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Cry mother Africa, cry
Oh look, dear motherland at your pure white, now crimson robe
Look, dear motherland at your once beautiful lands now barren and stripped of all its hope,
Look at all the children you suckled now slowly killing the values you gave them, ruthlessly breaking away from your hut,
Going to seek better pastures in new lands only to find a drought,
Chasing dreams only to find nightmares,
Cry mother Africa, cry,
Those you trusted to protect you have turned against you,
Those you hoped would feed your roots are the ones burning them for firewood,
Those you hoped would feed your flock are the very ones feeding on them,
They have left you desolate when you needed them most,
They have gone to till new lands and left you all bushy and sterile,
Cry mother Africa, cry,
For you have been left to nurse the sickly children on your own,
You have been left to feed the old and the crippled,
You have been abandoned at the hour you need them most,
They shall come back though, mother
They will wander all over to search for another, but blood will draw them to you again,
They shall come, mother,
When their blistered feet can’t walk anymore,
When their parched throats can talk no more,
Mother, when the sun becomes too hot for them,
Mother,
When love in their new lands turn to hate,
When the wells they found turn to reeking swamps,
They shall come crawling on their knees,
They will call out your name from a distance but won’t be able to lift their eyes unto you,
They will look down at your feet with their heart full of shame,
When they find you still strong and able,
They shall hate themselves for leaving,
They shall do all they can to atone for their sins
Mother Africa, will you find it in yourself to forgive?
Will you be ready to clear your throat of all the accumulated bile?
Will you hug them happily or turn your eyes away from the prodigal sons of the land?
They shall come back to shelter under your vast arms
Cry though mother Africa, cry,
For until that happens,
You shall still be spending the nights in the cold ashes,
You shall still sleep in the dark for there isn’t anyone to light your lantern,
Cry mother Africa, cry,
For out there, your sons are singing songs of glee and happiness while you console yourself with dark dirges,
Out there, they are hoping for life while you are wishing for death,
Cry mother Africa, cry,
Those left under your care need your tears to know you care,
The blind need to hear your old crackled voice to know you’re still there,
Cry mother Africa, cry,
For though we have promised to be always here for you,
We know your heart went abroad with the wanderlust,
We may lust for your love,
But the weary smile is all we may be able to see
Cry mother Africa, cry for all you have loved and lost,

You taught me, mother Africa, that I am not an African because I was born in Africa, but that I am an African because Africa was born in me.

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