I recently came across a poem about a Mozambique woman in Lomwe which had been translated to English. In the poem, the woman was forced to grow cotton for the Mozambique Cotton Company (a monopolistic group), owner of the cotton concession for the district of Ile. Her earnings were a meager 5 escudos (approximately $ 0.26). Sadly, her husband was also a labour migrant, working 300 km away at Luabo, for another monopolistic company – the Sena Sugar Estates (a former British-owned company that was once the largest firm in Mozambique, with more than 10,000 employees) under the same forced labour laws. It reads:
I suffer, I do
Oyi-ya-e‑e
I suffer, I do
I suffer, my heart is weeping
What’s to be done?
I suffer, my heart is weeping
I cultivate my cotton
I suffer, my heart is weeping
Picking, picking a whole basketful
I suffer, my heart is weeping
I’ve taken it to the Boma there
I suffer, my heart is weeping
They’ve given me five escudos
I suffer, my heart is weeping
When I reflect on all this
Oyi-ya-e‑e
I suffer, I do
I suffer, my heart is weeping
My husband, that man
I suffer, my heart is weeping
He went there to Luabo
I suffer, my heart is weeping
He went to work, work hard
I suffer, my heart is weeping
He broke off some sugarcane to eat
I suffer, my heart is weeping
Leaving work, he was arrested
I suffer, my heart is weeping
He was taken to the police
I suffer, my heart is weeping
He was beaten on the hand
I suffer, my heart is weeping
When I reflect on all this
Oyi-ya-e‑e
I suffer, I do
I suffer, my heart is weeping
From Capitalism & Colonialism in Mozambique (1980), 352–53,
Leroy Vail & Landeg White
What struck me was the justified lamentations of the woman. One can only imagine what she went through and what could have been done about her situation. It is sad to note that thousands of people went through this ordeal but couldn’t do anything to change their lot other than lament.
Complaints and criticisms are not new or peculiar to any race or people. From various commentaries during this COVID 19 pandemic and as the world faces the most difficult times in recent history, it is obvious that there is need to invent progressive ways of lamenting.
From colonial rule, people have consistently opposed public policies, issues and challenged government, cultural shifts and behaviours. Through the years, we have also seen some of the best brains on paper through presentations and …… There however hasn’t been a sufficient aggregation of these thoughts to operational documents that can be translated to practical change in society. Using Nigeria as a focal point, the people gained independence and transitioned into a full indigenous government. Due to the ensuing genuine lamentations of the time, the first military coup which cut short the efforts of the first republic occurred; and another coup which culminated in the civil war that lasted for almost three (3) years in which millions of Nigerians were killed and maimed. That war cut short the entire growth that had been achieved and projected. The nation got out of that dark period of its history and saw genuine efforts by patriots in military uniforms morphed into civilian who made good attempts to change the narrative and policies; it was believed that society was making progress; and off course the people continued with the lamentations (crucial for policy makers to take note of areas that need improvement) for genuine reasons. Again, came the military coups in quick succession and then the transition program that led to the 1979 civilian government (second republic) that was a complete shift from what was practiced in the first. What echoed was another set of lamentations, condemnations and extreme views from different factors that led to another set of coups and military governments between 1983 and 1999; where a whole generation of people couldn’t project their voices how much more be heard. An entire class of technocrats that were not military leaders couldn’t take the reigns of leadership in the way that was best suited for the country. Everyone had to align with the military structure whether it was practicable or not.
The third republic came at the time of the microprocessor, internet and all that goes with it. As they made headway, technology blossomed and disrupted most of the traditional things (I concede that technology in many ways stabilized the third republic). The information gap was relatively bridged – social media provided supplementary coverage for the shortcomings of mainstream media; so, people were able to provide data from even remote places that would otherwise have been a struggle to bring to the fore.
Government at different levels is now also able to use multiple platforms to express some of the things that they have done in good faith; and in a fair manner (mind you, there is an invisible hand that benefits from the crisis that ultimately emanates from misinformation).
The point worth noting is that as we make all the nice speeches, express concerns and make analysis all geared towards condemning what has happened in the past, present and possibly in the future, people have been moving. Societies have moved on the back of creative individuals and solutions. Should we continue to lament or find a middle ground where we can actually proffer solutions? Can we express executable lamentations in the peace of our labs, and research centres so that we can develop and deliver results that can positively change our society?
Today, there is so much available for the individual who is genuinely committed to making change happen and not just looking for a popularity platform as social media has provided. We should explore these territories. I think technology has basically given tools and power to the individual to simply disrupt everything and anything. Government policies, processes and procedures are available to be disrupted. One does not need the permission of government or anybody provided it can add value to society and the nation at large. It is a level where if society can see a clear value differentiation from an input or creation, it will automatically appeal and the government will gravitate towards it.
So, as much as people are encouraged to ventilate their views and frustrations, it will be a whole lot beneficial if those lamentations, concerns, complaints and criticisms come in the form of products and services to dislodge the unacceptable processes and there are many instances we can reference. Justice administration and delivery can definitely be far better; security, law and order too. We recognize that we can introduce new ways of enhancing our processes and policies in almost every sphere of our national life. Therefore, we have to build that strong digital ecosystem and infrastructure required to help the ordinary citizen take advantage and help advance society considering that we have no other place to go. Yes, tribal bigots and unenlightened who claim to be champions of society will always be there, but the fate of this nation will ultimately rest on the shoulders of a few citizens who explore their strengths to operate as catalysts to create that negative entropy required to achieve the level of order desired. These warriors who have the understanding will have to engineer a reverse osmosis through their creative and efficient critical solutions that will eventually galvanize the greater portion of society to make the desired shift happen. We have a good chance, and we have to explore and develop this reformist way of lamenting.