kayatta analysis of my poem. interesting how he show it.
This poem perhaps can benefit with fewer words, less verbiage.
Nonetheless, Santafara has taken upon himself to confront the African/Gambian elite, a small but powerful group that, to give an analogy to Wole Soyinka's "strong men of Africa", are also arguably "the bane of Africa".
Santafara is slowly defining himself as an activist, and this poem is an activist's poem, may be in small ways like South Africa's Dennis Brutus.
The poem seems to point a finger at the African/Gambian elite for failing the continent or atleast turning a cold shoulder to it, yet at the same time looking up to the same elite as perhaps holding the key to the solutions of the continent's problems. This seems to be the theme of the first and second stanzas.
As we moved into the third and fourth stanzas, Santafara seems now to be talking to and about what Frantz Fannon referred to as the "wretched of the earth", that is the Africa's poorest of the poor. There appears to be no doubt that the author has a strong identification with the "down-trodden", and the marginalized of this capitalist world as epitomized by the elites of "Europe, America, Australia, Japan".
But the solutions to Africa's socio-economic predicaments may not readily come from the elites that are being taken to task here. Africa's true development may actually come from the poorest of its own poor. To paraphrase Barack Obama, any genuine change in Africa has to start from the bottom and move up.
Thanks Santafara.
www.allgambian.net
SUNTOU TOURAY <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
African Elites, Gambian Elites
You are the most skilled, the most privilege, should I say
In the social group that you belong
What more than a narrow and powerful clique
It is you I’m calling
Do you see yourself when you look at us?
Do you not see us as part of your big self?
In the world over, elitism comes with privileges
A society in which most members are least privileged
And the least members are most privileged
A matter of opportunity and status not evenly shared
Elites of Europe, America, Australia, Japan
Elites of Africa and Asia, what a difference
Life worthwhile for all fellow citizens
Will you make yours any different?
African Elites, Gambian Elites
A choice for you
To stand up for your people
For survival of a people worth living
The comfort, the luxury
A life we all so deserve
Time to grow up now, and forever more
What do you do for Africa?
Children of the native land in far away destination
Expensive lifestyle good for all yet reserved
Open the iron gates guarded by angry dogs and hungry watchers
Approach and let be approachable
Keep the human connection
With the people that you belong
Never needing to live above them
Get to know and be known
You are still part of a body
Gambian Elites African Elites
What do you see when you look at us?
In our big picture you are the other link
Can’t you see us as yours and you as ours?
Our wealth of our continent is not less yours
Our gold dust, the diamond moulds, and coco flakes
Stacks of dollars in Western banks,
The rest die of hunger and thirst
Laughing stock, aid seekers
From live aid to sport relief
What a disgrace to see
Dying malnourished children
Sunken eyes and dried lips
Yearning mouths, no food no hope
What a sadness to see on screen and on aid leaflets
People drinking dirty water
What a humiliation to see
Living in the name of living!
Tell us good elites, tell us
Tell us African Elites
When others laugh at us, they laugh at you too
No matter your special skills and luxury possession
When they say we are sick and hungry people
They mean all of us, you and me.
Stand up, grow up
Never baby men and baby women
Stand up Mr President and Mr Minister
Write up Mr Editor
Sit up Mr Banker
Wake up Mr Businessman and woman
With your special status comes special demand
The finger pointing is on us and with you
Fat or thin as you are, so too your shadow
The longer a day, the longer your trace
You are seen and heard more than you know
Be the one you are
The golden eagle of flying people
This is yours, good elites of all times
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