Africa (by David Diop)
The very first poem I ever read on stage
Africa, my Africa
Africa of proud warriors in ancestral savannahs
Africa of whom my grandmother sings
On the banks of the distant river
I have never known you
But your blood flows in my veins
Your beautiful black blood that irrigates the fields
The blood of your sweat
The sweat of your work
The work of your slavery
Africa, tell me Africa
Is this you, this back that is bent
This back that breaks
Under the weight of humiliation
This back trembling with red scars
And saying yes to the whip under the midday sun
But a grave voice answers me
Impetuous child that tree, young and strong
That tree over there
Splendidly alone amidst white and faded flowers
That is your Africa springing up anew
Springing up patiently, obstinately
Whose fruit bit by bit acquires
The bitter taste of liberty.
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the poem is telling about what africa is
Very Nice! I see it as a poem about a place or thing known of, but intimately unknown to the poet. like a father you know you must have, because you cannot “be” without one, but have never laid eyes on nor ears to the sound of his voice. Like a boy born blind trying to describe the physical beauty of his own mother. Africa exists because the poet is black; because people have told him that he, being black, came from slaves and that slaves, being black, came from Africa. Africa, then, is more what others have told the poet it is and less of what he himself wishes it to be. As I said earlier, very nice!
Gerald, right about now I wish I had a Like button for comments, cos you broke this poem DOWN!!!!
why the version of this poem is iba-iba ?..
its about the passion of the African culture and its personifying the strength,beauty,hardship and struggle of Africa.
Great poem. The poet tries to bring to the open the contrast between the traditional view that always percieves Africa as weak(due to its past i.e. slave trade and colonial past) and Africa’s budding promising futer as realised in the present.
i think the poem is great! it made all africans to awake under slavery. The author encourage all afrcans to be strong enough and fight for their freedom. He also ask for patience in waiting for that moment as they develop strength and power as the time passed.
hmmmm… a very good poem, I like it,maybe I will try my best so that I can be a popular poet writer someday haha
more power! Thank you also for a very refreshing poem and God Bless.
Its good
this poem was great
. i like it so much, more power to the author 
joke the author is dead so *more power* was none sense XD peace.
nice poem!
my English teacher tackled about this poem today! i didn’t pay too much attention because I was sleepy until the class was dismissed for lunch. When I read poem carefully, it was very nice. African people was slaved by the whites because of the resources that the Africans have, such as the gemstones that are buried under. Ive said this because my teacher says so. And actually, I didn’t mean to hurt the Western people or the Whites because I got the source from my History Teacher. So Peace and Godspeed!
in what way was thesitation of the Filipino some decades ago similar tothat of the african people describe in the poem? is the situation of the average filipino still the same today?
this poem is great, but why it has so many versions?? which one is he originaL?
good question. my best guess is because all English versions are translations. (The original version is in French.) You know how those be: no matter how hard the translator tries, something always get lost in translation. in general it is my opinion that when it comes to translations, especially with poetry, it is always at best guesstimates. But I hope every version you have seen, keeps the essence intact.
wew
it is good its explain what is africa for him!!!!!
WHAT IS THE TONE OF THE POEM ANYWAY??
– I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW..
AND BY THE WAY, IT IS VERY GOOD.
MY TEACHER GAVE US AN ASSIGNMENT ABOUT THIS. SHE HAD A GOOD CHOICE
- CAN ANYBODY ANSWER MY QUESTION?? I WOULD REALLY LOVE TO KNOW…
I don’t want to do your homework for you, but I will suggest you read the poem carefully, paying careful attention to the metaphors and imagery used. It might also help you to know a little bit about the author and his relationship with Africa. Maybe look at Gerald’s comment above. Good luck with your homework.
well, i’m already done with it. thanks by the way .
- wait , are u an African?
Hmmmmmmmp…what connects the speaker to his African roots?
My teacher gave me the assignment. The question is “david diop, in his two poems,’Africa’ and ‘the vultures’ recalls the kind of experiences african people under go duaring the colonial periods,account these experiences and show how effective the poems were in relating the sadness of the poet.
nice poem
ahmmm.. david diop made a great and nice poem about africa whome it is his native land…
It is about his passion of the African culture. It talks about a guy (the author) who has never been in Africa but who remains proud of the achievements of his continent; the author also sorts of talks about his pride in how the Africans got out of slavery and about how Africa remains the bravest continent and stuff like that.
The author later had an opportunity to contribute to the development of Africa in his adulthood. Diop taught at the Lycee Delafosse in Dakar, Senegal, and then was a secondary-school principal in Kindia, Guinea. He died, with his wife, in a plane crash over the Atlantic in the course of a flight between Dakar and France on August 25, 1960. More information on this can be obtained at
Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_does_David_Diop's_poem_'Africa_my_Africa'_mean#ixzz1iTqaBU1O
it’s really nice!
i was really touched,,, africa my africa.. wanna go to africa.
thank you ms. mARGelyn moncano for introducing to us the poem of david diop africa..
great poem!
This poem rends my soul, makes me feel real africa. it gives me the reason to fight on knowing that being african is a special grace which calls for continuos struggle. Ilove this poem. Kudos to David Diop
its a great poem. i love it
i realy think the poet is a black american, a son of a slave. his parent were always talking about africa,were they come from (whom my grandmother sings, on the banks of the distant river, i have never known you). take to consideration that the poet has never been to africa, he only hear his grandparents talking about it, probably the were talking adout the africa before the whites have been there.what he see is totaly different from what he is told.
hi!!!
something is wrong ’bout this poem…some lines do not match with those of in the book.
WOW ITS AFRICA OF AFRICANS
Its beautiful and keep it up
what avery good poem…tomorrow I will discuss this with my fourth year students at Bantacan National High School.
Great writeup,
it is my africa and am proud of it too.i was’nt there but i know what david diop is trying to portray.he’d never been there but he’s proud of a clu about what his grand mother tells him.
Despite the race, the author is proudly telling that racial difference isn’t the hindrance to fulfill what our goals are. With courage and aspirations, he describes how Africa acquired their freedom as our country does.
senghor was trying to un package the sufferings which africa underwent and try to give an antidote to indignity,iferiority and ex-slavery.he was also fascinated by marcus gurvey who said that ‘blacks are the descendants of the greatest and proudest race who ever lived on earth’
what’s the theme of it ???
and its structure ??
can you do a slogan about africa???
based in the poeM???
what does the line “saying yes to the whip under the midday sun” mean?
please answer……….
As you know, I am not the poet. But as a reader, I read that line to mean two things: One as a reference to history (of slavery, or colonization, etc). but perhaps more importantly this is a question, of a child asking his mother if she is all (and only) her bad history. And of course we immediately hear the mother replying…I am much more than that! I am not only my history, look at my future “springing anew”! It’s the hopes of Africa, that was springing new when this poem was written, the period of decolonization going on all around continent.
I hope I haven’t just answered a school assignment. If it is, I hope you dont just state MY opinion, but instead you take it as lead to arrive at YOUR understanding.
his poem emphasize European attitude of prejudice and discrimination against Africans and extols the beauty of African continent and its cultural traditions. the poem is really great..
what does the line “saying yes to the whip under the midday sun” mean? what feeling does it arouse in you?do you think that is also what africa readers felt when they read the poem?
.. i read the life of david mandessi diop .. and i was very impress to his story,specially to his poems by the problems of africa and when the africa colonized by spaniards ..it was very very very emotionally !!!
as i read the poem i exactly thought and make my own opinion about this and what isthe life of the author my teacher told me a while ago that david is born in france and not been in africa but his parents wherea true african people.
it say about that if he take in heart that he is a true african people eventhoug his not born in that country.he provoke to make the people rise and not be a slave on other people that wants them to colonize and make their own country to change in better or hope in a new beginning…
awesome!!!
what is da poem of africa
what is the theme of the poem?
the poem is so good
in this poem I realize that we are pilipino people are not only the one who very enforced by colonizer
even I’m pilipino I feel that present of patriotism because african fight for their freedom, if they did not fight to the colonizer I guess still now africa colonize by western!!!
HOw to role play this kind of poetry…??
what does the world distance symbolize?
how does the poet reminises africa as is homeland?
nice!!!!
i love tihs because this africa
is one of my assignment…
im so exited to perform my assignment
what kind of discrimnation exists in african society?
plss answer
if you watch the movie the roots. you will know what is the history of africans that is abducted by americans to be their slaves. search for it and find out.
..that`s good !!in our class,.that poem are talking up to….
i mean,,..that poem is very good !!
that poem is what are we talking in our class…
Africa, my father’s land. I love Africa. I want to commend the efort of the poet for sitting down to think and come up with this meaningful poem, I wanted to say more power to your elbow, but unfortunately RIP, till we meet and depart no more.