Today, as states and countries are slowly reopening after the shelter-in-place due to the coronavirus pandemic, many have been left jobless, and are looking for a job now or in the near future. I think the poem ‘Je suis venu chercher du travail / I came to look for work‘ by the great Cameroonian writer and musician Francis Bebey is very appropriate. The poem below is the story of many immigrants traveling to a foreign land in search of a job, a better life, leaving all behind: families, friends, and country. This poem is very simple, yet so deep as it details the losses taken today, in hope for a better tomorrow. As you think about the immigrants dying in the Mediterranean sea, or those crossing the Mexico-US border, or all the countless faces in the world, take a moment to imagine families torn apart, lives in peril, and possibly no light at the end of the tunnel.
Francis Bebey was sort of a genius: in his early years, he studied mathematics, before going into broadcasting. He was called to Ghana by President Kwame Nkrumah, where he served as a journalist. He began his literary career as a journalist in the 1950s and worked in Ghana and other African countries for the French radio network, Société de radiodiffusion de la France d’outre-mer (SORAFOM) and Radio France International. Later, he wrote novels, poetry, plays, tales, short stories, nonfiction works, and established himself as a musician, sculptor, and writer. His first novel, Le Fils d’Agatha Moudio (Agatha Moudio’s Son), was published in 1967 and awarded the Grand prix littéraire d’Afrique noire in 1968; it remains his best-known work to this day. He also headed the music department at the UNESCO‘s office in Paris, where he focused on researching and documenting African traditional music.
Enjoy ‘Je suis venu chercher du travail‘ by Francis Bebey, published in Anthologie africaine: poésie, Jacques Chevrier, Collection Monde Noir Poche, Hatier 1988. Translated to English by Dr. Y. Afrolegends.com.
| Je suis venu chercher du travail
Je suis venu chercher du travail J’espère qu’il y en aura Je suis venu de mon lointain pays Pour travailler chez vous J’ai tout laissé, ma femme, mes amis Au pays tout là-bas J’espère les retrouver tous en vie Le jour de mon retour Ma pauvre mère était bien désolée En me voyant partir Je lui ai dit qu’un jour je reviendrai Mettre fin à sa misère J’ai parcouru de longs jours de voyage Pour venir jusqu’ici Ne m’a-t-on pas assuré d’un accueil Qui vaudrait bien cette peine Regardez-moi, je suis fatigué D’aller par les chemins Voici des jours que je n’ai rien mangé Auriez-vous un peu de pain? Mon pantalon est tout déchiré Mais je n’en ai pas d’autre Ne criez pas, ce n’est pas un scandale Je suis seulement pauvre Je suis venu chercher du travail J’espère qu’il y en aura Je suis venu de mon lointain pays Pour travailler chez vous |
I came to look for work
I came to look for work I hope that there will be I came from my far away country To work for you I left everything, my wife, my kids In my country over there I hope to find them all alive On the day of my return My poor mother was very sorry To see me go I told her that I will come back one day To put an end to her misery I had long days of travel To get here Was I not assured of a welcome Which will be worth all this trouble Look at me, I am tired To go by the ways It has been days since I ate anything Do you have some bread? My trouser is all ripped But I don’t have another Do not scream, it is not a scandal I am just poor I came to look for work I hope there will be I came from my far away country To work for you |
Inédit
African Heritage 
Powerful and extremely relevant.
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