Big Daddy Poem by Niladri Dey

Big Daddy



Spawned near the west of Nile
An ignorant throughout his life
Adept and overeager sonny
Ascended to the ranks of effendi (Effendi: Highest possible rank for an African in colonial British Army)

A coup d'état saw the seizure
Sonny portrayed as the keeper
Lands of far welcomed the change
Freddie’s body returned to state

They say change is inevitable
Rumors and myths were limning a cannibal
A black man’s country was about to form
As Asians were asked to leave their home

Langos and Acholis mowed down in Jinja
Cadavers clogged the longest river
Eight years reign glorified by gore
ICJ reckoned 300,000 the toll

What goes around that comes around
A universal rule that applies to all
As paranoia became more pronounced
The regime started to lose its ground

An attempt to annex Kagera
The last chapter of Sonny’s era
When rebellion breached Kampala’s line
Sonny fled and remained in exile

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Niladri Dey

Niladri Dey

Calcutta
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