AFRICAN WOMAN SPEAKING

Great Thomas Sankara once says;
“May my eyes never see?
My feet never take me
To the society were
Half the people are held in silence.
I hear the roar of women’s silence
I sense the rumble of their storm
And feel the fury of the revolt”.

Today
I still await and hope
For that fertile eruption of the revolution
Through which they will transmit the power
And rigorous justice issued
From their oppressed wombs.

African woman, who are you?
Are you still the woman that Leopold Senghor describe as;
“Glad in your black color which is life”.

Are you still the nightingale,
Who sings the lullaby when the world is still snoring?
Oh yes!
You are Ida Queen, Mother and Daughter of Africa,
You are Amina conqueror of Kanu,
You are Makeda of Sheba of Axum,
You are Maathai Wangari for the green belt movement,
You are the Spirit medium, Nehanda.
You are Yaa Asantewa
Indeed you are Dahlia Al Kahina who gave Arab invaders fierce resistance
When they sought to snatch our land.

African woman, when is your day?
Standup!
And be counted
Not just as one who attended Beijing
But one who speaks in the face of human greed.
Go tell the traditional elders to rejig those bias customs, taboos…
As well as religious belief
That holds you with relegation.
Re-educate our politicians
Let them see the values in you.
Let them never underestimate your potentials
Make them understand you are not poor
All you want is just to be given the opportunity
To exploit your talent and proof your worth.
African woman speaking…