the speaker has met will tell stories about him to others.

6. STANZA 5
◦ Line 36: The speaker continues to emphasise that he is an African.
◦ Line 37: It is the first time that the speaker speaks directly to the reader by using the word “our”. Before this, the speaker spoke
only about himself but now he speaks to every African reading this poem. He says that Africa is place of our beginning, of our
birth, of where we come from.
◦ Line 38: Africa is a continent that has a rich history. The citizens of Africa are proud and cherish their African history. They take
care of the knowledge and wisdom that has been passed down to them from those who came many, many years before them and
they carefully pass it on to those who will come after them.
◦ Line 40: The rest of the world often looks past Africa as Africa is usually seen a poor, third world nation.
◦ Line 41: Although the world does not pay any special attention to Africa, the speaker says that no one can deny Africa’s beauty and
that Africa shines extremely bright even if it is in the world’s “shadow”.
◦ Line 42: The speaker tells us for the last time that he is an African. Until the end of the poem the speaker tells us that he is an
African. This tells us that until the end of his life, he will proudly tell everyone that he is an African.
◦ Line 43-44: These last two lines are extremely powerful. The speaker tells us that Africa is the future and that we must take care of
our homeland and everything that she offers us. There are many things in Africa that cannot be found anywhere else in the world.
The people, animals, the traditions, cultures, languages, landscapes – there is no where else in the world where you can find a place
as unique and diverse as Africa. These are gifts that the speaker considers as sacred.