This visual piece is a part of Lit Mag: The UNTOLD Issue
What you are looking at is an artistic representation of me and my home country. I chose to do this because it represents who I am and where I come from. What I have noticed from being a part of American culture is that people seem to classify Africa as a country when really it’s a whole continent with 34 different countries. I’m Rwandan and I feel like my story and the story of my people is largely untold. I used Photoshop to combine a photo of the Rwandan flag with my portrait in the background.
Mariam Nyirasafari grew up in Rwanda, a country located in East Africa, rich with history and culture. She is currently 19 years old and has been living in the United States for 3 years now. Because of her unique background, she speaks more than 3 languages fluently. In her free time, she enjoys playing soccer, dancing and solving math problems. She also loves creating art because it is the only way she can make the world pay attention to her and to what she does. Being creative makes her happy and is the only thing that helps her forget her problems. She currently attends Oakland International High School and hopes to have a career in the broadcast field.