Poem Analysis: Africa by David Diop

AFRICA
David Diop 

Africa my Africa

Africa of proud warriors in the ancestral savannahs

Africa of whom my grandmother sings

On the banks of the distant river

I have never known you

But your blood flows in my veins

Your beautiful black blood that irrigates the fields

The blood of your sweat

The sweat of your work

The work of your slavery

The slavery of your children

Africa tell me, Africa

Is this you this back that is bent

This back that breaks under the weight of humiliation

This back trembling with red scars

And saying yes to the whip under the midday sun

But a grave voice answers me

Impetuous son that tree young and strong

That tree there

In splendid loneliness amidst white and faded flowers

That is Africa your Africa

That grows again patiently obstinately

And its fruit gradually acquires

The bitter taste of liberty.

About the author
David Diop, a black African who was born in France in 1927, wrote this poem. His father was from Senegal and his mother from Cameroon, and he grew up mindful of both cultures and customs in France and Western Africa. The question of independence from colonial rule troubled him profoundly.

About the poem
This poem is a dramatic monologue where Africa appears to be in dialog with the speaker. The theme of the poem can be split into three parts: pre-colonial Africa and post-colonial Africa.
By demonstrating the impact that colonialism had on the African continent, the poet ends his poem. However, he seems to be optimistic that, at least, Africa is growing like a young tree again. The lines go like this:

That is Africa your Africa
That grows again patiently obstinately

Analyzation of the Poem
In the poem, there is evidence of torture and exploitation since the author articulates how the sweat of Africans was lost in vain. All this was happening at a time when without any profit, Africans were converted into slaves and worked for their masters. You can find them in these lines:

The blood of your sweat
The sweat of your work
The work of your slavery
The slavery of your children

Oppression and shame in colonial times were common activities. They have been used without objection to compel Africans to work for colonizers. This has left Africa with scars that, even though they seem to mistreat us, we still rely on them. Here are the lines for that:

This back that breaks under the weight of humiliation
This back trembling with red scars
And saying yes to the whip under the midday sun

However, the poet seems to be conscious of his status as a black African. Even though he grew up in France, he reveals that in his veins, black blood runs, which is to suggest that he is still an African, no matter where he grew up.

I have never known you

But your blood flows in my veins

The voice that answers Diop sums up his African identity.

Impetuous son that tree young and strong

That tree there

In splendid loneliness amidst white and faded flowers

That is Africa your Africa.

SOURCE: http://samwiterson.blogspot.com/2018/05/analysis-of-poem-africa-david-diop-by_15.html