@Tyelev 15 November 2021

Slavery

I was flogged by my ancestors last night to tell their story. Pay attention, for this is no fiction. This is your history (Africans).   Wait! Keep a handkerchief beside you, you might need it.

At their arrival, The sky romanced thunder and kissed lightening                  They came as though our souls needed saving, that was why we were at the mercy of their salvation and let our guards down                 They came holy, preaching the gospel of Christ  so that we would believe, so we did         When the fangs of reality hit us, we became preys praying for the natural course of justice, even though it was far from the shores of our land                 These predators were ruthless, brutal and blood tasty animals Their eyes, bloodshot and their clothes cloaked with inhumanity                 They slaughtered our pregnant women at sight,  so as to take away our sons and daughters They gloried in Savaging our vulnerability                      They brought the gospel in exchange for our souls                   They brought education in exchange for our services                   They tore apart our world piece by pieces, stalking daggers in the hearts of men as they left scars of history for generations yet to come                         Spiritually, Our gods abandoned us; Orunmila betrayed us Amadioha ran like a child for safety Obatala stood and watched as we got raped on thorns and in turns            And when we couldn't bear it; We became our gods, Our legends;                   Hail Jaja of Opobo The great one who fought like a lion protecting his territory from intrusion                   Hail Nana of Itsekiri Who fought tirelessly like a fearless elephant trampling over their domineering guts, who died glorified              Hail Oba Kosoko of Lagos; The crafty fox who refused to bow to their wishes      Hail Oba Ovarenmwen of Benin; The fearless hyena who fought and died courageously for what he stood for                        In their countries, we became caricatures of entertainment History has it that we earned titles such as; Black monkeys African Gorillas Apes Chimpanzees                      Oh! What a pity! We were sold Sold by our very own brothers A thousand slave for a mirror                    Be it rainy or sunny days, the journey to our grave was ascertained Even when we fought for a peaceful treaty, we failed woefully   Through whips and guns, came the right source of motivation, as hot tears crawled down our cheeks every passing second and the ever scorching sun massaging our backs        They played gods over our lives Our voice was answerable to their guns          Tiredness was a problem best solved with the complementation of bullets or whips            Our tongues were beautifully uprooted when we complained They shared out our families and friends amongst themselves, as if we were farm produce          Our brothers and sisters           Daughters and sons           Fathers and mothers Were all at their mercy, as they parted with them in chains and pains                As they journeyed, any rebellious act was settled in the court of the Pacific ocean   On our lips stood padlocks preventing us from stealing their produce Our legs were clipped in chains Our bodies were tattooed with the map of the world's cruelty                     And back home: Our Agricultural produce and artifacts cried for safety and pleaded for mercy, as they were being carted away to the land of no return

This poem arrows the emergence the whites and the struggles of some Africans who fought against the slave trade in Africa. Particularly, Nigeria. The poem starts by introducing us to the manipulative techniques that the whites used to successfully penetrate into Nigeria and exploit our human and natural resources.   The poem also lament about some of our artifacts that are now housed abroad. The Ivory mask of Benin is currently in the British Museum.   Thank you for dropping by. Do well to subscribe for more poems, articles and stories. Do well to equally share your thoughts in the comment section. Stay blessed.