Africa Must Shine Again

Look across the land,
its despair, hopelessness and poverty,
my people, living without the rainbow or sunshine.

A billion people wallowing in poverty,
rich in resources but poor in intellect,
rich in ambition but poor in will power,
unable to muster the courage to end her woes.

Africa's tears are too many,
she cannot fend for her children,
A joker, who is always at war,
never at peace.

To the faint hearted in my motherland,
and the intellectuals in diaspora,
be not in despair, for Africa will rise again.

Not by wishes or mere talk,
but of dreams and visionary diligence inherent in her children,
though she may suffer from gross mismanagement today,
for in my time, she must rise

If it takes my last breath to free her of her many tribulations,
then so be it, for in my time,
Africa must shine again . . .