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My Malawi - Independence Day Poem

We were not a nation, but just a continent 
Africa with kingdoms 
then, we violently got segmented and detached by people who never understood us 
we were sliced as if we were bread, 
then, one precious piece appeared, 
a sweet-potato shaped 
only to find itself locked as a puzzle  
we were given a colonial name, a colonial anthem, and a colonial currency 
It’s funny how I also write in the colonial language, and I put it as my fluency  
we were enslaved, 
in our homeland 
but also, we were sent to their lands 
we were abused to the core, and we burnt out as coal 
as my great grandfather narrated of the “Thangata System” 
we were deceived that they discovered our rivers, lakes and mountains 
it’s funny that we were using them before 
naming became a discovery, 
and fresh generations are still indoctrinated with the deception 
We forgave, but our history cannot be erased  
We have moved, but we have pains 
Our history is not pleasing, it’s hard pressing 
We were taken for granted 
As if we are not a people 
Not a secret, we were called “monkeys”
Our dignity was lost 
Then we gained independence we had once lost
When the stupid federation was broken, as the dawn arrived and the cock crowed 
It looked promising as men, women, and children chanted 
They sung, because they felt victorious 
But still, we betrayed each other, 
Infested with mysteries, greed, insecurities, poverty, tyranny 
We still never gave up but fought for the freedom 
A little bit of a turning around 
But we still cry bitterly
When the people elected forget us
And we still exploit each other 
Where is "Ubuntu"?
Our independence lost its fragrance 
Because we are not free 
When we still depend on foreign aid in every sector
What went wrong?
I wait for complete healing, 
I wait for the day we shall see the meaning, 
I believe our history is important 
Only when told in an honest way 
So that we can pave a way 
For truth, and progress

Copyright © | Year Posted 2022




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