Chirikure Chirikure

Handisi dombo, huku kana mhepo! Kwete!

Chaivapo chaindisunganidza naamai, mumhumbu,
Mwedzi mipfumbamwe, kudya ndichiwana.
Chiripo chinondibatanidza nemhuri, panyika,
Upenyu hwose tsigiro neyamuro ndichiwana.
Chiripo chinondisungamidza nevadzimu,
Kurarama kwese vari mudonzvo nemwenje wangu,
Chiripo chinondibatanidza naZame Musikavanhu,
Kusikwa, kufa, kumuka, rwake ruoko ruchinongedza nzira.
Chiripo chichazondisunganidza nevari pasi, ndiri nyikadzimu,
Kufara, kusuwa; kuguta, kushaya ndichizovabatsira.
Chiripo chinondisunganidza neivhu rababa - Afrika,
Kupondwa, kushushwa, kuremadzwa, ndichingoshingirira.

Ichocho chacho ichocho,
Ndiko saka ndiripo
Nezuro, nhasi, mangwana, nekumhepo.
...

I am not stone, chicken or even wind, no!

There was something that bound me to my mother, in her womb,
For nine months, and I did not lack for food.
There is something that unites me with the human family on earth,
Giving me support and sustenance all my life.
There is something that unites me with the ancestors.
I owe my survival to their guidance and light.
There is something that binds me to the Almighty Creator
Whose hand points out the way for me - in birth, death or resurrection.
Something will unite me again with those gone before, when I follow them.
In happiness or sorrow, in times of plenty or famine,
I will be working hand-in-hand with them.
There is something that binds me to the fatherland - Africa.
They can kill me, torture, harass or even maim me,
I will still persevere.

This something, whatever it is -
This something is why I am here, now, alive
Yesterday, today, tomorrow and forever!
...

Zviya zvekuti pwere
Dzapemberera kutinhira kwemupande
Dzichimhanyidzana mumvura inonaya
Dzichikanya-kanya matope
Vakuru vachirima mupunga nenzungu
Dzangova ngano chete.

Zvava kuitika kwadziri pwere
Kuchema kutinhira kwegidi
Dzichivanda chimvuramabwe chemabara
Dzichikanya matope eropa
Vakuru vachisvimha, vapwere vakatarisa
Ichiteurwa minamato isina mudaviri.

Pwere hadzichaziva chinonzi rufaro
Vana havachaziva chinonzi musha
Vasvava havachaziva chinonzi kudya
Kana vari munhumbu, upenyu harwuchina kodzero
Nekuda kwake munhu
Munhu anotungamidza simba nepondo pamberi
...

Those stories about
Children singing and dancing
To celebrate and welcome thunder and lightning
Racing each other in the downpour
Stampeding and messing themselves up in the mud
While their elders smile and congratulate themselves
At their bumper rice and groundnut crop -
That - is just fairy tales now.

What is happening to children is:
They howl at the blast of the machine gun
Hiding from the hailstorm of bullets
Stampeding in the mud of blood
While the elders cry shamelessly
In the presence of their own children
Sending up prayer after prayer that no one answers.

Children don't know what happiness is anymore
Children don't know what home or family is
Babies have forgotten what to eat is
Those yet to be born are being denied the right of life
And all because of something called - human being
A human being who sings the praises of power and money
Above human life.
...

Pakuvata, manheru, tinongoti, "Ave mangwana",
Ichokwadi, hazvina njere kuti: "Muvate zvakanaka"
Inga zvingori pachena: svava, majaya, chembere,
Dope ndirwo rukukwe, mwando ndiro gumbeze!

Pakumuka, mambakwedza, inongova, "Kwayedza",
Hongu, hazvina musoro kubvunzana: "Ko mavata sei?"
Ungabvunza zviri pamhene akaita ngonono, dzihwa, dzivo?
Handiti madziro ematumba edu angori mapepa?

Zvicharamba vakadaro, sekuonawo kwedu isu,
Kusvika zuva rakuchauya chamupupuri chikuru kuru
Chigotiti simu, nezvitumba zvedu, zvese neimbwa,
Tigoti hwiru hwiru kunge ngoro yemoto yaErija:
Asi handioni tichiti dzi-i pana Yave: Takan'ora!
...

At night before we sleep, we say, "See you tomorrow",
There is no point in saying, "Sleep well",
It is clear to all of us - babies, boys, old folk -
The slushy muddy earth is our bed, the biting wind our blanket

Waking up, in the morning, it's simply, "Daybreak"
No one bothers to ask, "Did you sleep well?"
We all know who snored loudest, who sneezed or who fought,
The walls of our hovels are just very thin paper.

It will go on and on like this, as far as we can see,
Till - maybe - the day a big benevolent whirlwind will come
And lift us all up, up - our shacks, dogs and all -
Up, up and up into the sky like Elijah in his chariot of fire,
BUT I don't see us landing in the presence of
The Almighty in Heaven: We are sinners!
...

Inzwai!
Hondo iyi yakarwiwa nesu isu vaive overseas,
Ndisu takaita mobilise mari nerutsigiro rwekunze
Uku tichirovawo chikoro, kugadzirira future yenyika

Aiwa!
Hondo yakarwiwa nesu vanamukoma vemusango,
Ndisu takarova gidi uku tichiita politicise ruzhinhi,
Tichirara musango muchirimo, muzhezha nemuchando

Bodo!
Hondo yakarwiwa nesu isu vanamujibha naanachimbwido,
Ndisu taitakura zvombo uku tichiita reconnaissance,
Tichiwachira varwi nhumbi, uku sadza tichibika mabhodho.

Nyangwe!
Hondo yakarwiwa nesu isu vabereki mumamisha,
Ndisu taitenga nhumbi, matanga tikatsvaira ose,
Uku tichitsigira nemorari, midzimu tichiteketera.

Hongu, tinotenda!
Hondo yakarwiwa, ropa rikayerera, misha ikaparara,
Nhasi nyika yataida yava yedu, takaisunungura,
Asika ndiani ane kiyi dzedura renyika pakati penyu,
Ativhurire tinokorere vana zviyo tivabvuwire kasadza,
Hezvo miromo yavo yati papata kunge vapoteri vehondo.
...

Inzwai!
We, in diaspora, overseas, fought this war,
We sourced donations and mobilised foreign support
Yet we never lagged behind in our studies, preparing for the future of our country

Aiwa!
We, the boys in the bush, fought the war,
We pulled the trigger, politicised the masses
We slept in the bush - cold, rain or shine.

Bodo!
We, Mujibha and Chimbwido, fought this war
We were the beasts of burden, carrying arms, reconnaissance,
Washing the fighters' clothing, cooking for them.

Nyangwe!
We, your parents, the peasants, fought the war.
We supplied the clothes, we sold every beast we had.
We supported with morale and prayed to the ancestors.

Yes, we thank you!
The war was fought, blood flowed, homes were destroyed,
The country we fought for, is now ours, we liberated it.
Now, whoever among you has got the key,
Let him open the granary of the country and give us a little grain to cook the little ones a little sadza.
See how parched their lips are?
Like refugees of war.
...

Gore rino hakuvatwi
tisina kuzvigadzira
Rino gore hakurarwi
tisina kuzvipedza

Hatingaregi uchiwondonga, takangotarisa
Hatingaregi uchibvoronga, takangonyarara
Hatingaregi uchiwondomora, takangodzvondora
Hatingaregi uchibvonyonga, takangoduka

Zuva riya wakatuka mbuya, tikazvinyarara
Riya zuva wakatengesa pfuma, tikangonyarara
Nezuro wakapisa dura, tikazvinyarara

Nhasi woisa tsvina mutsime?
tsvina mutsime?
tsvina mutsime?
...

Ndakarinzwa shoko raMacmillan wekuBritain
Hanzi kwava nemhepo itsva inovhuvhuta muAfrika
Mhepo yotsvaira Afrika ichishandura zvose
Mhepo inofanirwa kucherechedzwa nepasi rose

Ndakaiona mhepo ichitsvaira nyika yeAfrika
Ichisvinudza meso evaya vari parumananzombe
Ichizunza mbambo dzeusvetasimba, kuti zu zu zu
Ichidokerwa yopeperetsa mureza weruzhinji rwevanhu

Ndotarisa uko nekoko nhasi ndoona imwe ngoma
Mhepo iya yasanduka ruvara, yava chamupupuri
Chamupupuri chodzura mbariro dzemisoro yevanhu
Choshezheudzira pfumo kune wamai, richisiya mhandu
Chodzimaidza meso, kufamba yangova fembera fembera
Chonyemudza mari, mari yosandura vamwe kuita zvigeven'a
Chobvuta nhembe dzezvigaro zvemagweta, chichikanda muchoto
Chobvarura mureza weruzhinji, chichiturika ura hwesvava

Ndikatarisisa ndinoona chamupupuri chine shavi
Chamupupuri chodambura-dambura rukuvhute -
Uku mhuru haisati yatombodongorera kuti ibude munhumbu
Kana mihacha, pokupirira, midzi yayo chaiturika mudenga!
...

I heard the word from Macmillan of Britain
There is a new wind blowing in Africa
A wind of change sweeping across Africa
A wind the whole world is warned to take heed of

I saw the wind sweeping out the land of Africa
Opening the eyes of those under oppression
Shaking the bastions of colonialism to the root
Leaving a new flag of the people flying in the air

Today, I look here and there, I hear another sound
The wind has changed tone; this, now, is a dust-storm
A dust-storm that is ripping out the wiring from people's minds
Turning the spear from the enemy to point at one's own brother
Blinding the eyes so people can't see where they are going
Dangling money in people's faces, changing many into devils
It rips off the adornments from the legal thrones and throws them into the fire
It tramples on the flag of the people and hoists up the insides of little babies

When I look closely, I see a demonic dust-storm
A dust-storm that is shredding the umbilical cord
Even before the calf is ready to leave the womb
It has pulled out the ancestral prayer-tree, muhacha
And turned it upside down
With its roots to the sun!
...

Sitting in the white wintry sun
Watching birds winging in total peace
The mind switches to one's bare feet:
Two feet
Lucky to still have them both
Ten toes
Blessed to still have them all.

Who made that stupendous blunder?
The feet, straying in the wrong area?
The mouth, blurting the wrong party slogan?

Wrong area?
Who decides that?
Party slogan?
Who designs that?

Two feet
For perfect mobility
Ten toes
For total balance

Time to move on
Where the feet's heart desires.
...

Sitting in the white wintry sun
Watching birds winging in total peace
The mind switches to one's bare feet:
...

In the work place, the whole day, it's 'yes, yes'.
This is the official language of the office!

At home, the whole family goes 'yes, yes'.
...

It is Heroes Day holiday,
To commemorate those
Who put their country first
And thought nothing of themselves.
...

(on the advent of ESAP)


Father, I don't understand -
You knock on my door at this ungodly hour
...

Every face encountered
the same question
about places I have been
...

Just listen to yourselves talking -
The family is no more!
So, the family is no more, is it?
Tell me: what are you?
...

I am not stone, chicken or even wind, no!

There was something that bound me to my mother, in her womb,
For nine months, and I did not lack for food.
There is something that unites me with the human family on earth,
...

Those stories about
Children singing and dancing
To celebrate and welcome thunder and lightning
Racing each other in the downpour
...