Father Africa Poem by Joseph Oladehinde Ibikunle
Father Africa
Father Africa! At a token ignorance,
You have given your inheritance:
To strangers you gave so much.
White fellows who did not eat in our dish.
Behold, with some sham laughter,
They transacted for few daughters;
They brought clothes and rums and guns
To shackle away your sons.
Father Africa, foolish you!
Lo! See Mama Africa's cry
Her hapless tears can not dry
On her beautiful black dimples.
Oh Africa, chaos ripples.
See your sons brutally unfair
Taking hostage His own kin at warfare,
Selling them at ludicrous token.
Oh Africa, your woes betoken!
The sun rose in great grief
And shambled to rest in dumb disbelief,
The rivers - pensive in their banks.
Our follies deserve no thanks;
Africa sold her pride at Twenty Pounds,
Her offspring shackled to foreign grounds
On a fettered peregrination to the coasts,
Where they await shipment to wicked hosts.
Father Africa, foolish you!
Had those tokens of Twenty Pounds
Sufficed the pandemic poverty that pounds
You and your offspring on the head?
Those you sold - million tears shed
You caused them sorrowful spirituals to sing
They endlessly labour'd where trepidations ring,
They suffer'd severe discomfort - unfair!
They dwelt in dejected despise and despair.
Great message...but history as gone its up to you to forge ahead...forget the white man of yesteryear now is the time to get together...the Romans shackled us all..Love too see Nigeria get ahead only if you all pull together...good luck...regards
A great poem brother. But my rivers follows a course that ends its long and tireless journey in Judith Furedi's sea.
A great poem brother. But my rivers follows a course that ends its long and tireless journey in Judith Furedi's sea.
A great poem brother. But my river follows a course that leads into Judith Furedi's sea
Good message - there are a few places where I would work on using imagery instead of direct sentences. As they say, 'show, don't tell.' Like find similes or metaphors for words like dejected and despair. Describing how despair feels with other words, painting a picture would be so much more effective - and of course poetic. If this were prose, it would not be necessary - but in poetry, for me - that is important. You are a good poet and have great potential. You just need to use the tools of poetry - you can start thinking in a different way. For instance, 'sorrowful' - that's a word that is too general. If, instead, you describe something sorrowful, indirectly, it would really be powerful. Think in terms of painting pictures in the mind with words - pictures that evoke strong emotions! I hope I helped - and don't take anything personally. It is just meant to make you even more awesome than you are! Good luck to you! You just keep at it! Judith
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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4/17/2024 12:42:10 PM # 1.0.0.1119
A very powerful poem. A great write. The white man as a lot to answer for.