When i was in junior secondary school , my teacher used to taught us poem and try to briefly analyse the meaning and
story about the poem. here is one of my favorite then!
Africa my Africa
Africa of proud warriors in ancestral savannahs
Africa of whom my grandmother sings
On the banks of the distant river
I have never known you
But your blood flows in my veins
Your beautiful black blood that irrigates the fields
The blood of your sweat
The sweat of your work
The work of your slavery
Africa, tell me Africa
Is this your back that is unbent
This back that never breaks under the weight of humilation
This back trembling with red scars
And saying no to the whip under the midday sun
But a grave voice answers me
Impetuous child that tree, young and strong
That tree over there
Splendidly alone amidst white and faded flowers
That is your Africa springing up anew
springing up patiently, obstinately
Whose fruit bit by bit acquires
The bitter taste of liberty.
David Diop, a Senegalese poet, uses his poem entitled “Africa”, to lament the state of the African nation and eventually valorize it despite its long-suffering experiences with colonialism and neo-colonialism. Following in the footsteps of the well-known African writer and former president of Senegal in its first twenty years (Léopold Sédar Senghor), Diop utilizes the trope of Africa as woman. This poetic male tradition is upheld through allegorical means where Africa is seen as a mother to the Black populace born from her landscaped body. Language and structure are skillfully orchestrated within this metaphorical medium which utilizes diction, rhyme and figures of speech to further develop meaning. Thus, the reader is able to comprehend the plight of the country through the poet and addressee’s arguments and perspectives. Although the Mother Africa trope has its shortcomings, David Diop’s poetic vision comes through to utter the need for Africans to rise above the colonial system.