As long as the wind still blows
His words will still reecho
In the dreams we forget when we wake
In the thoughts that dip and surface.
"Africa must unite
We have the resources
We have the manpower
Only unity remains"
These words will fly with the Monsoon
Across the plains of South Sudan, Cameroon
Climb the hills of DR Congo, walk the lonely deserts of Libya
Drift through the woods of Mozambique, through Ethiopia’s.
They will reecho in Somalia’s savannah
Breathe through the Sahel, Nigeria’s deep oil fields
Flow with the Yenge River of Sierra Leone
Until we hold them close, and call them our own.
And maybe then, in silent knowing
We’ll find the meaning we kept postponing.
Categories:
africanism, 12th grade, absence, africa,
Form: Free verse
She rose from the sand like a favoured child
Cradled by waves and draped with oil.
A city birthed from
A legacy carved to outlive time.
She wore power like a velvet robe
Gracefully hosting the continent’s hopes
Summits held with unifying dreams
From Egypt’s dunes to Sierra Leone’s seas.
But now she lies in shattered grace
Her golden roads frayed like worn-out thread.
Glass-built homes still raise their flags
Though windows are gone, and doors hang dead.
O Sirte, once a privilege town
Now carry the weight of broken stones
once a breath of fresh air
Now buried in ruins, silent and alone.
Categories:
africanism, 12th grade, absence, abuse,
Form: Free verse
We've painted unity on beach sand
hung hope on mangrove branches
one wave & it all washed away.
We've built summits from dust and debt
made promises we can’t even explain
while huge walls still rise between us.
Speeches thunder & then fade to silence.
Hope passes hands like counterfeit.
Even our chiefs wear suits now.
Freedom feels outsourced again.
We've tried everything they named.
So what haven’t we named yet?
Maybe it’s time we stop asking them.
Maybe it’s time we speak in our own name.
Categories:
africanism, 11th grade, 12th grade,
Form: Free verse
When dark shadows of war fell
And cries of anguish rang like bells
Streets stained, the skies of Sierra Leone torn
The hope of this nation was lost and gone.
Through those dark clouds, a light arose
A force for peace, worries deposed
ECOMOG came with a mission crystal as clear
To drive away the reign of fear.
Through jungle paths and smelly streets
They battled on, defying defeat
With every step and with every stand
They stitched together a broken land
This is the power of unity, you see—
An African brother lifting another free.
One finger alone can't lift a stone;
It takes a union to build a home.
Categories:
africanism, 12th grade, africa,
Form: Free verse
Let the paths of our ancestors remain in sight,
Their struggles, their dreams, their fearless might.
Nkrumah's vision, Sankara's spirit, Lumumba's grace,
Mandela's legacy, a beacon for our race.
Ghaddafi's resilience, a lesson to embrace
From Cameroon's plains to Sahara's gliding grace.
Under the vastness of the Atlantic sky,
In Senegal's savannahs, let unity fly.
Let Pan-Africanism fill every breath we take
From cradle to grave, for humanity's sake.
No lines drawn by foreign hands should divide
But shared minds and lands, our true guide.
Categories:
africanism, 11th grade, 12th grade,
Form: Free verse
Like twins, we share markers of a common history,
Civilization, and knowledge; a call for unity.
The carcasses of slavery and the slave trade
Are lost in the dust. O black water days.
Colonization has been eaten by our sovereignty.
Our flag, we raise high in the sky.
The struggle for the unification of Africa,
The fight for the liberation of the African people;
To live, strive, and thrive like everyone.
There is only one race; the human race.
Our blood is red; cords of conformity.
The African ancestry is a mighty influence.
Black is gold, black is our identity.
Creamy are our lands; green like the sea.
The glory days need to be fetched.
Let us be the storytellers of our people.
A time to use one powerful currency.
Our honour was never lost but stolen.
Africa is a well, Africa is not a cell.
From here, we provide them with all.
Beautiful, dark people, O Africans.
The merchants no longer come by sea.
Stopping making any form of plea.
As equals or no more dealings.
Africa is for Africans; raise your voice.
With Habakkuk Kargbo (Rabbi)
©Poem Makers SL (18/04/24)
Categories:
africanism, africa, confidence, courage, family,
Form: Free verse
The ancestral savannahs of my people
Are still alive in the unseen horizons
Our grandparents have told us many
Wonderful things about our tribe
Before they arrived, we were here
On the banks of the rivers and streams
We stood and saw their ships
North, south, East and West
Your blood flows in my veins; Only we
Can irrigate the fields without profits
The sick mentality of favour doing
Need to be hang or put in the electric chair
We are not anyone boys or lessers
Our ancestors were kings, queens, and nobles
There was so much to eat and drink
The blood of our sweat, the sweat of our labor
Elements of stability; Rise Up Africans
Like a corpse, bury the weight of opprobrium
No more trembling, red blemishes
Shine in the middle; go nowhere
Africans, wise, and strong
Young and old; be a stimulating tree
Be part of the newfound springing up Africa
Amid the pale and faded flowers, we rise
Deliberately, and earnestly, we rise
With Habakkuk Kargbo (Rabbi)
©Poem Makers SL (18/04/24)
Categories:
africanism, africa, confidence, courage, freedom,
Form: Free verse
AMASOWONMWAN
At arm's, I am but your brethren,
Ne pas comrade
Pour food, most have sold
Their Honors for gold
Others, a pot of pottage
The tree only bends to the wind
Because it doesn't know how to do otherwise
Ainsi be wise, precautions taken
Births no aftermaths
You are not your father's son
Lest, you wear the family's emblem
Upright;
Off white greyish, ripen with time
Solely relying on faith
Hoping for the best,
Yet ignoring all good
Seeing nothing right with better.
Amasowonmwan
Strangers shan't lay a curse on you,
Nor take your portion
A few know your real names?
Iten edo
Even the gods forbid that a father bury a son
But then also
The child is the father of the man
Alright?
The darker the skin colour
The deeper the roots,
For sour sweet tastes the truth
Like rumor, solid liquid smells it flavour
Symbolisms of our ancestral struggle.
Fear what you know
Not the unknown,
All these and more
Are reasons why people drown
At ovia river.
ghops
Categories:
africanism, africa, allusion, deep, extended
Form: Didactic
Who cares?
Those were days past
When Africans used to be brothers
When everyone shared when something bothers
When we all united against immorality
When a child belonged to the community
Now everyone on his own
Because none cares
Gone are days of blood brotherhood
When all norms had meaning
When a kinsman never would sleep hungry
When we shared a pot of soup
When we talked openly but gently
Now everyone on his own
Because none cares
Categories:
africanism, africa, community, encouraging, faith,
Form: Verse