Jay Rahim

Mama Salone

by George Shadrack Kamanda

   https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/mama-salone-sierra-leone/ 

From the fringes of the western mountains
To the western shores of Freetown
From the clutches of colonialism
To the spirit of self-independence
From the outbreak of vicious civil wars
To constant the notion of peace.
From the holds of tribal disparity

To the toleration of every ethnicity
From the pits of poverty
To the rise of basic sustainability.
From the evils hands of kleptomania fingers
To the increasing roads of accountability
From the dark ages of socio-economic progress
To the rising evolution of productivity.
From the mindset of knowing not all wants are satisfied
To the quest of taking issues one by one
From the destructive remains of warfare
To the building of society brick by brick
From the outcry for political participation
To the revelation of active citizenry
From the wakes of instability
To the rise of social activity.
From the desperation the rainy season brings
To dry season of optimism
From the anthem of western education
To the footstool of educational opportunities.
From the fear of cultural degeneration
To the hope social integration
From vicious plague of deadly diseases
To the hopes of achievable recoveries.
From the outcry of traditional woes
To the purposeful regeneration in our traditions 


Biography

According to PoemHunter.com, George Shadrack Kamanda was born in Sierra Leone, West Africa and holds a Bachelor degree in the Arts at Saint Josephs's University. He has served as a mentor in the Model United Nations in the US, and is developing as a poet to express his love for the continent of Africa and the world as a whole. Kamanda is also very passionate about the right to education, teaching at the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 15 secondary schools in Sierra Leone. 

Poem Analysis

In "Mama Salone", there is a sense of pride for the country of Sierra Leone, describing the assets and struggles for the people and the country. The poem also describes the importance of your ancestry, reflecting on how the ancestors in Sierra Leone have shaped the beauty of the country as a whole. The identity of the speaker is obviously someone who lives in Sierra Leone or is in some way connected to the culture. The speaker is also passionate about the politics and societal issues of Sierra Leone, from poverty to the rights of education. In the line "from the outcry of political participation," the speaker uses personification of the country to emphasize the emotion, regret, and plea for the efforts of political stability from the people inside and outside of Sierra Leone. Overall, the speaker uses general imagery to describe what really embodies and symbolizes the country. They also use the effect of repetition to indicate the comprehensive idea of the culture in Sierra Leone. The tone is powerful and prideful, embodying the assets and also the flaws that come along with such a powerful country. This feeds into the theme of respect and unconditional love for something that is truly dear to your heart, and for the speaker, it is the beautiful country of Sierra Leone.