Someone says, ‘Moving to New York gave me a whole new perspective on the world.’ What does she mean?

Or, at some point in your life, you may have said something like, ‘Johannesburg [or whatever place you have moved to] opened my eyes.’ What did you mean?

I say, becoming fully conscious to what it means to be you, to be awake to what it entails to be of African descent, to recognise yourself as black, to be white and born in Africa, or to be of a kind of heterogeneous heritage and identify with Africa, is what fundamentally shifts your understanding of the world, whether you are in Johannesburg or New York.

I say, taking time to learn how you are made to see the world, and then cultivating your own way of seeing the world, regardless of where you find yourself, is what opens your eyes.