The Kitchen Girl III

In almost every household of middle-income and upper-income families in Africa (and I suppose even in other parts of the world), they usually employ a houseworker. My opinion is that usually these workers are not treated fairly by their employers. The Kitchen Girl III is a reflective poem, by renowned Namibian poet Kavevangua Kahengua, who tries to portray the thoughts of a houseworker and in this particular case a "Kitchen Girl". It remains one of my favourite poems since I am a person who advocates for social-justice for the down-trodden. The poem goes on as follows:

The Kitchen Girl III

I am the kitchen girl
Like a cock
I am the first one to get up
At twilight I dare walk the path
That leads me to my masters' house
The aroma of the breakfast I prepare
Wakes up my masters from comfort
Here I toil till dusk
From Sunday to Monday
They say God hears prayers
Even from the kitchen

I am the kitchen girl
When my masters sit around
The table to enjoy the fruit
Of my sweet sweat
I am on my feet in the kitchen
Clattering of plates and spoons
Unending

I am the kitchen girl
The bank lady
Has just snatched my boyfriend
"How dare you touch my man?"
Twisting her red painted lips
She spat in my face

I am the kitchen girl
The Revised Labour Law III
Has omitted my occupation
They say the ommission is minor
After all, I was told
Minimum wages rule doesn't
Apply to kitchen chores
I am the kitchen girl

Copyright notice: Used with permission from the author. All rights reserved to the author, Kavevangua Kahengua. This poem appears in a book by the author entitled "Dreams" which is published by Gamsberg Macmillan Publishers Ltd, Windhoek, Namibia. ISBN: 99916-0-389-1

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Imagine an Africa...

Imagine an Africa
Where her people stop looking down upon themselves
Where her people drop their inferiority complex
Where her people stop looking at the other folks as their saviours
Where her people start looking at the other folks as equals and partners
Where her people realize that their skin colour does not make them different and inferior

Imagine an Africa
As a continent which is not looked down upon as a continent in despair and desperation
As a continent whose vast natural and man-made resources are used to develop her people
As a continent that has not been let down by the trinity of slavery, christianity and colonization
As a continent which is not judged by stereotypic images that pass through a biased media setup

Imagine an Africa
Whose youth realize that risking their lives trying to illegally cross dangerous seas for a better life in Europe is not a solution to their problems
Whose youth realize that its not where you are that makes a difference but rather what you can do with your brain and the available resources
Whose youth realize that the continent cannot be developed by other folks other than ourselves
Whose youth realize that the definition of modernity does not necessarily mean an abandonment of one's cultural heritage

Imagine an Africa
Whose people realize that they are one regardless of their tribal or ethnic nomenclature
Whose people realize that the political boundaries we now have were demarcated by the greedy colonialists
Whose people realize that with a little sacrifice together we can change the destiny of Mama Africa
Whose doctors, nurses, teachers, engineers and other professionals have returned from the so called diaspora to help develop Mama Africa

Am I dreaming of an Utopian Africa?
No! With hard work, determination and sacrifice we can do it!
Africans, lets wake up from the slumber

Copyrighted to Bennett Kankuzi (5th January, 2008)

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