Sneak Peek at A Poet Speaks of Empire

Get your first look inside A Poet Speaks of Empire. Read an excerpt from the Introduction below. Get a sense of the backdrop, the place where the poems to follow happen. Be surprised, be angry, be intrigued. By all means, feel something about this provocative look at life in Africa. More of the Introduction to come...

"Introduction -
        And my dear friend, Samba, said to me sorely, “Maybe God doesn't love us…” The words of such a proud man caught me by surprise. We were watching a documentary on the rise and fall of Mobutu.[1] We learned about Mobutu’s conquest and plunder of Congolese wealth and the unmitigated chaos that has beset the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the years since his reign. Samba noted that Mobutu’s behavior paralleled that of countless other leaders across Africa since independence in the middle of the twentieth century. Bottomless greed seemed ubiquitous..."     
         "...My friend’s initial words struck me to the core. How could one explain the disproportionate, mass poverty and chaos many Africans face?                                                        

          Upon reflection and with great confidence, I know that things will change—it is only a matter of time, of history. Africa’s story speaks of the history of the world—the rise and fall of empire. The future beckons a story for the continent of Africa, one as rich as the continent’s great past. Vast and powerful ancient empires of 300 AD to 1600 AD, including ancient Ghana, Mali and Songhay, are evidence of deep and important cultural resources and capabilities still present but hard decipher amidst what we imagine as chaos. I only mean to suggest that our view is distorted.                                             

         Africa may be the world’s poorest continent today, but the years to come whisper of a very different future. Today, with foreign investment outstripping foreign aid and with the world's fastest growing economies in Africa, it is not difficult to imagine that things are in fact changing and changing quickly..." 

I welcome your thoughts and comments. Please forward this post on to anyone you think may be interested. 

Read more of the Introduction to A Poet Speaks of Empire in the coming weeks and preview some of the poetry from the book. Stay tuned!

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[1] Congolese despot who ruled the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) or Zaire, 1965 -1997