PATRIOTIC: "PLIGHT OF THE GREENHOUSE" BY ABDULAI FAHBUNDEH.

Plight of the greenhouse!

In the painful colonization and 

Exploitation of Africa,

The forceful and inhuman transportation 

Of Africans by the white fellas,

Plight.

They came as bees

Unstoppable!

With man-killer weapons and shouting,

A shouting that brought fear and made their welcome so warmed in vain.

At times when the black man saw their coming not, and at the era of weaknesses.

The came

And reap that which the never sowed,

Deflowered our virgin lands,

And went with bellybuttons shaking.

Plight of the greenhouse.

Glad!

In themselves and their lands glad — they grew up in superiority.

Featured by Inhumanity 

Overpowered by classism, racism, and sectionalism.

Superior are they today that they stole from another man’s green land,

Superior are they that they fingered Africa’s virginity,

Superior are they that our strongest men and women worked and built their nations,

And superior are they that they confused and left our land in agony, plight!

However,

The raped land still stood firmly!

The young men and women managed to sponge away their anguish and beheld their shared pains.

Today, I stamp the beauty of Africa,

The strength and energy she carries,

And the unique unity power she holds, though in pain,

Plight of the greenhouse.

© Abdulai Fahbundeh.

- Sierra Leone.

Plight of the Greenhouse by Abdulai Fahbundeh, is a protest poem that reflects on the painful history of Africa's colonization, slavery, and exploitation by European powers. The poet describes how foreign invaders arrived with violence and superior weapons, seized African lands, enslaved its people, and enriched themselves through the continent's resources and labor. He condemns the racism, classism, and inhumanity that accompanied colonial rule and left Africa wounded and struggling.

Despite these historical injustices, the poem ends on a hopeful note. The poet celebrates Africa's resilience, strength, and enduring spirit, emphasizing that the continent has survived immense suffering and continues to stand united. Ultimately, the poem serves as both a remembrance of Africa's painful past and a tribute to its courage, dignity, and hope for the future.