As a young girl, the natural choice of partner was the available man. The available and abundant were the African men, of many different shades. I found them beautiful and cool, fun and friendly, but some I thought to be rude, fierce and unfriendly.

I never felt that the fierce had respect for girls, or even knew to speak to them. These were the feared, they were rowdy.

The majority were the friendly. And the liked? They were the ones to feel shy with. I did not know how to speak to them, even though I really liked them and it’s what I wanted.

As a young woman, some of these really cool and beautiful African men were even more unattainable. They were also the loved by the blondes as well, the white girls of all hair colours. What most of the white girls could offer in a relationship, I could not as easily promise. But I always had friendships.

But there is a dawning of these really cool African men, and they are sprouting up in huge numbers and this makes me feel happy.

See, at one time, I got very interested into listening to all music made by black people – what the African American men a lot of times sang about was not to my liking. Some of their songs were to me rude, fierce and disrespectful to girls and women. I loved the tunes though.

I felt sad that many young African boys took after these men, copied their style, talked to women and girls in the abusive languages used by these men, thinking it to be OK.

It felt even less appealing when I heard young girls referrer to each other in these disrespectful ways – coz some man in a song sang of such.

But what the new generation of African men sing about, I truly appreciate. These are men that sing about loving their women, respecting them, wanting good for them and appreciating them.

And guess what – I think that this is really cool, it is the truer. They have always been there, these respectful and really cool African men.

They were to me the cool and beautiful. But they are more visible now. More available and more true. True to their colours of being the beautiful and cool, respectful and attractive and now visibly available to this African woman.

….This dawning of the really cool African man is also the dawning of the really appreciative African woman.

The African child need not get tips on how to behave or talk to their girls or women from men who know less. The knowers are the respectful – what most of our diverse cultures have always been wise to know. That societies are made up of MEN, WOMEN and CHILDREN – and respecting each other is a norm to be taught and practiced by all, even the children.

So rise and shine, show your cool and stay beautiful African child – man, women AND child.

This African woman is already appreciating… and truly respecting, the beautiful African man, an African child.