They Clapped

By Nikki Giovanni b. 1943 Nikki Giovanni

they clapped when we landed

thinking africa was just an extension

of the black world

they smiled as we taxied home to be met

black to black face not understanding africans lack

color prejudice

they rushed to declare

cigarettes, money, allegiance to the mother land

not knowing despite having read fanon and davenport

hearing all of j.h. clarke’s lectures, supporting

nkrumah in ghana and nigeria in the war that there was once

a tribe called afro-americans that populated the whole

of africa

they stopped running when they learned the packages

on the women’s heads were heavy and that babies didn’t

cry and disease is uncomfortable and that villages are fun

only because you knew the feel of good leather on good

pavement

they cried when they saw mercedes benz were as common

in lagos as volkswagens are in berlin

they shook their heads when they understood there was no

difference between the french and the english and the americans

and the afro-americans or the tribe next door or the country

across the border

they were exasperated when they heard sly and the family stone

in francophone africa and they finally smiled when little boys

who spoke no western tongue said “james brown” with reverence

they brought out their cameras and bought out africa’s drums

when they finally realized that they are strangers all over

and love is only and always about the lover not the beloved

they marveled at the beauty of the people and the richness

of the land knowing they could never possess either

they clapped when they took off

for home despite the dead

dream they saw a free future

Nikki Giovanni, “They Clapped” from My House. Copyright © 1972 by Nikki Giovanni. Used with the permission of HarperCollins Publishers.

Source: The Collected Poems of Nikki Giovanni (2003)

Biography

Nikki Giovanni is one of the best-known African-American poets who reached prominence during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Her unique and insightful poetry testifies to her own evolving awareness and experiences: from child to young woman, from naive college freshman to seasoned civil rights activist, from daughter to mother. Frequently anthologized, Giovanni’s poetry expresses strong racial pride and respect for family. Her . . .

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