Africa poem summary about 10 lines of class 9th
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Answer:
David Diop’s poem ‘Africa’ reflects his hope for an independent African nation, and the problems brought to the continent by colonialism. Through this poem Diop attempts to give a message of hope and resistance to the people of Africa. The poem starts by Diop reminiscing about Africa, a land he has not seen but only heard about from his grandmother’s songs. His choice of words like ‘distant’ symbolises how far he is from his country, a feeling based on his real-life as he lived in France throughout his childhood and only visited Africa in the 1950s. Despite this, he paints a vivid scene of Africa and the proud warriors who walk on its ‘ancestral Savannahs’. You can sense how much he misses his homeland by his stress on the word ‘Africa’, and he continues to call it ‘My Africa’ to emphasize it is his land and his feelings of patriotism towards it. He continues to say that he has never known Africa, but despite the distance he cannot deny how much it is a part of him. The ‘beautiful black blood’ which flows in his veins, describes his African descent and shows how much Africa is a part of him and his love for it and its people. The next few lines are angry and accusatory as he stresses that it is the blood and sweat of his people which is irrigating the fields for the benefit of other people. The blood of their sweat, the sweat of their work, the work of their slavery and the slavery of their children has enriched the distant lands. By this he is pointing a finger at the colonialists who exploited Black people and used them as slaves to profit from their hard labour. Therefore, the poet wants to know what the real Africa is. The poet urges the Black people to stand up to the pain and the humiliation that they are suffering in their own land. He reminds them of the strength and pride they have in them and to say no to the whip of the colonialist which makes them work under the hot midday sun and leaves scars on their backs. Despite this suffering, he urges them to be strong and remain unbent and not let this break them despite the weight of their suffering. The poet’s earnest query is answered by a grave voice. The poet personifies the African continent as an angry elder. The wise voice of Africa chides him for thinking ‘impetuous’ thoughts, implying that the continent is aware of impending changes or revolution. It urges the Africans to be patient and not hasty like children as there is change on the horizon. The voice talks about a tree which is found alone amidst white and faded flowers. The tree ‘young and strong’ represents the young people of Africa who are patiently but ‘obstinately’ waiting until they get the liberty they want. At the moment the tree is alone, meaning the African struggle is a lonely battle but they will achieve the freedom and liberty they want no matter how bitter the taste in getting it. The tree is among the ‘white and faded’ flowers by which he means the white colonialists will fade in time while the youthful Africans will grow in strength and wait for their moment of freedom
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explain the slaver in the poem of africa?