Stort Teller sat beneath the baobab tree, his long black hair swaying in the gentle breeze. His professor's words echoed in his mind: 'The earliest human remains were all found in Africa.' If humans began in Africa, and God made man in his image, what did that mean?

"Our people have always known what science now confirms," Grandmother said, her eyes reflecting ancient wisdom. "The first humans walked African soil." Stort nodded, feeling the weight of history in her words. "When the holy books say God created man in his image, remember where those first people lived."

Stort pored over anthropology texts, his fingers tracing migration patterns from Africa. Lucy, Homo erectus, Mitochondrial Eve—all African. The evidence was overwhelming and consistent. "Our story begins here," he whispered to himself.

That night, Stort dreamed of ancient valleys and primordial forests. Dark-skinned figures moved with purpose, creating the first tools. Their eyes held divine spark, their hands shaped humanity's future. Stort woke understanding something profound about his heritage.

"Before books told our story, we passed truth through generations," Elder Kofi said. "The creator made the first people here, in the creator's image." Stort listened intently, connecting ancient oral traditions with scientific findings. "Our ancestors knew what others are just discovering."

Stort stood in the Olduvai Gorge, birthplace of humanity. The red earth seemed to pulse beneath his feet. "I am standing where it all began," he thought, overwhelmed. Here, the first image of God walked upright.

Stort gazed at his reflection in the still water. Dark skin, deep eyes, long black hair—features from the beginning of time. He saw in himself echoes of those first humans. Perhaps he was seeing something of God too.

"Genetic diversity decreases the further you move from Africa," Dr. Mensah explained. "It means all non-African populations descended from African ones." Stort nodded, understanding the implications. "Science confirms what our stories have always told us."

If the first humans were African, and made in God's image, then God must reflect African features. Stort contemplated this while watching children play in the village square. The divine spark shone in their eyes, a continuation from the beginning.

Stort's brush moved across canvas, creating his vision of creation. God—with features like his own—forming the first humans from African soil. The painting spoke a truth both ancient and new. His art became his testimony.

"Our blackness is not just skin—it's our primacy in human history," Stort told the gathered students. His presentation showed Africa as humanity's cradle, God's first canvas. "This isn't just African history—it's human history."

Stort returned to the baobab tree, his journey of discovery complete yet ongoing. The question that started his quest now felt answered in his bones. God is African because humanity began African. In embracing this truth, Stort found both heritage and future.