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  • Lasana M. Sekou
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  • from We Continue
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from We Continue

Lasana M. Sekou

It is time to continue
And today I greet you here
As if for the first time

Compañeros/Hermanos/Hombres y Mujeres
Gentes del Sol
Del Caribe
De América Latina
Gentes de sangre Africana
de sangre Indígena
Living through the blood of a world union

But we have lived in the same house
And danced the same dances,
We have loved each other’s songs
Without really knowing each other’s names –
Brothers and sisters…
Cousins and comrades…
Sufferers and fighters…

Today we begin
To speak for ourselves/
Unleash our tongues from isolation/
Speak our destiny
As we fight for liberation.
In solidarity
Speak of destiny
Inna one tongue
La lengua de libertad
The language of the brave.

Who else can free us?
Who else can feed us?
Who but ourselves…….majestic multitudes….

Greetings Compañeros,
We have lived in the same house
And danced the same dances…

We have loved/
Yes,
We have loved
Each other’s songs…


Lasana M. Sekou

With grateful thanks to the team at Poetry Parnassus.

Reproduced by kind permission of the author.

Tags:

Aruba connection freedom language solidarity strangers

About this poem

This poem, representing Aruba, is part of The Written World – our collaboration with BBC radio to broadcast a poem from every single nation competing in London 2012.

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Lasana M. Sekou

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