Freedom! Freedom!! Freedom!!! They all screamed.
The mothers came out singing in their various tongues.
A black nation finally outshines her heinous past.
Look at the children with cheery faces and robust tummy.
The young ladies are also independent of their parents, to rendezvous with their lovers.
It has been announced on the radio from the chief’s building.
Manumission at last!!!!
The village leader prepares a wonderful speech,
Food made from our sweats finally tastes better,
The water from our streams finally taste like before
Oh the sweet smell of freedom!!
Our animals are slaughtered amidst joy, the cows did not moo for help
The goat did not bleat stubbornly, the fowls had beauty sleep, only because there was no one to wake, they were all anxious for this.
Later today, mother’s soup would smell nicer than the past few years.
Father’s bicycle would travel a long way, to confirm from relatives far away.
We will all flux out and prate like young women do, until father returns.
Finally, he gets back and confirms that the young men and women who fought for our country were shown on the white man’s magic board! And yes they were normal people like us, the whole town goes berserk with joy.
Father tries to explain that we are not totally free but that was all water on the duck, they all saw his talk as frivolous, we are Africans I guess we do live in the moment.
Rewind back to 57 years later…
The boomerang of father’s words, now we have “death traps for road”
Ah yes! The white man left his legacy behind and we took it up.
Remember that water that tasted good back then? Well…it’s all dried up now.
Remember the food that tasted better back then? Well now it is imported and doesn’t have our sweat on it.
Remember the women who came out in their various tongues?
Now they are indoors, reshaping their IMPERFECTION.
Young ladies no longer need excuses to meet at rendezvous point.
They now walk through the front gate.
Fathers don’t travel anymore with happiness in their heart, apart from the bad roads, there are products of ‘freedom’ lying ahead.
Those that will gladly take away your freedom and disregard the happiness that comes with the day.
We are now fighting among each other for superiority.
Atleast the goats didn’t change much, oh no! the fowls work harder has the freedom year rolls by, the cows learn new tricks and only nature hinders their freedom.
When our FREEDOM MEN died, they died with FREEDOM!
Now a days, you are not even at liberty to live!
There are very few houses available to my free folks, the light on INDEPENDENCE DAY IS MADE WITH TORCHES AND LAMPS FROM OUR FORMER ‘TEACHERS’.
Is all lost? Where did we go wrong with our independence?
How did we misuse it? We will never know what the real independence felt like.
I guess the stories are catchy enough, but then where are the FREEMEN who told this tales? Buried? Forgotten? We all now hide behind the veil of religion!
I know in my heart that this country will breathe happiness again, that our sweat pores will open and the right sweats will water the plants.
I know very soon the waters will taste good again, the grasses around it will feed the goats to a covetous fatness.
I know in my heart that all death traps will be history, a moment to look back to and learn.
Very soon all our women will be virtuous again, rendezvous would not be feared by parents.
And the truth will not sound like frivolities again!!!
I STAND WITH NIGERIA! I STAND WITH NIGERIA!! I STAND WITH NIGERIA!!!
Don’t you want to see the kind of Nigeria our Freemen saw?
TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE THE COUNTRY GREAT.
