100 Refutations | Brazil | Brazilian Portuguese | Poetry
June, 2018Identity, it is not in my hair
It is not in my face
Reflecting in the mirror.
Identity is not something to see,
It has no form, it has no color
But delicate like a flower it is
Identity lies within the speaking force
In the profundity of a look
In the singularity of my place
Identity is open hands and share
Feel the earth’s echoes and Love and peace at heart.
Identity is open arms and receive
The brotherly affirmation.
Identity is Union!
Márcia Wayna Kambeba is a member of the Omágua/Kambeba indigenous community in the Brazilian Amazon. She has a master’s degree in geography and is a writer, poet, composer, singer, storyteller, photographer, teacher, and lecturer. She is currently working on a project that combines literary and musical compositions to portray the resistance, culture, and identity of indigenous peoples. She lives in Castanhal, Pará in Brazil.
Jan Oldenburg is a translator of prose and poetry based in the Brazilian Amazon region. Having principally translated Dutch and Belgian literature into Portuguese, he set out to promote writers from the Amazon region. His portfolio now also includes translations into French, English, and German.
Copyright (c) Márcia Wayna Kambeba. English translation copyright (c) Jan Oldenburg, 2018.