In this poetic narrative, Majozo communes with her ancestors to conjure up a memorable primal cadence that conveys the anguish, sorrow, suffering, and triumph of the people despite the oppressive conditions of the Middle Passage. Robert Douglas’ drawings also illustrate Majozo’s narrative imagery creatively and are sensitive and passionate portrayals of Majozo’s poetic expressions.
“The new voices [of Africa], such as Tayo Olafioye, are a clear example of the break with the idyllic verses Africa was singing. There is now a new voice...that makes for dramatic tension in the poetry suggesting a dialogue between poet and political Other. The enemy is no longer simply white rule and the colonizing aspects of Christianity. We are under native elite propped up by the former colonial power as mere compradors..." -Es’kia Mphahlele
The poems in this book capture the feelings and aspirations of the black people of South Africa following the transition from Apartheid to democratic governance. They reflect the great expectations and impatience of the people for fundamental political change in their country after the establishment of majority rule. In his poems, Sibanda explores the elusive emotions of Soweto after the tumultuous break with white rule and examines the hopes of black South Africans. For Sibanda, language binds society together and songs are a greater part of that language. The poems are at once political and social commentary interwoven through a tapestry of history and social realities.
"... those of us a shade too young to have been 1960s black power nationalists and a shade too old to be 1990s post-soul searchers. Finally, someone has given voice to our sandwiched-in struggles. She has an ability to write political poetry and not fall prey to rhetoric and redundancy... This book is a brilliant beginning, a rightful place of departure for a young woman determined to mine her way through the forest in order that we might see more clearly." -Bridgett M. Davis, Assistant Professor at Baruch College, New York, NY
Over the years, Tayo Olafioye has published a series of works and most importantly, collections of poetry that cover divergent subjects such as culture, family, international encounters, politics, and a gamut of the human condition. This is a selection of some of the best of his poems written from 1984 to 2002. As they reveal the sociological history of the poet’s own experiences, these poems also celebrate and testify to the survival spirits of mankind, and, where possible, offer hope to human disillusionment.
This collection of poems and short verses was gathered from the posthumously discovered writings of Ganza V. Rwango. The poems reflect Rwango’s life and death and his memories in the Democratic Republic of Congo, particularly eastern Congo where he was born and raised. His poems reveal the joys and the problems of daily life and community living in Congo, and they engage issues such as peace and war, equity and inequity, and understanding and discrimination.
This book examines Swahili narrative poetry that in spite of being available in published editions for many years, has not previously been studied from an historical perspective. The poems were written on the eve of the First World War by the authors who were all residents of the Swahili coastal towns of mainland Tanzania- formerly Tanganyika Territory. This poetry narrates the stories of episodes in the wars of conquest, fought between the German colonial forces and indigenous Africans.
In Waiting for the Hatching of a Cockerel, the poet assumes the persona of a minstrel (Aminogbe) guided by a divine mentor (Aridon) to narrate and reflect on multifarious experiences. Aminogbe ranges on the side of good against evil in the new wars which are no longer only physical but multi-faceted in nature. The new heroes are thus not just physical warriors but activists in an array of struggles to realize a fair and just world for all
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