David
Diop is an African poet. He has written many
poems, fighting against the racial injustice.
The poem Africa is about the glorious past of Africa, the nation, in
comparison with the present situation of the country and its citizens, who are
mere slaves.
The
opening line of the poem expresses the poet persona’s love for his nation,
Africa. He uses a possessive pronoun to
exhibit his love for Africa. The poet
persona regrets for not being a part of olden Africa, wherein it had many
warriors and rich savannahs. The poet
persona has heard of the glorious past, about which he comes to know through
the folk songs of his grand mother.
The
poet persona is proud with his self-recognition of his ancestors’ blood running
in his vein. He is proud of his colour
and race. He happily announces the
colour of his blood as black. The poet
persona says that their black blood irrigated the entire grounds of Africa.
The
persona vehemently transfers his pride about the country into a rage. The colonizers, who enslaved the Africans,
drained all the blood, which was exerted from the Africans in the form of work
and sweat. The persona becomes ferocious
and questions the silent submission of the Africans. He cannot digest the thought and sight of the
Africans being bent, with scars for the whips held by the colonizers.
The
persona listens to a voice that talks about a tree, which is found alone amidst
white and faded flowers. The voice
addresses the persona as an angry man.
The voice says him that the tree is Africa, the persona’s own
Africa. Like the tree, growing
patiently, Africans would also taste the fruits liberty.
