Mama Africa <br />Somalia, Nigeria, Ghana, Saudi Arabia <br />Mama Africa <br />Senegal, Zimbabwe, Tunisia, South Africa <br /> <br />The land of enormous mineral wealth <br />I salute thee; I adore thee even in poor health <br />So many countries I have not yet spelt <br />Have people ready and steady to flee before they melt <br /> <br />Mama Africa <br />You walk with a suicidal long rope <br />As your people lose all hope <br />Rather than cooking up a brand of prosperity <br />You the land of recognized poverty <br />Have mistakenly invented a brand of austerity <br />The masses are slowly dying <br />While only a few are high-flying <br /> <br />Mama Africa <br />We talk about your diamond rushes <br />We speak of numbers of human losses <br />We hide our fusses in internal silent boxes <br />While people struggle and fight in oil brushes <br />And external parties hide their delightful blushes <br /> <br />Mama Africa <br />How can a land of abundant resources and rich culture <br />That the world with marvel continuously captures <br />Allow wealth to be taken from you before it matures? <br />Why not divert these takers to signs labeled departure? <br /> <br />Mama Africa <br />Listen to your children’s voices <br />Listen to the peoples noises <br />They are crying to be heard <br />They are crying to be fed <br />They are crying for proper education <br />They are crying as a single nation <br />They are crying for an end to corruption <br />They are crying for an end to self-destruction <br />They are crying for your delinquent protection <br /> <br />Mama Africa <br />How many crying tears will it take by calculation? <br />How many dying years will it take to deliver salvation? <br /> <br />Mama Africa <br />Along with your weakness I salute thee! <br />Along with your greatness I adore thee! <br />Along with your madness I still love thee!<br /><br />Sylvia Chidi<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/mama-africa-4/
