Mama Afri-car’s deflation

Oh Mama Africa
The sound of your name brings joy to many
How they sang, danced, played and told tales of you under your beautiful moon light
How they suckled your breasts of righteous
And felt welcomed no matter where your ocean took them
How they felt blessed being born in you
Richly blessed because they had everything they could think of
But this day, we stand to mourn your emptiness
With faces buried in our palms, smiles drowned in agony,
Eyes cast down; hopes lost, dreams shattered,
Tears can’t even express the pain we feel
And our only comfort is in grief.
I couldn’t add the word “Deflation” to your name
Because I can’t bring myself to the fact that
You, a mother, would be stripped of your pride, drained of your cheer
Once a green and fertile land
Fed our infant and unselfish mind
Food and peace like oxygen always enough
O Mama! Upon your table we feasted in peace and plenty
Hunger and bloodshed story of far lands
But today the gory of crime and war
Shrunk to the very minimal of nothingness
How? Where did it all go wrong?
You wheeled majestically on giant strides
Till distracted the tyres burst at flimsy sights
Mama Africa! Here’s the story of your deflation
You forgot who you are because you saw a façade in the mirror
In hope for a suit with better fit you surrendered your coat of identity
You wish you could change your colour, your culture, tradition, art, music and everything one could think of all because you want to be accepted by them.
You lost your valued wrapper and to the hands of civilization now a diaper
O Mama! You have weaned your babies before time because hurry your feet for a bra…how will nurture generations?
You lost your pride in the way of becoming who you are not
Thousands of people gave their lives for you
And more would go through same path just to see you be who they’ve known you to be
Standing with your crown straightened
I wish I could turn back the hands of time
I wish I could stop this hen from crowing
And show you who you used to be
How beautiful you glowed in the light
How happy your children were with you and how they long to smile at you again
But it is said “If wishes were horses, beggars would ride”
So now we have to do with the ruins you’ve left us
Your deflated tyres neither forth nor back can take us
Evening has set in and we still stare at these eyes of Medusa, will the dawn smile on us again?