Give Me Love, Rwanda

Give me love, Rwanda
The flowers which comfort my heart
Are still in blossom,
Bees collecting their honey,
Even the cattle still give birth to young.

I am tired of hatred – of arrogance,
They have taken my appetite away.
Day and night
There are no ululations
Only the echo of bombs and guns.

My heart is peaceful, Africa,
But inside is a hole
From a locust and the drought.
My heart is tired.
Flooded by cascades of blood.

I am tired.
Tired of seeing people fall
From hunger,
The aged stand in the current
Of streams.
I am tired,
Give me love, Rwanda.

I fall on my knees, telling you,
The elders, gods of Africa,
From Timbuktu to Ife to Ogun,
What have the children of Africa to eat?

Children of Rwanda have fled from their homeland –
Children of Rwanda have drowned –
Children of Rwanda have vanished like insects –
Where is the OAU? Where is the UN?

But why is Africa a tragedy?
Where is the love of Lumumba – Toure –
Mashele – Cabral – Mandela?
Ethiopia, we are tired . . .
Sudan, we have had enough,
Sahara, we have spat saliva,
Angola, Mozambique, Bosnia, Liberia,
Haiti, Cameroon, Nicaragua, Chile.
Don’t remind me of Nagasaki, Hiroshima.

I am tired of blood,
I am still but a small child,
I ache with hunger
Under the sun beating
While the State’s money buys explosives
And the weeping of the baby cannot be heard.

Give me love –
    Beautiful Rwanda!
Give me honey –
    Beautiful Rwanda!
Give me milk –
    Beautiful Rwanda!

Is the Struggle
            A woman
                        With laden breasts?

Ndzi Nyike Rirhandzu, Rwanda

Ndzi Nyike Rirhandzu, Rwanda

Ndzi nyike rirhandzu Rwanda:
Hikuva swiluva swo thova mbilu swa ha baleka,
Ni tinyoxi ta ha hlengeleta vulombe,
Kasi na tihomu ta ha veka marhole.

Ndzi karhele ku ngunga 'xikhwixini xa lunya,
Lunya, honyololo ni nswirhi swi ndzi swirha timbilu
Hikuva vusiku nihlekanhi a ku na xivuvutana,
Kambe ntsena ngulumelo wa tibombo na swo swibamu.

Mbilu yanga yi rhulile, Afrika,
Endzeni ka yona I vangwa ra njiya na dyandza
Mbilu yi karhele ku hlometela no hlambela
Ebobomeni ra ngati – xivangiwa.

Ndzi karhele mina,
Ndzi ri ndzi karhele ku hlalela vanhu va wa hi ndlala!
Ndzi hlalela swidyuhati swi oma eminkoveni!
Ndzi karhele mina, ndzi nyike rirhandzu Rwanda.

Ndzi wa hi matsolo ndzi mi vikela
N’wina vakulu va vanhu – swikwembu swa Afrika
Ku suka Timbuktu ku ya Ifa na we Ogun
Xana vana va Afrika va ta dya yini ke?

Vana va Rwanda va balekile eka rikwenu-
Vana va Rwanda va dyiwile hi mati-
Vana va Rwanda va herile bya vusose-
U kwihi OAU? U kwihi UN?

Kasi khombo ra yini Afrika?
Ri kwihi rirhandzu ra Lumumba – Toure-
Mashele – Cabral – Mandela xana?
Ethiopia, hi karhele – ke . . .
Sudan, hi swi twile va ka hinoo!
Sahara, hi phele marhi hansi . . .
Angola, Mozambique, Bosnia, Liberia,
Haiti, Cameroon, Latin America –
Mi nga ndzi tsundzuxi Nagasaki/Hiroshima.

Ndzi ri ndzi karhele ku vona ngati,
Ndza ha ri n’wana ntsanana,
Khwiri ranga ra pandza hi ndlala,
Mumu na wona wu levile,
Mali ya tiko yi xava swibuluki,
Xirilo xa n’wana a xi twali ha yini?

Ndzi nyike rirhandzu Rwanda
    xongile!
Ndzi nyike vulombe Rwanda
    xongile!
Ndzi nyike ntswamba Rwanda
    xongile!
Kasi nyimpi ya kona ko va wansati
    a nga
                na
                        ma
                                    ve
                                            le?