The Black Badge of Africa Gift Mudzingwa I was born with the scent

of wild flowers in the air,

The smell of wood-fires,

And the cooking pot.

My first tears flowed

from the sting of smoke,

From the pain of the thorns

in my naked small feet.

How I hated, at first,

The long hours, herding cattle,

But loved the hills,

And the river - when it gave me fish!

I learned to listen

to the songs of the birds,

To watch the colours

of the dawn and sunset.

I learned to love

The land that gave me

My own black badge.

The black badge of Africa,

QUESTIONS

1. Where is the poem set? Provide two sets of evidence from the poem that support the

setting

13]

2. What does the black badge symbolize in this poem?

(1)