Our story lives on
It lives on the tongues of our story-tellers
Great men and women nurturing the renaissance of the African self-belief
Scattered across God’s earth and yet with words so near
What is wrong with the African?
Ashamed of his ancestors’ garb
He devours his neighbour’s harvest
She cares for only her children
The unAfrican African, no more a savage?
Is Ubuntu savagery?
Am I lawless if broken laws disrespect my customs?
What laws? Those I made or those made for me
Did the African live by whim before his enslavement?
Do savages have norms and institutions?
The unAfrican African, self-loathing and lost
Our literary giants remind us who we once were
Who we should be, Africans! Proud of our culture and heritage
Wise enough to know that which is wrong with us
For a people can never be perfect
An African civilisation not to the credit of the real savages
But one borne out of an African self-criticism
What do we start with if our stories are not told?
What civilisation without the written word?
African literary giants, I salute you!