In this episode, we host Mustapha Fofana. Born on 31 December 1999 in Lunsar, Sierra Leonean poet, songwriter, student of the University of Sierra Leone is passionate about using poetry as a means of change and cohesiveness in the country. Mustapha holds a diploma in procurement and supply.
Here are the poems recited in this episode, in written form.
IF OUR NATION CAN SEND A MESSAGE TO THE WORLD THAT WE
ARE NOT A COLLECTION OF RED AND GREEN STATES, BUT THE
REPUBLIC OF ONE NATION.
GOD is the wind that touches everything, and if we were judged by the
worst things we had done, then we would probably be considered as bad
people.
But If the people don’t believe in themselves, and the leaders are
deceitful, then who will make plans for the children? Because the land and
the sea is one, and the people are said to be as one, but not uniting
themselves, parity is to be given to everyone, because progress is
precarious, and the solution of one problem brings us face to face with
another problem.
All that I have been thinking is! The road ahead will be long. Our climb will
be steep, but our endeavor should not be fierce, so we won’t reject the
myth of our generation. If we harness ourselves with enormity then we will
never reach the end mark, And! If I decide to join back our ancestors, with
a bewailing face, they will send me back, and say, “it’s not yet over son,
because there is a lot to fight, but you will have our blessings.
GO!…go son and always remember there is no place for the living in
the land of the dead”. And my question to my ancestors will be, “how can
I fight for the ones that I love when our land is full of enormity?”
But before you doubt me! Doubt yourself. This is the land that we love,
which was once shed with blood, once filled with tears, and once filled with
sweat for this generation, and this generation is to smoothen the road for
the next generation. But if we fail, how will the next generation smoothen
the road for the next? How does it feel when we all disperse?! How does it
feel when we work along with ignorance?
Our feet on the ground will help us to create convergence and our hearts
will help us to find love. But if we choose to go along with ignorance we will
never smoothen the road for the next generation, because ignorance has
no preference, ignorance has no color, ignorance has no race, ignorance
has no ethnicity, ignorance has no age, ignorance has no sex, etc. If this
pain continues, what about the room that we shared secret together? What
about the pillows that I use to wipe off my tears? And what about my heart
that was there to console me when nobody does? I would like to take a
rest at the shore, breathe with my decency, covered by my creed, and resist
my temptation to fall back, because the change does not roll in on the
wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle; struggle if
only we can pursue our creeds with an ultimate measure to reinforce the
commitment of our future generation, the generation that people write off, to
be protected with the canopy of love and happy life, with no harm of
subversion. I wish I could live long like ANN NIXON COOPER to see the
change, which I believe we can fight for if only my words reach your
hearts.
When the sky is raining, and I decide to take a walk without an umbrella,
the truth is, I don’t have any. But if you decide to give me yours, I will be
protected not to get wet. Even when I have an umbrella, I still need more.
So a man asked, “why is it that you need more when you already have
one?” And my reply was, “I need more umbrellas and helping hands,
so we can conglomerate as one to cover our motherland, not with
pain but with joy, not for the love of the political parties but the love of
our motherland, not by fighting for the parties but to fight for this
nation, not just for us but for the next generation, not about relating to
the same tribe but relating to the same land, not for us to look
beautiful! But for our motherland to have the beauty.” And lastly, not
about practicing hypocrisy and saying, “OUR BEAUTIFUL
MOTHERLAND”, when the hearts of the children are not beautiful.”
MESSAGE TO MY FLAG
RAISING A CHILD DIFFERENTLY COMES WITH IT
CONSEQUENCES AS THE ONLY SON OF A RICH
NATION TURN INTO A TYRANT AND A MENACE TO
SOCIETY
But first I pledge my love and loyalty to my country.GREEN,
WHITE, AND BLUE. Then I pledge allegiance to the flag.
See! beautiful country, beautiful resources, beautiful beaches,
beautiful everywhere, but selfish people, how could we pledge
our love and loyalty to the flag while the nation is going
down. Going down because things are getting harder
every day, we are rich! Yes, we know that. But we are jobless,
with no good road, no good medical facilities, no-good
Education, no good transportation. Corruption is getting worse every day.
People are dying, some are laid on the concrete, and some are in
the hospitals. Doctors don’t work normally, teachers don’t
teach properly, offices don’t work genuinely.
WHY. QUESTION? QUESTION?
Government don’t pay workers to the time they want their
pay so how could you expect somebody working without
earning, it TRAGIC, TRAGIC when you see a good graduate
comes out there, with their first class, first class that is
capable to do the work properly, but it takes them a couple of
years before some get jobs. PITY, PITY whiles you see an
unemployed youth walking down the street all day because
they have nowhere to attach to. BOYS decide to go steal, and
GIRLS turn into a prostitute.
But remember you said we are equal, equal, so how could you
bite the hand that feeds you, then you said.
I PLEDGE MY LOVE AND LOYALTY TO MY COUNTRY
SIERRA LEONE, and I VOW TO SERVE HER
FAITHFULLY AT ALL TIMES.
VOW, ok; but you promise you are going to serve her
faithfully when you want the power, now u have it; SERVE
NOW
SERVE
As divinity, and deity of the supreme being is seeming his
work, so I will like to call into the past of our ancestors to
come and help us, so that this moment we are the whole
reason they have
existed at all. Because it took a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to
get to where we are today. As I have seen incredible bravery,
from every young guy the generation that people write of
today
So for me, I pledge my love, and I vow to serve her faithfully.
AS I write this message to my FLAG GREEN, WHITE, AND
BLUE. our motherland
PEACE AND LOVE
MUSTAPHA EMBRASS STARDO FOFANAH
