Hooray for Freedom

Hooray for Freedom

Hooray for Freedom

After nine years of sucking
the teat of a slogan
of a heroic war
the people began to emaciate
while those with slender probosces
have gone to sleep on smooth puncheons.

Hooray for freedom!

After nine years of singing
nyika iyi ndeyedu vatema
‘Avaunt, you suckers of our sweat!’
we wake up to find
an invasion of farmlands
by big black aristocrats
benzocrats and brothermen
with independence torches
burning down squatter villages.

Hooray for freedom!

After nine years of quiet faith
bruised knees and endless rallies
the yoke begins to cut into flesh.
We raise our voices
and someone rushes to our face
with threats of cannon and clenched terror.

Hooray for freedom!

After nine years of braving price rises
and vanishing minimum wages
bus queues and bread queues and meat queues
and salt queues and passport queues
a voice from the crystal palace
warns us still against grumbling
and teaches us the golden African patience.

Hooray for freedom!