Slavery dealt a big blow to Africa. It dealt a big blow to her strength (imagine losing millions upon millions of some of your strongest children), to her self-confidence (imagine her children fearing for their lives chased into the depths of forests and savannahs), and to her soul. Then came colonization with forced labor, depersonnalization, confiscation of History, disregard for local cultures, cultural alienation, and colonial oppression. Slowly, the awakening is upon us; and slowly Africans are linking back to that glorious past of African civilizations, science, and cultures. The poem below by Ivorian author Véronique Tadjo is anchored upon that re-discovery of the African self in all its splendor, and connection to its roots in order to continue the legacy.

The poem “Raconte-moi” was published in Latérite / Red Earth, written in homage to Senufo culture, which won a literary prize from the Agence de Coopération Culturelle et Technique. The poem below was re-published  re-published in Anthologie Africaine: Poésie Vol2, Jacques Chevrier, Collection Monde Noir Poche, 1988, and translated to English by Dr. Y. Afrolegends.com .

“Raconte-moi” de Véronique Tadjo / “Tell me” from Véronique Tadjo

Raconte-moi La parole du Griot Qui chante l’Afrique Des temps immémoriaux Il dit Ces rois patients Sur les cimes du silence Et la beauté des vieux Aux sourires fanés Mon passé revenu Du fond de ma mémoire Comme un serpent totem A mes chevilles lié Ma solitude Et mes espoirs brisés Qu’apporterais-je A mes enfants Si j’ai perdu leur âme ?

Tell me The word of the Griot Who sings Africa From times immemorial He says These patient kings On the peaks of silence And the beauty of the old ones With faded smiles My past returned From the depths of my memory Like a totem snake To my ankles linked My loneliness And my hopes shattered What will I brink To my children If I lost their soul?