Poem: Africa, land of sunshine

In 1966 our family went as volunteers to Tanzania. I taught engineering in a technical college and my wife taught English studies. The following poem was written after we had been there two years.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is Africa – land of sunshine, sand and sea
Teeming wilds of animals free
Curious tourists to and fro
Everywhere their journeys go
Land of pleasure, tan, delight
Soft and balmy
Cooling night
Land of labour, toil and sweat
Constant battle with the soil
Often hungry
Meagre diet
Blood count low – at noon all’s quiet
Diseases terrifying – dawa* useless
Cry to the spirits for deliverance
Another child that’s born has died.
This is Africa – land of tan and running waters
Carefree whites – a’daily resting
Wilds to explore, trips to take
Parties, sundowners, gossip sessions
Ever busy; seldom working
Ever running; never sweating
Endless run of varied delights –
Deep sea diving, horses, sailboats
Parties – freedom from cruel labour
Sweating in the sun
Working daily, stifling long hours
While the Memsab* runs her way
Ironing, washing, watching, waiting ...
For the Memsab’s next command
Home at evening – oh so weary
In the dark we cook our meal
Fight the dudus* - and the dirt
Memsab says we mustn’t smell
When to wash? –ah, rise up early
When our own full chores to do?
Oh, we’re given a day of rest
Then’s the time to do our work
This is Africa – exciting , challenging, daring land
Here Mzungu* man is king
Moves and looks with lofty pleasure
As the laborers, or the boys
Crowd upon him for a favour
“Kazi bwana?”*
“Pole sina kazi”*
Why then labour – when for a pittance
Black slaves will liberate your days
So that you, with loftier missions
May absorb your passing days, bridge and parties – endless chattering
Doing all we never dreamed of
Learning, sailing, boating, riding
Taking courses here and there
Life is varied, life is pleasure
Daily grinding – pleasing Memsab
Endless dishes – wave on wave they roll
Boys in tatters; Memsab’s finery
Ugali* again; Wazungu tasting new tropical delights
Heavy debes*; hose idly watering flowers
Mud walls collapsing; bars on mzungu’s windows
Must keep out the wily mwezi*
New safaris, new adventures: daily grinding search for work
Beaches, palms and lazy lounging; toiling in the sun for pennies
This is Africa
Two diverse cultures thrown towards each other
Varied, different, Chasm’ing gap
Here the masters; there the servants
Here the privileged; there the needy
Here the haves and there the have-nots
These two levels far apart – living side by side
But a day is surely coming
When the white man he must go
What will be his legacy?
Why t’was he who showed the black man
How to live in style
When he leaves
Black imitators will follow
This then is Africa
Land of the white man’s curse.


Swahili translations:
dawa – local medicine
Memsab- the white mistress
Dudus – insects
Mzungu (pl. Wazungu) – Europeans,i.e. Caucasians
Kazi bwana? – Any work mister?
Pole, sina kazi – Sory, I have no work
Ugali – local porridge
Debes – water cans for carrying water
Mwezi – thief

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
1968