When Dawn’s Come—A poem from Imenda
by Sitwala Imenda
When dawn’s come And Barotseland is born Born from the blood of those who paid the ultimate price Our freedom shall be priceless Born from the never-healing scars of torture Our freedom shall be total Born from the pain of amputated limbs Our freedom shall be limitless Born from the sound of breaking bone Our freedom shall be beautiful Born from the betrayal of broken promises Our freedom shall be prosperous Born from decades of neglect Our freedom shall be magnanimous Born from total economic misery Our freedom shall be sweet Born from the ashes of the Barotseland Agreement 1964 Our freedom shall be fortified Born from state betrayal State treachery State trickery Sate thuggery State hooliganism State gangsterism State mobsterism Our freedom shall be truly democratic The traitors shamed Shameless hoodlums Left barefaced When dawn’s come And Barotseland’s born again Barotseland A country we shall truly call our own Our own country To which all shall belong Short and tall Fat and all Man and woman Young and old Baby and child Truly free Unconditionally free Totally free Unreservedly free Categorically free Entirely free Absolutely free When dawn’s come And the people of Barotseland are free Free from bondage Bondage of slavery Bondage of oppression Bondage of repression Bondage of servitude Bondage of captivity No burden is heavier to bear Than slavery No burden is heavier to bear Than oppression No burden is heavier to bear Than repression No burden is heavier to bear Than servitude No burden is heavier to bear Than captivity Time to remove the bandages Revealing scars Scars we bear Scars we proudly wear As badges of valour Testimony of the brutality we had to bear The brutality we had to endure Treated like animals ever While the world watched And turned a blind eye When dawn’s come And Barotseland is born Our ancestors finally smiling In their graves Ululating After turning, and turning and turning Edgily, restlessly and anxiously For decades on end Their spirits failing to find eternal peace Their pride and glory finally restored Our children smiling Old men dancing Old women ululating Finally coming out of hiding Freedom, freedom, freedom at last When dawn’s come And Barotseland is born Mbengenge shall deliver us to freedom Mbengenge everywhere Tears of joy flowing freely Finding their way down the cheeks Of an old man Barotseland is free A fulfilment of a dream Gallant men and women sacrificed Their pride and honour To deliver us from Lucifer Diábolos We’ve secured Bulozi Free at last.