Black Poets: Mutabaruka

Mutabaruka

Mutabaruka is a Rastafari dub poet born in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1952. Active since the 1970’s, Mutabaruka, he is also a recording artist whose work is highly metafictive, referencing regularly ideas, images and personalities from Black History.

Dis Poem

Dis poem, shall speak of the wretched sea
That washed ships to these shores
Of mothers cryin’ for their young swallowed up by the sea
Dis poem shall say nothin’ new
Dis poem shall speak of time
Time unlimited time undefined
Dis poem shall call names
Names like Lumumba, Kenyatta, Nkrumah
Hannibal, Akenaton, Malcolm, Garvey, Haile Selassie
Dis poem is vexed about apartheid, racism, fascism
The KluKlux Klan riots in Brixton Atlanta, Jim Jones
Dis poem is revoltin’ against first world second world
Third world division man-made decision
Dis poem is like all the rest
Dis poem will not be amongst great literary works
Will not be recited by poetry enthusiasts
Will not be quoted by politicians nor men of religion
Dis poems knives bombs guns blood fire
Blazin’ for freedom, yes dis poem is a drum
Ashanti, Mau Mau, Ibo Yoruba, Nyahbingi warriors
Uhuruuhuru, Uhuru Namibia,
UhuruSoweto, Uhuru Afrika
Dis poem will not change things
Dis poem need to be changed
Dis poem is a rebirth of a people
Arizin’awaking understandin’
Dis poem speak is speakin’ have spoken
Dis poem shall continue even when poets have stopped writin’
Dis poem shall survive you me it shall linger in history
In your mind, in time forever
Dis poem is time only time will tell
Dis poem is still not written, dis poem has no poet
Dis poem is just a part of the story
His-story her-story our-story the story still untold
Dis poem is now ringin talkin irritatin
Makin’ you want to stop it, but dis poem will not stop
Dis poem is long cannot be short
Dis poem cannot be tamed cannot be blamed
Thestory is still not told about dis poem
Dis poemis old new
Dis poemwas copied from the Bible your prayer book
Playboymagazine the N.Y. Times readers digest
The CIAfiles the KGB files, dis poem is no secret
Dis poemshall be called boring stupid senseless
Dis poemis watchin’ you tryin to make sense from dis poem
Dis poemis messin’ up your brains
Makinyou want to stop listenin’ to dis poem
But youshall not stop listenin’ to dis poem
You needto know what will be said next in dis poem
Dis poemshall disappoint you, because
Dis poemis to be continued in your mind in your mind
In yourmind your mind

Star Okpeh
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I published my first poetry collection, The Dance of Dawn at age 17, wrote for the Sun Newspaper, Cameroon as a guest columnist and read poetry for guesthouse magazine, Iowa. I was also the very first volunteer for The African Writers Conference whose maiden edition was held in Abuja 2018 and subsequently in Kenya, Tanzania, and Cameroon, winning a first-year university scholarship. I have also just been selected to be one of Doha Debate Ambassadors 2023.