My Poem Won 1st Place!!

November 2nd - Taste of Africa Event

It was an occasion to give the people of Fayetteville a taste of African food and culture. It was a great success and we had over 150 people present. At the event, prices were also awarded for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd position winners of a poetry competition. Contestants had to write on one of three topics: Advocate for Africa; Unity in Africa; Wealth in Africa. My poem on Wealth in Africa won first place!!! And what's more, my prize and certificate were awarded by the Chancellor of the University of Arkansas, Dr. G. Dave Gearhart! I was asked to get on stage and read the poem. It's gratifying...and encouraging...so many people have asked me for a copy since then. See poem below.

WEALTH IN AFRICA

Wealth- vast implications, it hints at great proportions,
Where money is in plenty; and value is abundant.
Wealth conjures a picture of ample and good fortune,
With riches, perhaps cars, a big house and maidservants.

Wealth in Africa…ah, that’s a different story.
Not what a westerner perhaps would in his mind envision.
Its wealth lies in people, in culture; nature’s abundance,
Resilience, collective effort, community at its core.

Now I have seen both worlds…I have filled the western shoes.
It looked like wealth – at first – but I too soon learned its price.
An SUV whose comfort just sealed my pledge in debt.
This house, oh the payments, next year will I be here?

A job, “We’ll employ you, but how much can you deliver?”
“Work, work, and work some more…Vacation? Maybe later.”
Family, “By God, mom, I am working again this Easter!”
For this wealth, for this life, can I afford the price?

Oh yes, I’ve seen that world; now I look back to Africa…
My continent…How often I‘ve taken your gifts for granted,
A house my father built, on his own land, with his own toil,
It will always be his, his children’s, his grandchildren’s.

Time…so highly valued and scarce in countries yonder,
Is but another good of commonplace value in these lands.
Grandfather needs a fence; the neighbor, a new roof,
I have time, I have time, my people, I have time.

Though funds are oft depleted, in a sense they’re overrated.
Here green hills so fruit-laden are a harbor and a haven.
The farms, their fresh produce sure to come with every season,
Eight months of lush rain, of rich harvest and much grain.

‘Tis a night for celebration, when the talking drums start calling,
As the steady rhythm’s beating; around the fire bodies sway,
Men and women, children, elders soon throng the vast clearing,
Exchanging the day’s stories, with the full moon looking on.

Africa, land of plenty - rich soils, diverse cultures,
Strong people with open hearts, resilient to the last,
Sharing joys with each other, bearing sorrows a part of living,
Yes, wealth not in silver, but in shared humanity.

Jacky Ambe Ashu