Manal Younus is a storyteller who believes that language and stories are the very fabric of our existence. Originally from Eritrea now based on Kaurna Country, she uses her writing and performance to create experiences that encourage audiences to join her in asking questions of themselves and the world around them. In 2015, she released her first book of poetry called ‘Reap’ and launched it with a national tour. She has since gone on to perform at schools and events around the country and the world including at the Jaipur Literary Festival and Georgetown Literary festival.
Poem:
Ashy Knees
‘don’t kneel
‘or crawl
‘or your knees will go black’
she was taught to hate her ashy knees
see they were black
and black was bad
but she was black
‘don’t call yourself black
you’re brown’
she’d hear
as though that should make her feel better
but still not even the black boys look at her
so she wanted
her lips to be as thin as the other girls
hips as slim as the other girls
but with fingertips that don’t match her knuckles
she was the scapegoat for lies
the victim of exclusion
should she be here or there
until she came to the conclusion
that she doesn’t belong anywhere
introduced as “Sarah’s little black friend”.
‘what’s your name again?’
‘can I just call you Mia then?’
skin tone meant
we got teased in the schoolyard
pretended to be tough
but they would call our bluff when pushed
she landed on those knees
making them darker
ashier
her
angrier