A colonized mind of Africa

                                        -Jacques SprenkieMateya

Don't call my Africa a moron!

After stealing its means

Poisoning its food

Larcenous its resources,

And made it to look poor, like a church mouse

My African? Your mind is still colonized even today!

Africa you are now monotonous

With fake accent of colonization

Look! What colonization have done to your bright thoughts

I didn't know that it will last during your lifetime.

'Africa your mind is still colonized even today'

You use to have sharp shooter mind

You whereIn depth and independent

And now you are forever broke and in debt

You are breast feeding your children with disease-ridden milk

And your generation is mislaid generation,

Shorn of self worth and delicate identity

African children are on denial

They have give-up their Africanism 'Ubuntu'

They size their short hair with extensions

And paint their skin with this!

What is this? On African daughter?

Africa you are not yourself

Why? Who gave you food poisoning again?

When I gaze at you I see America!

When I take a glance at, you are Europe!

Your pregnancy with colonization

Was supposed to be miscarriage

Then I will approve death

A vital misfortune of your expectation

Your TB affects your children

Your infections give them a running bowel

They don't know which is which

Africa can I brain wash you?

And give you a medication for this infection.

'Africa your mind is still colonized even today'

Analysis:

As the title suggests the poet talks about the colonization of Africa and how colonization has disturbed the culture of Africa. The poet seems to be annoyed throughout the poem and blames Africa for its weakness and how it could let an alien or an outsider country to come and dismantle the lifestyle of the natives. The title suggests that colonization has not only affected the culture and the lifestyle of people but also has crept into the minds of the natives. It has impacted to such an extent that the Africans think and talk like the colonizers.

The poet says that the colonizers have ripped the essence of Africa to pieces, created a hegemony which made the colonized feel inferior to the colonizers. The line “Don’t call my Africa A moron” shows how the colonizers perceived the colonized, shows the ambivalence which was exercised. The poet says that the colonizers have treated Africa in such a way by “poisoning its food” “larcenous its resources” and made it look poor.

He says that Africa’s mind is still colonized, it has become “monotonous” and has a “fake accent”; this could mean the mimicry that took place during the colonization period, where the Africans mimicked the colonizers to fit into the society. He says that down the line somewhere colonization has had a negative impact on Africa’s “bright thoughts”.

The poet contrasts in how Africa was and how it has become after colonization, before it had a sharp mind and was independent but after colonization it is broke and in debt. The poet sees Africa as a mother who feeds disease-ridden milk to its children. The effects of colonization are a disease in the poet’s view. There is loss of identity due to colonization. The natives of Africa are in denial with the fact that their minds are not colonized, but that is a meek example of how they have accepted the ideas that were put forth by the colonizers.  The poet used the term ‘ubuntu’ which in African culture means human kindness, which he says that they have lost. On what costs were they trying to mimic the colonizers, where on the way they are losing out on their culture.

Africa does not remain itself after colonization which appears in people having extensions or painting their skins. The poet says that when he sees Africa all he can see is either America or Europe. He says that Africa was supposed to have attained freedom have a ‘miscarriage’ but that hasn’t occurred,  this resulted in outbreaks of diseases such as TB, infections, food poisoning etc., all of these diseases are metaphors for the different negative impacts of colonialism. Africa has attained freedom physically and politically not mentally. He also says that these diseases have affected the African who no longer know who they are or where they belong.

Towards the end of the poem the poet asks if he can brain wash Africa and bring the feeling of nationalism or the concept of nation so that it can be free from the grasps of the colonizers and have an ideology, identity and a nation of its own. But he concludes saying that Africa’s mind is still colonized.

Jumana Moochhala

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