Friday, November 28, 2008

Africa My Beginning, Africa My Ending by Ingoapele Madingoane

Africa my Beginning

They came from the west

Sailing to the east

With hatred and disease flowing

From their flesh

And a burden to harden our lives

They claimed to be friends

When they found us friendly

And when foreigner met foreigner

They fought for the reign

Exploiters of Africa

Africa my beginning

And Africa my ending

They asked Mugabe

Unataka nini hapa

Wewe mwenyewe

He said binadamu zote

Ni ndugu zake za Africa

Nimefika nirudishie

Nchi zazimbabwe

Mimi ni mwenyewe

In Africa my beginning

And Africa my ending

Suckers of my country

They laid their sponges

Flat on its soil and absorbed its resources

To fill their coffers

Agostinho had spoken in the language of poets

That they went away in multitudes

And forgot their hearts behind

But late is never a bad start in

Africa my beginning

And Africa my ending

No easy way to freedom

Ten lonely years black hopeful men

Food being their wish

Courage their pay

Until Africa was respected

For a leader had emerged

From the bush to Maputo

Viva frelimo

Africa my beginning

And Africa my ending

I remember ja toivo

Namibia is not lost

Nujoma is not idle he’d be coward if he was

You might as well know Germany

In no more in

Africa my beginning

And Africa my ending

Azania here I come from apartheid in tatters

in the land of sorrowfrom that marathon bondage

the sharpville massacrethe flames of Soweto

I was thereI will die there

In Africa my beginning

And Africa my ending

Lets do something

Mbopha

15 comments:

Unknown said...

the poem is old but so amazing and i got high marks for my drama for readind and performing this poem...thanks to Ingopele. keep it up.

Unknown said...

This poem is original and the way it relates to african yearns,it is also how black people felt

Unknown said...

it crystally and audible declares our cry and determination to hold on to our identity as africans.its is more than just a poem.simply the best.

Unknown said...

A perfect, conscious, timeless and liberating read. Matla!!!

Unknown said...

can i get the language translations of what was said ,i always ask my self

Bonzai said...

Looking back from where we have come as a nation and celebrating 100 years of the liberation struggle Amandla!

Bo said...

Sweet, very sweet, it was back in 1980 when I listened to the late Ingoapele delivering this anthem of our struggle in Azania and Afrika as large... and every word and every syllable in every word forever holds true

FilmDVD said...

mAY SOMEONE TRANSLATE THE SHONA PARTS PLEASE

Bobby Shabangu said...

Viva the spirit of ingoapele madingoane africa my beginning africa my ending

Siba said...

was Bonzai translating shona language?

The Pastor said...

That is the voice of a true African son, my wish is that we all revisite those moment in rememberance of the truggle that too most of our fellow brothers and sisters, and maybe we can finally heal the wounds coursed by the hands of our oppressors. Aluta continua!!!!.

Unknown said...

It's not shona

Thabo Komape said...

A great poem & inspiring. I wish the current generation of poets can create poems of such magnitude.

Mary Edwards said...

It’s KiSwahili. In fact, Ingoapele asked me to translate this as I had been living in Kenya, and had learnt to speak KiSwahili. It was such a huge honour, to have been asked by him, then to have been able to do it, and in the first place, to have been able to live for one year with KuSwahili speakers. I translated as best as I knew how.

Mary Edwards said...

It’s KiSwahili. In fact, Ingoapele asked me to translate this as I had been living in Kenya, and had learnt to speak KiSwahili. It was such a huge honour, to have been asked by him, then to have been able to do it, and in the first place, to have been able to live for one year with KuSwahili speakers. I translated as best as I knew how.