A Far Cry from Africa
by Derek Walcott
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Set against the bloody Mau Mau Uprising in 1950s Kenya, where the native Kikuyu rebelled violently against British settlers, this poem by the Caribbean Nobel laureate Derek Walcott is an agonizing exploration of colonial oppression and native identity. Opening with 'A wind is ruffling the tawny pelt of Africa', Walcott shows the beautiful plains scattered with corpses and exposes the brutal, animalistic violence of both sides: the British colonels who justify slaughter as 'peace' and civilizing, and his shocking question about the 'white child hacked in bed' and 'savages, expendable as Jews'. The heart of the poem is Walcott's own crisis of a divided identity: 'I who am poisoned with the blood of both, / Where shall I turn, divided to the vein?' He loves the English language and literature with all his heart, yet cannot ignore the slaughter and racism inflicted on his African brothers. The poem ends in unresolved anguish: 'How can I turn from Africa and live?'
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Derek Walcott (1930–1992) was a Nobel Prize-winning Caribbean poet and playwright from St. Lucia whose work explores the painful legacy of colonialism, racial identity and cultural division. This poem is set against the bloody Mau Mau Uprising in Kenya during the 1950s, when the native Kikuyu tribe rebelled violently against British settlers.
The animalistic violence of the conflict
Walcott begins with a raw description of the African landscape: 'A wind is ruffling the tawny pelt / Of Africa, Kikuyu, quick as flies.' The uprising has turned the beautiful, wild plains ('veldt') into a paradise scattered with corpses. The poet exposes the brutal, animalistic nature of both sides, mentioning the British colonels and settlers who justify their violence under the guise of 'peace' and civilizing the natives.
He raises a shocking question regarding the victimized children: 'What is that to the white child hacked in bed? / To savages, expendable as Jews?', forcing the reader to weigh the suffering on every side.
The conflict of the dual identity
The true climax of the poem is Walcott's intense personal crisis of identity. Because of his mixed heritage, having both African and English ancestors, he feels torn apart: 'I who am poisoned with the blood of both, / Where shall I turn, divided to the vein?' He loves the English language, its literature and its rich culture with all his heart, yet he cannot ignore the brutal slaughter, racism and injustice inflicted upon his African brothers by the British rulers.
He ends the poem with three agonizing, unresolved questions: 'How choose / Between this Africa and the English tongue I love? / Betray them both, or give back what they give? / How can I face such slaughter and be cold? / How can I turn from Africa and live?'