A-BO-LI-TION - Edouard J. Maunick

A!
… guitars/ravanes/invade us/
triangles/maravanes/carry us/
it’s the hour of the campfire/
it’s the hour of the campfire among the filaos tree/
it’s the hour of the campfire of the bush rum/
it’s the hour of an incandescent memory
existing even before
the native island was founded:
turbulent rush including rumours—roots
of the initial Guinean-Wolof-Malinke/
rhythmic shouts/syncopated cries/hips
broken/
music/song/words/dance/gestural
all become one/
once/
the night/
comes…

BO!
here I come! here I come!
go! give them! go!
shake it, mama ! shake it!
the sega is light!
the sega is not damned!
the sega is no curse…
no matter where
the sega is our prayer! …

only God knows
from how far we have been walking
in what way thorns have been tearing our feet
because our race was travelling/
bare foot how many misfortunes we have been though
the hunger the thirst tearing our throats and bellies …

LI!
… Only God knows!
but our parents have always told us
we never forget my children
life is stronger than death!
time will pass time will run time will disappear
but we’ll still be here we’ll always be here
in our descendants
in their children
in the little children of their children
my dad liked to repeat
life does not go in a straight line
life makes a circle once
you reach the finishing line
it never starts again never forget never!

TION
…except for the ebony with the perfect heart/
except for the rats/the roaming dodos/
except for the clear waters of the stream/of rivers/
which was named terra incognita
at will of a hundred geographical expeditions/
possible reflection of some Gondwana:
those who approached it in the name of the Prince/
then in the name of some other Christians/
enslaved/chained/and branded/
whipped/emasculated/and killed
a great number of men/
of women/of children…
it was the same black holocaust
in other islands situated in oceanic lands:
same cargoes towards the same golgothas
of the ocean and the same bitter solitude:
in the name of the Father/the Son/
and the Holy Spirit/Amen!…
but life is more powerful than death
and we have survived the worst:
Eia! for the ebony with the perfect black heart/
Eia! for the mask carved as the Sun/
Eia! for the deep sculpted Life:
gone the pain! gone the tears!
our destiny is that of the living!
if they feel guilty
tell them to join us in a sega :

its title is a diamond : A-BO-LI-TION!

abolition all the curses!
abolition all the bad memories!
abolition all the kicks up the arse
abolition all the injustices!

e! good morning Humanity! good morning!

if the history of humanity is to be recreated/
we will rebuild it with all the beings of the world level with each other/
we will rebuild it with a mixture of skin colours to form but one/
we will rebuild it to the sound of all the different music/
we will rebuild it dancing all the different dances/
we will rebuild it saluting all the religions/
we will rebuild it to the tastes of all the cuisines/
we will rebuild it in farewell to all our misfortunes!

of course I am dreaming/
you are dreaming/
we are dreaming/
what’s wrong in all that?
the only difference/
is that we are dreaming
with our eyes wide open/
the only/unique way
of looking at ourselves
face to face/
with less cheating/
with less dying to ourselves!

go! oh come! here I come!
go give them! han! give the!
shake it papa!
shake it mama!
shake it children!
sega is light!
sega is not cursed!
sega of love!
sega of life!
sega will survive:
SUN

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Edouard J. Maunick (born 1931) Mauritius
Translated by Sestrahood
Source: The Violet Seller