Join Our Groups
AFRICA by David Mandessi Diop
(1927 – 1960)
David
Mandessi Diop was a revolutionary African poet born in France to parents of
West African descent, and an active member of the Negritude movement. Diop’s
poems highlight African problems brought about by colonialism and give a
message of hope and resistance to
people of the continent.
Mandessi published
only one book of poetry on which his fame rests. After the independence of
Guinea, he went to work there as teacher. He died in a plane crash in 1960
together with his wife. The manuscript of his new book of poetry was also lost
in the crash.
 |
| David Mandessi Diop |
AFRICA
Africa my Africa
Africa of proud
warriors in ancestral savannahs
Africa of whom my grandmother
sings
On the banks of
the distant river
I have never known you
But your blood
flows in my veins
Your beautiful black blood that irrigates the fields
The blood of your sweat
The sweat of your
work
The work of your
slavery
The slavery of
your children
Africa tell me Africa
Is this your back that is
bent?
This back that
breaks under the weight of humiliation
This back trembling with red
scars
And saying yes to
the whip under the midday sun
But a grave voice
answers me
Impetuous son that three young
and strong
That tree there
In splendid
loneliness amidst white and faded flowers
That is Africa
your Africa
That grows again
patiently obstinately
And its fruit
gradually acquire
The bitter taste
of liberty
PHRASE
The poem is about a person who has
lived away from his continent (Africa) therefore he does not know it well.
The person laments about suffering
of Africans who works like slave and their blood and sweat plus those of their
children irrigate the fields. The person compares Africa with an impressive
lonely tee in the middle of the white and fade fowlers. The tree(Africa) has
produced fruit which has gradually acquired the test of Liberty
THEMES
1. EXPLOITATION
The persona
portrays the exploitation done to the Africans who was treated like slaves
because they worked and sweated for their masters to enjoy. For instance in
stanza two
“your beautiful……………………
The message we
get from this poem is that
All
forms verse of exploitation should be banned in the society
2.
UNITY
We see the essence of unity as the
oppressed Africans who decide to mobilize themselves and form the warriors in
order to fight for the liberation of their continent for instance in 1st
stanza the 2nd the persona says
“Africa of proud warriors in
ancestral savannahs". The message is that, unity is important to the oppressed
so as to end oppression in the society
3.
DEHUMANIZATION
The personal
shows humiliation to Africans as the Africans were treated as if they are not
human. While they are in their own continent. For example in 3rd stanza
verse 1,2,3 and the person says,
“ is this your back that is bent?
This back that breaks under the weight of
humiliation.
This back trembling with red scars,
and saying yes to the whip under the midday
Sun".
The message from this theme
is that, all people are the same under. The sun so they deserve equal treatment
4.
AWARENESS
This show that the person has realized that though he was not born
and grew in Africa still he is an Africa because of the African blood which
flows in his vein. As we observe it in 1st stanza, 5th and 6th verses. The
message we get is, "we need to be aware and proud of our origin".
5.
SACRIFICE
The poet shows sacrifice made by
African warriors who were whipped and shed their blood in ancestral savannahs,
the savannah where their blood irrigated the fields but they never give up the
fight. We observe this in 1st stanza the 2nd verse.
The message we get,
“we need to sacrifice ourselves for
the betterment of the society".
6.
ALIENATION
The poet shows alienation of those
who were born and live in foreign countries like the poet himself so these
people who are born and grow in Diaspora they find themselves alienated because
they do not enjoy the way indigenous do in their home countries in 1st
stanza the 5th verse the personal says
“I have never known you”
In this verse we see that the poet
he could know his place of his origin and enjoy his home land as the whites do
in their home land.
The message from this theme is that “people should remember their place of
origin even if they are born and grow in other places which are not the place
of their origin".
7.
LIBERATION
STRUGGLE
In this poem we see movement done
by the African warriors so as to get rid of the colonial regime. For instance
in 4th stanza the last four verses the person says
“That is Africa
your Africa
That grows again patiently obstinately
and its fruit gradually acquire the bitter test of Liberty”
The message from this theme is that,
“mobilization, self-sacrifice and until are very important when struggling for
liberation in any society.
POETIC DEVICES
Sound devices
i) ALLITERATION
This is the repetition
of consonant sounds at the beginning of the words in the same verse. For
example in the 2nd stanza the 1st verse
“your beautiful black blood………. “Also in 3rd stanza
the 1st verses
“Is this your back that is bent?
This back that breaks under the weight of humiliation”
ii) CONSONANCE
This is when the
poet decides to repeat the same or very similar consonant sounds usually at the
end of words in the same verse
“Impetuous son that tree young and
strong"
The sound/Å‹/ is repeated in
two words
iii) ASSONANCE
This is the
repetition of similar vowel sounds in the same verse. For example the 1st
stanza verse 4 in the words “distance” and “on the banks of the distance
river”
SENSE DEVICES
SYMBOLISM
The poet uses the words like
“red
scars to symbolize suffering (oppression which is done to Africans.
The 3rd
stanza verse 3)
“this back trembling with red
scars”
USE OF IMAGERY
Visual image where we see
the poet use lonely tree represent Africa
Image of taste, the poet use words like “the bitter taste of Liberty” this
show this reflects the bitter feeling that African warriors had against the
colonialist. For instance the last stanza in the last verse
PERSONIFICATION
Africa as a continent is given
human character as it seems that the continent speaks like a human being for
example in the 2nd stanza the last verse the persona says
“Africa tell me Africa”
Mood of the poem
The mood of the poem can be sad or
sympathetic due to exploitation, humiliation, oppression etc done by the
colonialists
Tone of the poet
The tone is bitter this is due to the fact that the themes revealed tell about
the condition of the oppressed Africa.
EmoticonEmoticon