The Cry of Africa 🌍

In the heart of Africa... a tale unfolds,
of oil and gold... diamonds and coal
riches untold... of lands turned cold.
Our soil, a treasure... deep and vast
Yet stolen by shadows from the very past.

Corrupt leaders sit... on lofty thrones
Trading futures... for foreign loans.
They dine in luxury... in gold arrays,
While the people suffer... lost in haze.

The streets are weary... hope is thin
Promises broken... time and time again.
They speak of change... with polished lies
ELÖFÖKANBALÈ... now, our tensions hyped
While poverty stares... through our hollowed eyes.

Politicking thrives... in power’s game
A cycle of faces... but all the same.
The ballot's a joke... the votes erased
Democracy trampled... justice displaced.

The Europeans came... with flags unfurled
Promised progress... but pillaged the world.
From diamonds to oil... they took their fill
Leaving nations hollow... against their will.

They drew the borders... stole the grain
Fed on our sweat... left us in pain.
Our forests felled... our rivers bled
While leaders watched... their pockets fed.

We were taught to be cowards... so we tucked it in,
"Ranti omo eni t'oun sey"... know the child of who you be.
A will passed down from fathers to sons,
To bear the chains even when freedom runs.

Silent we stood, our voices withdrawn,
Like trees in a storm with roots undone.
"Ẹni tó bá dáké, t'ara rẹ́ 'aba daké," they said,
But how do we speak when our spirits have bled?

We were told to bow... to lower our crown
"Be an ọmọlúàbí, dâkê or face the frown".
Yet, in the quiet... there’s power untapped,
In the silence... our future is wrapped

We couldn't win them... so we blend in,
But deep inside, our fight will soon begin.
For now, we rise... refusing to fall.
The courage they silenced, we’ll answer its call.

Leaders of tomorrow; they said it aloud.
But tomorrow never comes... though the promise was proud.
We grew in the shadow of words never true
Waiting for the day when our light would break through.

But the future they spoke of remains out of reach,
A dream deferred by the ones who preach.
"Your hope 'd be renewed"... we were told
Yet they keep us chained in the stories of old.

But now we know, it’s in us to rise.
To break through the lies and open our eyes.
The leaders of tomorrow are here today,
No more waiting... no more delay.

For the time is now... the fight is ours
We’ll claim our strength... our hidden powers.
We’ll lead our own path... let our voices run,
Because tomorrow's promise starts with the rising sun.

Africa's spirit... fierce and bold
Refuses to be bought... Refuses to be sold.
In unity... we'll stand and rise
Reclaim our land... beneath clear skies.

For this is home... where ancestors rest
A future brighter... when we stand our best.
No more chains of greed or lies
Africa will soar... when her people wise.