The Big Speech Poem by Godiah Imbukuleh

The Big Speech—by Godiah Rocky Imbukuleh

The vote was drawing close, the voters closer
Comrades eagerly waiting for the speeches
Booze, violence, hate and demagoguery flowed freely
This was to be the final speech
Main campus was turned on

Shouts, sighs, curses and tones were now rising to a crescendo
Then a hush:
"Comrade Power! "
"Power."
I stood still waiting for the ‘big speech'
"Comrades, line up."
The crowd fell in line
The whispers and whining rising to fever pitch
Agents were moving around dishing speeches
A one thousand note was tentatively thrust into my hand
And I quickly pocketed the ‘speech'

"Comrade Power! "
"Power! "
The response boomed out this time round
Babu had united all tribes and gender
Kikuyus, Luhyias, Luos, Mijikenda, Kisii...
They were all shouting:
‘Babu tena; Babu, our Mugabe, our Museveni, our Moi.'

But those who refused to be seduced—strategized
There would be post-election violence
The election was won ‘fairly' by a landslide
But the campus had to close
No one really understood the meaning of ‘comaradarie'