Best Tanganyika Poems
From Rusizi in Rwanda
lies a historical site that is linked to the Musinga history,
a palace next to the elegant tree (umuvumu) in the Rukali village
behind the Kamembe Airstrip in Rusizi district
our roots are in Nyanza and in Moba,Tanganyika
we are from the Abega clan
From the great warriors Makara, and Mutezintare
The great chief Rwakagara, great-aunt Nyiratunga - Queen-Mother
The situations among our families divide us
The situations out of our control spread us all over the continents
With the same Surname- Musinga
But different dialects (languages)
Forget our language - Kinyarwanda.
Our Umugabekazi (Queen Mother) Nyirauhi V Kanjogera,
Our King Mwami Kigeri IV Rwabigi
Our uncles Ruhinankiko and Kabare
brother of Kanjogera and Mbanzabigwi
Grand Father Yuhi Musinga ya Ndahiro.
Queen Kankazi, Mother of Mutara III Rudahigwa
King Mutara III Rudahigwa Charles Léon Pierre and Queen Rosalie Gicanda
Son of King Yuhi IV Musinga and Nyiramavugo Kankazi Redegonde
No let me stop, the tears are running out of my eyes.
I love Africa, my beautiful Africa
I can roam in the bushes
I can run up the mountains
Down the valleys
Across the plains
Or get lost in the forests
Or the caves
I can soak the sun
On the sand at the beach
Or bake in the desert sun
Until I should find an oasis
I can stand on the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro
And if that is too tall
I can try the difficult Mt. Kenya
And touch the floating cloud
I can swim in the ocean or in the lake
Or in the dam or pond or paddle
I can also swim in the Nile or the Congo
Or the Niger or the Zambezi or the Limpopo
Or a thousand other rivers
I can catch kamongo in Lake Victoria
Or the bream on Lake Tanganyika or Malawi
Or bait the tiger fish in Kariba or Cahora Bassa
I can mine diamonds in Congo or Chiadzwa
Dig for gold in Ghana or Tanzania
Or just pick gems and cowry shells wherever I roam
From Cape to Cairo and from Timbuktu to Mombasa
Or just in my dreams.
Dar es salaam where I live means heaven of peace
But to me she has proved as well to be a haven of peace.
A peaceful place for any peace-loving person or race.
Atleast selfishly from here seem faraway all warring feuds all bloody massacres.
For here we simply catch sea and fresh water fishes
instead of getting caught up in goddamned skirmishes.
Oh and I live in a land of seven wonders and I stay in a mansion of seven windows
Each of them overlooking a different view
Guys, seven wonders to be exact
but be ready here for both fiction and fact
For I present to you these seven wonders of this land
as if I could view 'em' all from where I stand.
Ah and though I've settled down trying to be content with Tanzania.
A major part of me will always belong to my beloved India.
Well, well my first window has a view of Mount Kilimanjaro
the highest mountain in all of Africa
Rightfully named, the Roof of Africa.
The 2nd window overlooks
Lake Tanganyika
and fishermen with nets and hooks
in the 2nd deepest and longest lake in the whole wide world.
And from my third window can be seen
the famed, fabled and very pretty
Natural park known as Serengeti
Nature's celebrated celebrity.!
The 4rth window affords a view of the wide Ngorongoro Crater
Just as rich in wildlife
Throw some fish to the 'gator
even if it's such a ruthless predator.
The 5th one it overlooks
The great game reserve Mikumi by name
no less in fame
for a choicest variety of game.
As for the 6th window, from there you can see
Lake Victoria too
and I play peek-a-boo
with a marvelous maribou
and cheerily say 'karibu'
from the largest lake in all Africa.
The seventh, the last window gives me a view
of the dry lush gold-green sea of Savannah
Teeming with favorite flora and fauna
Here a rhino, there a hyena
and hee hee 'hear' that mynah
So now it's up to you to plan a trip, a Safari
to this land of precious Tanzanite, the land of the Maasai
.Aha, mind you only the mansion overlooking all that is fictional
and every other detail is soo real and factual.
I am impressed by your blessings
The whole you
And the shores of your Lakes
Victoria, Tanganyika and Nyassa
The tiny but beautiful white sands of your Indian Ocean
And your unforgettable and wonderful coastal scents of Zanzibar
Tourists from all over the world
Love your magnificent animal homes,
Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Mikumi
The largest volcano that you possess, The Kilimanjaro
People never forget your historical Amboni caves,
Your Southern and Northern thick forests and running waters
And your very fertile land larger than all your neighbors
But why have you left your rural world behind?
When you ask many rich Congolese
of the East of DRCongo about the reasons
of keeping their millions US dollars
under the grounds.
Majority of them will point the Wars
And some Rebellions
Which are pushing
And supporting
by some Westerners
And Americans of evil hearts.
Rivers and lakes in Congo have more fish
But industrial fishing is not developed
due to few modern fishing boats.
Congolese engineers are the first black
African engineers who made some marine airoplanes
And more luxuries ship of international standards
on lake Kivu and Tanganyika.
Why these Congolese riches don't expand
on industrial fishing for more fish products
And export some raw and cooked
fish worldwide?
June 25/2023
Great traditional bavila priest,
When you hear about the great
traditional bavila priest called
" Kasongo Nguni"
from bahinga clan,
Who worked for the bavila kingdom
On the reign of King Musabwa
Kamango Munanila.
One of bavila very wise priests
who could see mysterious things.
His surname " Nguni " can be found
In Mozambique, Malawi, Swaziland
Zambia, South Africa and Tanzania
where Nguni nations are populated.
Many bavila names and surnames
rooted from the Luba Empire
which was on southern
part of the current D.R.Congo.
Many centuries passed but bavila
still recognizing their roots
due to the name of some places
which were called under their ancestors
while migrating from Sangha " buluba" to Uvila.
There are a lot in common between the Nguni
nations of southern region of Africa
with bavila.
Some surnames of bavila can be found
at Nguni lands in South Africa , Swazland,
Malawi , Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Example " KwaNguni " which means at Nguni.
There is a mountain called " ILenge , or Lenge"
in Kwazulu-Natal,
some people can refer it
as a mysterious mountain.
Lenghe "ILUNGA LENGE" was one
of the early kings of bavila,
Later on,
the royal clan was called under his name
"Bene lenge " to mean the descendents of Lenge,
to protect their migration trace from Luba Empire.
There are some places in DRCongo , Zambia
and South Africa which are called " Lenge"
1. One locality in bukama " Haut Lomami province" in D.R,Congo is called " Lenge"
2. There is a locality in North- West Zambia with the name of " Lenge"
3. Lengé is a locality in cuvette department near to localities Molembé Kombé and Likounga in DRCongo.
4. Lenge is a suburb in Nkonkobe local municipality in Eastern Cape - South Africa.
5. Lenge - bundala is a locality in Manono, Tanganyika province which is nearby
Kakobe village and Kaniambe locality.
There are other places
which were called under the names
of some bavila well-known leaders
1. Mundi
2. Nguni
3. Lugongo
4. Bijombo
3. Munanila
4. Musabwa
5. Uvila
Zebra,Donkey,Giraffe,Hippo,Elephant
Mango,Hibiscus,Neem,Baobab
Zambezi,Nile,Euphrates,Kafue
Victoria,Ontario,Tanganyika,Bangweulu
Everest,Kilimanjaro,Nanga Parbat
Red Sea,Mediterranen Sea
Pembrokeshire coast park
Victoria Falls
Lochinvar hot springs
chipepo lwele
PS;the reminder of the natural world around us.
the poem about animals, plants,rivers,lakes
,mountains,seas ,waterfalls and hot spring.
BY the shores of Lake Tanganyika,
I had a moment of my life,
I knew such a moment existed,
But only in my imagination.
By the shores of Lake Tanganyika,
I watched it sink in the far west,
Inch by inch, second by second,
I watched it.
By the shores of Lake Tanganyika,
I watched its golden rays paint the western skies,
I watched them spill on the waters of Tanganyika,
And splash over the shores of the lake.
By the shores of Lake Tanganyika,
I had a moment of my life,
A calm serene moment,
I had a moment of nature.
By the shores of Lake Tanganyika,
I watched it descend in the west,
With its golden rays clinging to the sky,
As dusk descended on earth.
By the shores of Lake Tanganyika,
The birds on the cliff lay still, and waters calm,
The boats in the waters lay still, with no waves tossing over,
They all lay still for in that moment of nature.
By the shores of Lake Tanganyika,
I had a moment of my life,
I hope I live to have it again,
To watch such display of nature, again.
The cichlids patrol their 48”x18”x18” tank and
though this country has been officially metric since
April Fool’s day, 1975, I still measure fish and tanks
in inches, feet, ounces, pounds and gallons.
A mix of African cichlids, from lakes Victoria and
Tanganyika, but tanks are the only world they’ve known.
Cichlids are of interest to me because of their diversity,
they're the fish equivalent of Galapagos finches.
But I really keep them because their bright colours and
constant motion especially at feeding time provides
a brief respite from the humdrum.
Each species more or less keeps to themselves,
establishing ever shifting territories in the
nooks and crannies of the rock wall I built,
that runs through the middle of the tank.
There is a balance of density and species,
which I never quite manage to maintain and
as they mature, intra and interspecific aggression
becomes a factor and every so often, I’ll find
a beat-up loser floating at the top of the tank.
But other times they breed successfully and
if I separate the mouthbrooding female early
enough, I can raise another generation of fry.
Uvira my birthplace
A small town of Democratic
Republic
of the Congo
Which is at the boundaries
of the lake Tanganyika
In Southern Kivu province.
A place
Where many rebellions
started because
of many borders
with other countries.
Uvira my birthplace,
I see many rivers
And long chains of mountains
called Mitumba.
I see the second Congolese
Seaport interm of income which
connect DRCongo with
Burundi , Tanzania
And Zambia.
Uvira my birthplace,
The birthplace of many Bavira
Bashi ,Bafuliru,
Babembe Banyindu,
And Barega people.
A beautiful place
With multi - cultural and
linguistic people
Who relay on businesses,
Agriculture,
Small farming
And fishing.
Oh! Nice view ,
Weather , fauna
And flora.
I always dream about
This small town,
My beautiful Birthplace,
I love so much Uvira.
May 25/2023
Written for poetry contest sponsored by
Anoucheka Gangabissoon
Lake Tanganyika is
Very large
And deep
With many spaces
of fish and animals.
One of the sources
Of finance of Bajoba
( Bavira, Babwari Babemba,
Bamasanzi, Baswima
...etc.)
As they are majority cultivators
And fishers.
Tanganyika is the first lake
with more spaces
of fish in the World,
Second biggest lake in Africa
And
Second deepest lake in the World.
Name Tanganyika is from Kijoba
( Kitanga kye nyika)
Which means the residence
Of electric fish
Which is called
" Nyika"
Many Bajoba were warning
Swimmers about the dangerous
Electric fish in the lake.
June 10th 2023
By Alfonso Warally Ngengethe
Mussabwa Chris
Note:
Bajoba: fishers
Most tribes living the boundaries of lake Tanganyika in Tanzania, Burundi, DRCongo and Zambia.
Their language is called Kijoba
When you go to Bavira,
They call it" kivira "
Babwari call it "kibwari, "
Babemba call it " kibemba "
but all are Bajoba
Bantu with same
Tradition and culture.
May God keep you from harm as He honors His servant,
His blessing, your foot's path, by day and by night,
And His vision, your wisdom, when good wishes haven't
Been much more than Band-Aid to augment your flight.
May the earth greet your sandals and give you firm purchase,
A breeze at your back keep you cool and refreshed,
And your God-fearing friends be a part of the righteous
Whole Armor of God with which you have now meshed!
All your comings and goings by angels attended,
Your blessings, too, prosper (as sown by God’s hand),
May the twilight of life find your virtue extended,
Your love which envelopes all earth’s extant land.
Brian Johnston
April 1, 2018
Poet's Notes:
A "Plane" poem written on Easter Sunday during my flight home from a reunion with other Peace Corps Volunteers I served with in "Tanganyika Five" from 1964 to 1966 in what is now Tanzania, East Africa.
Africa's greatness
We got the power ,power is the tower
We power tower the mirror ,
The mirror that reflects our greatness,
The greatness that is folded in the unfolded life folder.
We shall unfold it through the power of togetherness ,spread through equalization that speaks fears .
Figurative we stand our point is clear
Moving on without fear,
Our minds have gone dipper like lake tanganyika .
Hold it, spread it ,and paint it ,to improve its texture ,
Look back observe your truck ,forward and anticipate reward, Look sideways like crossing ways.
Stand our position ,maintain your attention ,feel the tension and completion
Speed your reaction to win your potion.
- [x] By Lincoln
Homemade
How happy we were while
eating homemade foods
in some Congolese and
Nigerian restaurants
in different places
of Pretoria.
some longtime friends
enjoyed different fried fish
(from lake Tanganyika) ,
nice salade with cassava pap.
It was an excellent hospitality
which I experienced on those days
with them in different places
around and out of town where
we could find homemade foods ,
cultural garments and other stuffs
preferable by all bantus.
I think those healthy foods
increased some calories
in my body as my heart was super exited
while sharing with some home friends
In a foreign country.
Nabavyusa bavila,
Nabavyusa bajhoba
Mweshi ho
Muliho x2
Bashukulu beetu batusigile ndeeto
Himangeni siye malanga ne ndeeto zetu.
Bakirage bahetiteta Muvila atatula honiho.
Bakirage bahetiteta Mujhoba atatula honiho.
Betwe tuli bamwe
Betwe tuli kumwe
Betwe tuli mubombo
Betwe tuli kumwe.
Nabavyusa bakwambaga be bajhoba,
Misika, bamawe na batata nabavyusa.
Ndeeto zetu zili missi yeetu ,
Mutenena, mutenena kya kweetu
Mwakole! mwakole!
mwakole !mwakole!
Mwakole!
Baalabu na banye babeya boshi basangana
Bashukulu beetu ku Kitanga Kye Nika
Mu bibalo byabo.
Tuliho tuli honiho,
Béné bibalo byose
Tuli honiho.
Betwe tuli bamwe
Betwe tuli kumwe
Betwe tuli mubombo
Betwe tuli kumwe.
Bafipa, bavila,
Baholoholo, batabwa,
Babuyu , babemba,
Bamasanzi, bahoma,
Babwali , batongwe,
Na baandi.
Betwe tuli bamwe
Betwe tuli kumwe
Betwe tuli mubombo
Betwe tuli kumwe.
Kibalo ne bandu
Kisi bandu Kya zima kaya.
Mwenenu Alfonso II Warally Ngengethe Musabwa
Béné Kifumbi menémené kye bavila
Betwe tuli bamwe
Betwe tuli kumwe
Betwe tuli mubombo
Betwe tuli kumwe.