Listen to the Poem
When You Return by Oluseyi (Macaulay) Akinbami
Sojourner to far-flung climes; When you return, Will you remember the evening songs Chorused by chirping under the baobab tree? Will you still remember the fame of the great hunter Whose courage put the forest sprite to flight? Earning him the most beautiful virgin in the land When you return, Will you remember the fable of the wraith That forced our forefathers away from the farm at dusk? Will you still dip your hands in “Aro” to make “Àdìrẹ” for our dear mother?(1) Will you? The market still a beehive of activities Every market day is as rustic as you left it, Our women the same, untainted by the new ways Our men have not also faired any better, Still suspicious of the innovations of the town people Our children are not ashamed of showing off their beauty for the world to see, The harrowing cries of our virgins still pierce the night, As they fall under the mutilators knives Will you still remember how to savor “Iyan” (2) Pounded with the sweats of the maidens and Molded with “Egusi” from earthenware? (3) When you return, Will you not now be repulsed with “Ila” (4) That soup which you handled with such mastery with “Amala” (5) The leaves from the forest still keep us strong and virile, Their medicines have not offered any hope to all our ailments, When you return, Teach us not new things about our Land O sojourner, When you return from the distant land of subjugation That dungeon that robbed us of our cultures and creeds. Footnotes (1) Aro is the source of the indigo-dye which is used to create Àdìrẹ cloth. (2) Iyan: A paste for food made from Yam. (3) Egusi: A soup made from the melon seed. (4) Ila: A gelatinous soup made from Okra. (5) Amala: A paste for food made from Yam flower. First published April 7, 2008
About the Poem
The poem asks “what awaits members of the African diaspora who return to the lands of their ancestors” from the white man’s land of slavery.
Author Information
Oluseyi Akinbami is a demonstrative Poet, born in the 70s in Lagos, growing up with an encounter of the Christian faith, the Bible became the first book of investigation, he was also inspired by many African literary writers, from the works of Wole Soyinka, Léopold Sédar Senghor, David Diop, Kwesi brew and other like John Donne, William Blake, he ventured into the art of inspiration with a deep passion, using poetry to express gems and jewels of the mind.
Seyi Akinbami Studied at the University of Lagos Akoka Nigeria and the University of Alberta Canada.
Author of “Flames and fire from Africa”, “Sunshine in the Sahara” and a co Author of “Simple English & Swahili for tourist”.
With a penchant for descriptive Art using Poetry, combined with a vision for African Unity, his poems are often alliterative, Oluseyi takes delight in spurring the goal of a United Africa.
He is a co-founder of the US-African literary foundation, where he organized reader’s forum, {an electrifying Poetic appraisal and critique of literary works} this session was at the time in Lagos at the US Consulate, He participated in reading session held at the British council Abuja and an alum of the International Visitors Leadership Program {IVLP.}
Sources
When You Return. https://africanpoems.net/modern-poetry-in-oral-manner/when-you-return/. Accessed 2 Apr. 2023.