Poetry of the Akan People

The art and literature of a people is an important part of their history. African poetry and literature have been obscure for a long time, partly because of the reliance on oral tradition, but mostly because of the disruptive effects of colonialism on culture and education. This month I will be doing a series of posts of beautiful African poetry of ancient and pre-modern times. African poetry speak on a variety of topics such as religion, happiness, family, community, life, death, love, trust... the same things many modern poems are about.

In this post I present two poems from the Akan people. The Akan is an ethnic group found mostly in Ghana and Ivory Coast, but African diaspora world wide are influenced by many of Akan folklore such as Anansi (Caribbean) and Br'er Rabbit (Caribbean, USA) and Akan names are also seen throughout the worldwide diaspora. Some names of Akan origin that I have encountered in Trinidad include Cuffy (Kofi), and Cudjoe (Kojo).

The following are two short poems of the Akan people.

~The Creator~

The path crosses the river;

the river crosses the path.

Which is the elder?

We made the path and found the river;

the river is from long ago,

from the creator of the universe.

~Lament~

Your death has taken me by surprise.

What were your wares

that they sold out so quickly?

When I meet my father, he will hardly recognize me:

He'll find me carrying all I have:

a torn old sleeping mat and a horde of flies.

The night is fast approaching.

The orphan is dying to see its mother.

Sources:

Humanities in the Ancient and Pre-Modern World: Wendel P. Jackson (General Editor)

Akan People: Wikipedia: http://bit.ly/i6WjVL

Coromantee People: Wikipedia: http://bit.ly/pEdGN5

Photo by Kelene Blake