Black Giant
Photo: Ruby Okoro
I
Oh black giant of Africa
The greatest, south of the Nile
And north of the Limpopo
Why do you grovel in denial?
Listen to the jest of nations
Ancient mother of my son
They mock our power failures
They forecast our dissolution
Plagued with knavery
Our green is brown
Wherever we gather
All we do is mourn
Yet we endure the suffering
Concealing our bleeding heart
Behind a crooked smile
Like that great singer's chant
We are all gentlemahns
Content with the status quo
The glitz on social media
Blind to the impending woe
II
The agbero asks for change
But it's mo fαΊΉ hard currency
For our owo is shite
Rizla for that green ecstasy
Open bribes with the dollars
Snipping our revenue to yachts
Cock fights in the hallowed chambers
Spurred by chickens and touts
With pots tied to their belly
They politick cash for votes
While the black men on the streets
Trade duty for crumpled notes
Who will speak up?
Absent mere rhetoric or mime
Where are the paladins?
The Giwas and Ziks of our time?
Do you hear the silence?
The hush of the learned proud
Are we all sheep?
Is there no man in this crowd?
Notes
1. Gentlemahns - someone who avoids trouble at all times, as popularised by Fela.
2. Agbero - Local tout
3. Mo fΓ© - I want (Yoruba)
4. Owo - Money (Yoruba)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Born in Kaduna, Northern Nigeria, to Igbo missionary parents from Eastern Nigeria, Nate grew up in six different cities and is an avid traveller. He is also an amateur painter and loves to write about religion, morals, politics and romance. His poems have been published on Kalahari Review and Cecile's Writers magazine at Hague, Netherlands. He is currently working on a collection of poems titled 'My Book of Youth' and strongly believes Leo Tolstoy is the greatest writer of all time. Connect with him @natebfold on all social media platforms.