This creative collection brings together Africa poems by South African poet and writer, Wayne Visser, including the ever popular "I Am An African", as well as old favourites like "Women of Africa", "I Know A Place in Africa", "Prayer for Africa" and "African Dream". The anthology celebrates the luminous continent and its rainbow people. The updated 5th Edition includes new poems like "Africa Untamed" and "Land of the Sun".
The spirit of the poetic flowering of the 1960s is encapsulated in this comprehensive anthology. The collection gives voice to some fifty poets from Kenya, Uganda and Zambia, writing in English. The diversity of the interests and styles of the individual poets is illustrated: a blend of the gentle lyricism that is a feature of East African writing. All the major poets are included, and many not so well known. Amongst the best known are Jared Angira, Jonathan Kariara, Joseph Kariuki, Taban Lo Liyong, Okot p'Bitek, and David Rubadiri - one of the editors.
Excerpt from Africa, a Poem His kindly in uence own, and grateful bloom, Adorned with richest fruits, and fairest owers. Thy mountains dark, magnificently rude, Sky-bearing Atlas owning as their peer. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works."
Poems from Africa to the World is a collection of fictional/real-life stories and historical events written in poetic form. Many see poetry as a piece of abstract writing that is very hard to connect or understand. But the author by turning real-life events and contemporary themes to poetry seeks to fuse storytelling and poetry together, to make them more enjoyable. This collection is peculiar because they are based on varied subjects ranging from American, Chinese, to Italian themes etc. The author being of African origin, most of the themes of the poems in this book are centered on African peoples and culture. But there are many other themes that talk about unique animals, like the lizard with a horn, and another that talks about one of the most "hidden" places of the world, Cape Melville, in Australia. The poetic-short stories are historic and thrilling, and some inspired by true-life events and experiences. A brief analysis of some of the poems in this collection are: Poem 1, BEAUTIFUL AMERICA, is a short story about what made America a great country. It is transformational and displays boundless insight.Poem 4, GIRAFFE IN CHINA, is a true historical account of how the first Giraffe the Chinese ever saw, came to enter the Chinese Emperor's courtyard - a gift from an African King to the Chinese people.Poem 8, LET'S GO SNOWING IN SOUTH AFRICA, is a fictional short story of a typical snowing day in South Africa. And this purveys the insight that it is not always hot and arid in Africa. Some parts of Africa really experience "severe winter," and have snow, just like Europe, and America, etc. Poem 34, ARO OF AFRICA, is a true historical account of how the British fought the Arochukwu people of the eastern part of Nigeria, in the Anglo-Aro war (1901-1902); and tells how the Aro people used mosquitoes to repel the first British invasion of Aro Kingdom. Poem 61, THE RISING SUN, is a story of how a man, to avoid forceful conscription into the Biafran army, disguised and lived like a woman throughout the nearly 3-year period of the Nigerian-Biafran Civil War. This poetic short story is historically gripping.The author's peculiar style of writing poetry follows his quest to make the understanding of poetic works easier and evoke a much larger audience to start appreciating poetry.
“Akwasi Aidoo’s Rhythms of Dignity is a remarkable, bold first collection. There is a rich diversity in range of form, expressiveness, experience, and passion. Reading through this work is a journey through the undercurrents of experience that reflect on living through the charged realities of the ‘post-colonial’ decades of our modern African not only with an intimate Pan-African awareness of history but also with a poignant sensibility of brotherhood, sisterhood and belonging. Clearly evocative of the age the poet has lived through, these poems have both a sharp clear eye on history, and an abiding tender trust in human relationships.” – Abena P.A. Busia, professor of literature, poet, and Ghanaian ambassador to Brazil. “Akwasi Aidoo weaves together in warm and passionate verses our timeless dreams of freedom, dignity and humanity which shall neither be deferred nor deterred regardless of what they say and what their SAPs (‘sanitize African passion’!) and Davos prescribe. Enjoy the dreams of ‘life and joy’ that is the Rhythms of Dignity. Akwasi is one of Africa’s foremost poets. Akwasi, you make us proud as Africans and as a part of humanity in what you sing and what you pen. May your Rhythms continue to inspire us and light the road to freedom.” – Issa Shivji, Emeritus Professor, University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. “In this collection of poems covering Africa, meditation and memory and everything in between, we hear Akwasi Aidoo’s voice mingled with the voices of our ancestors, our past and our future, calling to us to reflect as ‘life streaming hurriedly to us’. Woven within the lyricism of the words, the poems are a political and social commentary on life that evoke Langston Hughes and reminds us of the stories we tell and are told about us. Buy it, read it and be discomfited and comforted in turn.” – Ayisha Osori, author of Love Does Not Win Elections.
Phillis Wheatley (c. 1753–1784) was an American freed slave and poet who wrote the first book of poetry by an African-American. Sold into a slavery in West Africa at the age of around seven, she was taken to North America where she served the Wheatley family of Boston. Phillis was tutored in reading and writing by Mary, the Wheatleys' 18-year-old daughter, and was reading Latin and Greek classics from the age of twelve. Encouraged by the progressive Wheatleys who recognised her incredible literary talent, she wrote "To the University of Cambridge” when she was 14 and by 20 had found patronage in the form of Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon. Her works garnered acclaim in both England and the colonies and she became the first African American to make a living as a poet. This volume contains a collection of Wheatley's best poetry, including the titular poem “Being Brought from Africa to America”. Contents include: “Phillis Wheatley”, “Phillis Wheatley by Benjamin Brawley”, “To Maecenas”, “On Virtue”, “To the University of Cambridge”, “To the King’s Most Excellent Majesty”, “On Being Brought from Africa to America”, “On the Death of the Rev. Dr. Sewell”, “On the Death of the Rev. Mr. George Whitefield”, etc. Ragged Hand is proudly publishing this brand new collection of classic poetry with a specially-commissioned biography of the author.
