Life Through My Eyes

How beautiful you are! Furnished with all gifts of nature Soil so fertile Food, varieties of delicacies Oh Acoli, my Homeland!   So wonderful a land you are! Beautiful cultural heritage Dances of war, Otole Royal dance, Bwola Courtship, uncountable to mention, but a few Orak, Ajere….   Acoli, my Homeland! All eyes of foreigners are on you Because of what you are Suitable for investors of all kinds That is what you are! Photo of Aruu Falls in Acoli land PC: The internet Through the eyes of ALOBO Vine Mother to AYENYO Joanita Wr itten  in 2007  

  Child predator, I remember you I remember your wry smile It made me sick to the stomach Every time I saw you, I froze I always wanted to run away but I couldn’t   I remember how every time you grabbed me in the dark corridor Lifted and positioned my midsection on your groin and rubbed my body against yours I died every time you did this I remember how every time you would grab me from the same corridor and lift my tender hands to rub your manhood Felt like I needed to cut off my hands Every time I looked down at my hands   I flinched I never felt clean   Then one day Mother left you to take care of me for a few days as she left for some errands out of town She returned and I could barely move You had shattered me in those few nights I sank deeper and deeper Hugged my tiny self tightly but my body shook from excruciating pain as tears welled down my cheeks It went on for days on end Never got better   You disappea...

When you were conceived into your mother’s womb It wasn’t your choice When you were born in your clan It wasn’t your choice When you started to speak It was the local language around you And that was and is your mother tongue Now modern lady, modern gentleman You don’t want to speak your mother tongue to your children You say it is local You don’t want your children to eat Acoli dishes Kwon kal and Akeyo...;  you say, You say they are tasteless, bitter Yet they made you what you are Why kill your culture? The cool thatched huts of the Acoli  You say are outdated  You do not tell stories, riddles, and proverbs to your children Instead, you want them to concentrate on radios, TVs and the internet to learn other people's culture Your tribe is your tribe Your culture is your culture It is a precious gift from the gods Love it, keep it Photo credit: The internet Through the eyes of Alobo Vine Mother to AYENYO Joanita (First written in 2007)