POEM: PEACE REACHES OUT TO US
If I could speak,
I will tell you an ordinary story
It seems to be hot?
Yes it’s hot in the kitchen and that sounds normal
But it’s hot in the shower and that is paradoxical
On the head,
Under my feet,
She’s tapping the heat!
At midday the sun rages and at midnight it seems to be angry!
It is hot in the North, not less in the South
It’s hot in Ziguinchor, not less in Dakar
I go to the North Pole where everything seems normal
But the West cries behind me
Burma shouts behind me
Nigeria cries behind me
Togo shouts behind me
Senegal shouts behind me
Help ! global warming, it’s too hot!
What is this heat?
This heat represents armed conflicts, wars, displacements …
Conflicts have thrown Africa into a dark hole
Hole from which it is impossible for him to perceive the sun of development
And from the blossoming of its life-saving rays
On the other ends of the earth
The stoic attitude of some African leaders
Who want to create African unity is certainly noble
But she finds herself confronted with an enormous obstacle:
Disunity, corruption, greed and greed of some people!
If I could speak ….
Look at this crowd with face fixed on me
Watch these hearts beating
Look at these people these people who have kept in them the brutality of the past days
Wounds that suppurated, keeping in them the brutality of the past days
It is said that young people no longer want to hear anything
Bored by so much bitterness
Impatience flows in their veins
And pours out in their desires!
Silence
Silence of the conspiracy
Silence of the denial of the world
We dress our fights with silence
And we want to erase our existences
Until when ?
How long will the day be black?
How long will the night remain bleached?
How long will the lamb be bound to chains of sorrows and pains?
Dawn has lost color
The bright color of this garden in crisis
And the sounds were silent at the feet of the crossroads
The goal is common
Why not do it
Why not walk together on a path without thorns
And without lianas that is of PEACE?
Peace is not an empty word
But a behavior to teach our children
If we want peace, let us prepare for peace
If we want peace
Seeds wherever we need seeds of peace
Tolerance and non-violence.
If I could speak
I will sing loud and clear wherever I need to
That peace is possible, if we believe it is possible.
Peace holds out our hand and we must take the step
Peace is not only beautiful words
But it is also in our way of looking at our neighbor
And tell him we love you!
Peace is not only beautiful speech
But it is our way also to seek to see
If our neighbor next to us is doing well!
Peace is not a matter of nationality
But it’s a question of humanity!
Peace is not a matter of treaties or agreements
But it is a plant that sows, water and talks!
If I could speak
I will tell you do not be afraid, peace is possible!
If I could speak
I would quote the Wolof proverb: “When ten people dig a hole, and ten others put sand back in there,
there will be a lot of dust but a pit will never be built”
Then we Africans,
Whatever our nationality
Whatever our origin
We must love each other
We need to get together
To lift this torch of peace!
Peace is still possible
And it depends on you and me!
Peace reaches out to us
African, African!
Peace reaches out to us, my brothers and sisters!
If I could speak,
I will tell you: “I have spoken”
An adaptation by
SESSI Sefiamenou Yao
REPAOC-Dakar / September 2017
