The Blood from My Roots

Peoples of Congo, Peoples of Africa! Immense is your desolation. So begins Dr. Alafuele M. Kalala’s poetic plea to his fellow Africans to cast off the corruption and despair plaguing their countries and unite in the common goal of rebuilding their societies. Taking on the voice and rhythmic delivery of the traditional African songster, Kalala laments the current state of his homeland while never losing sight of his hope that the people of Africa will one day join together in love and solidarity to reclaim their destinies. Kalala’s poem, translated here for the first time into English from the original French, is at times an elegy to the bygone splendor of pre-colonial Africa, yet is ultimately uplifting in the poet’s ever-hopeful message to his people: Peoples of Congo, Peoples of Africa! Destiny is yours; so is choice!