This page features a video of the poem “Africa”, prescribed under the Karnataka State Syllabus for 9th Standard English First Language. Along with its summary in three languages and transliterated songs. It serves as a valuable learning resource for students and parents, with each song accompanied by its respective lyrics for easy sing-along. The synchronized lyrics help learners follow and recite the song as it progresses, making memorization and learning by heart easier, more effective, and enjoyable.
Lyrics
English
Africa my Africa
Africa of proud warriors in 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.
Africa of proud warriors in 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.
Summary
The poem expresses the speaker's deep connection with Africa, its history, suffering, and desire for freedom. Although he has never personally known the land, he feels that Africa lives within him through his ancestral blood. He remembers the sweat, labour, slavery, humiliation, and wounds suffered by African people. The image of a strong tree growing patiently represents Africa's resilience after oppression. The poem ends with the hope that Africa will continue to grow and that its people will gradually taste the hard-won fruit of liberty.
Author
DAVID DIOP