Monday, November 10, 2008

Who is going to dry my tears when i listen to « Malaika »?

Who is going to please my heart when i hear « Pata Pata »?

 Mama Afrika you were a star, a mother, an activist,

and overall a freedom fighter.

I remember the first time we met,years ago ,

 we went to keur Samba with a common friend and Nina Simone..

.I was so impressed that i could hardly talk,

 Just emotions moving me upside down…

OOOh Mama the loss is great to Afrika. ©

.Remember Manhattan Brothers and your tour to America

 When most of the continent was still colonized

 When they took away ur citizenship

 Because you were claiming for a fair South Africa,

 You found refuge in America Mama Afrika

 Endorsing the cause of the your beloved Stokely Carmichael

Once again you realized

America was not the freedom Nation it was claiming to be.

Once again on the road back to your roots

 Mama Afrika you became a Guinean,

A sister Nation but not your homeland.

.Mama you gave us a Grammy

 In the late fifties putting African Music

On the map of the world music.

Thanks Mama Afrika

.It has never been easy to be a woman of beliefs,

 Torn between the love of your land

 And the hatred for what they had called « Apartheid »..

Mama Afrika you have wandered from one nation to another

Denied the right to go back home,

As a mother you have suffered the loss of your daughter

…But in spite of all the mourning  and suffering

You went through your life,

 You always had your head up,

 Your voice ready to sing a song of freedom.

I know your greatest Joy was the day apartheid was banned

 ….FREE at LAST.

Rest in Peace MAMA AFRIKA…

You are unforgettable.

Nakupenda Yo

©Nabou Fall 2008