I
REMEMBER
Naomi
Mnthali (Malawi)
I remember, Countrymen,
The days of ‘Dawn Over the Land’.
Of hopes and expectations
When I truly understood
Slavery was a thing of the past –
We, the people of the land,
Had been freed.
I was there when slowly
Darkness set in.
The gradual destruction
Was there in front of me,
But I did not see it.
I continued, Countrymen, to live in the past.
And when I finally looked
It was too late, and even I
Had become a scavenger.
INTRODUCTION
This is a poem by a Malawian poetess Naomi Mnthali
that tells a story of changes of power and of hopes being raised and disappointed.
The poem refers to Malawian independence that brought hopes to the people of
the land but later became only a nightmare or a daydream. Although it is about
Malawian independence it can also describe other parts of African continent in
general.
THEMATIC ANALYSIS
DISILLUSIONMENT/DISAPPOINTMENT
Most freedom fighters did not ever imagine that the
post independence life would be as it is today. When they were fighting for
freedom they believed that things will actually change in their favour.
I remember, Countrymen,
The days of ‘Dawn Over
the Land’
Of hopes and
expectations
When I truly understood
Slavery was a thing of
the past –
That is however not what it turned out to be. They are
still living the life of the past and life has even become worse since they
live like scavengers.
I was there when slowly
Darkness set in.
The gradual destruction
Was there in front of
me,
But I did not see it
BETRAYAL
The leaders who took power from the colonisers have
betrayed the common people most of whom took part in the struggle for freedom.
The common people live the same life they lived before independence. To them
independence makes no sense.
The persona compares this situation with destruction
that lay ahead but s/he did not notice it before.
The gradual destruction
Was there in front of
me,
But I did not see it
The persona even shows that while some people live the
modern life; he/she lives in the past. The same kind of life they lived before
independence.
I continued, countrymen,
to live in the past.
And when I finally
looked
It was too late, and
even I
Had become a scavenger
POVERTY
A scavenger is an animal or a person who collects
things by searching them from waste or unwanted objects. The persona seems to
come from a poor class that was betrayed by the bourgeoisie class. This class
always finds it hard to get their daily bread. They have become scavengers in
their own free countries. They eat the leftovers thrown by the privileged few.
And when I finally
looked
It was too late, and
even I
Had become a scavenger
This situation is evident in almost all African
countries
GUIDING QUESTIONS
i. The poet talks about “the days of ‘Dawn over the
land’” what do you think this means?
‘Days of
dawn’ means the very days when independence was attained and became like the outbreak
of a new day.
ii. There is one metaphorical expression in the poem.
Mention it.
The
metaphor is ‘...I had become a scavenger’ he compares himself with a scavenger.
iii. ‘I was there when slowly darkness set in’ what does
this statement imply?
The poet
confesses that he was aware as things began to change to worse. The word “Darkness” shows great disappointment.
iv. What type of poem is this?
It is a
lyric poem but a special form of lyric poems called aubade. This is
a poem about morning celebrating the coming of dawn.
v. What is the tone and mood of the poem?
The both
the tone and mood are unhappy and disappointed.
vi. Who is the persona and how do you know?
The
persona is a citizen who is disappointed by the promises of the newly attained
independence
vii.How many stanzas are there? And comment on the rhyming
pattern.
The poem
has only one stanza with irregular rhyming pattern and unequal length of
verses.
viii. Comment on the use of allusion.
The poet has employed allusion in the first two lines
by citing the very specific historical event of Malawian independence. He shows
that he actually remembers what happened.
Is the poem relevant to Tanzanians today?
Oh! Yes it is. Like most African countries the issue
of betrayal by the bourgeoisie class is common. So even in Tanzania most people
live in the same situation described by the poet. Poverty is rampant everywhere
in most African countries.
What message do we draw from the poem?
Ø
Betrayal is not good in social and economic development.
Ø
Those in power should recognise that the resources of the nation should
benefit both the proletariat class and the ruling class.
Ø
Independence was just a handover of authority from white colonisers to
black colonisers, true independence is still to come.
Makini
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