What is Culture?

Have you asked yourself recently what is culture?
What is my culture?

Culture is in music and songs and food
It is in the way your tongue twirls when you speak to your mother in your language
Culture is love
Culture is in a woven basket, whether you made it from flax or birch trees
Culture is in the steam in the kitchen
It is a warm pie at the petrol station

Culture spills blood in the name of it
It is children standing in the court in the name of it
Culture is mistreating your loved ones
It is misogynistic and patriarchal and exclusive
It is war and cheating
Is it stealing from your neighbour?

Culture is your mother wrapping you in a towel
It is the smell of the freshly baked bread coming from the truck at 5 am near your house
It is the thick layer of butter your grandfather puts on that bread
Culture is preparing all the food you have left so your guests can enjoy it

Is culture also domestic abuse or high suicide rates?
It is in the oppression of women and children and voices
It is bullying
Bullying your classmate for bringing in their homemade lunch food that you are so unfamiliar with

If culture is a big warm bowl of soup but also your father smashing mum’s head on the wall when he comes home drunk
Then how can I be proud of it? Fully? Wholly? Without hesitation?

Why don’t we separate the childhood, the memories, the food, the music
With all the negative traits our culture, our people picked up so we don’t confuse it
So we give excuses for it. So we stand for both sides of it.

We think we need to be proud of all of it but we don’t.
We can love the music but not support the abuse
Love the flavours on my plate but not the notions of racisms and privilege on it

I never want to hear “We don’t do it here”
Are you referring to enjoying your food with your hands
Or keeping your mouth shut until anxiety overtakes you and takes your life?
Which one don’t you do here?