Babangoni wawa Chisale
Death of an Artist
Matafale rest in peace, Ken Saro Awiwa you too rest in peace
Ignored beats, made dem lie down
Death of an artist by the government, by the government
Whats wrong with you kill me like a bird, kill me like a housefly, kill me like ha!
Am down like a man but a hill is on my head
If you see my criticism hurts you why don’t breed patience and call me to negotiate
other than kill me like this
You invited me to sing for your birthday and dinner, I entertained you
As it sparks in me I flood your mind with happiness in an agony of gratitude
When you chew the great tastes of my rhythm, joy seculate in your body as blood and
carries away all debris of worries and sorrows
But in turn you award me with a mock smile
Matafale rest in peace, Ken Saro Wiwa you too rest in peace!
In your mass rallies you called me to recite a poetic verse of my master piece isibonga*
of lure people in your appraisal
When I spoke rhetoric they trembled and bowed down in a symbol of loyalty coz I
bought them to your ideology and auction themselves to their way of thinking
But your wrath hidden in the smiling mask
Matafale rest in peace, Ken SaroWiwa you too rest in peace!
A soldier dies at war, a politician he too must die in his field cause he choose a dirty
game
When you see a politician kill a politician, don’t cry have no mercy or sorrow and be
unconcerned if you can but only question him to express a good reason for that evil
deed
If he does it for the good interest of the common illurate, blair, whistle, shriek and
scream but never praise him
When you see a politician kill a soldier never mind cause it’s his political sacrifice to
his freedom
Discount it a crime is like a man rape his own wife
But when you see a politician plot to kill an artist or a poet let that man perplexed in
his soul until he committed suicide
Cause God does not wish to see a poet being killed
Because God himself is a poet
*isibonga - praise poem