Ganja Smoke

Today we don gather for here 
From North, South, West and East of the Bamenda Highlands
Here for Noble man junction
Forgive me if a nop call ya village 
A no get the privilege
Marching towards one goal, shake shake no dey, we no di fear
For sika say we don wise say, na only we fit change wa condition

Today we di gather because of a man
A man from the dust of the nine Nile 
Small nobi sick 
Skinny as hope, with fire hiding behind his smile 
Long before the dreadlocks became a flag
Long before the ganja smoke circled the globe like a map
He was the man

He was a voice 
Rough like gravel, smooth as rivers
But deep as the wound of our stolen freedom 

Bob Nesta Marley
A prophet with a guitar instead of a staff
“Get up, stand up, Stand up for your right’
Wasn’t just a song, It was a syllabus
Cornet West said, Justice is what love looks like in public 
Bob just said “One love, One Heart,
Lets get together and be alright” 
The same fire, the same flame, different accent 

Today its about a man who
When people said, cut your hair, sing love songs, be pretty 
He laughed a laugh that tremble the pity of Bamenda 
Tied a spliff in his lips and said
“Pretty don’t free nobody, truth does.”

Today we gather because of a man
Who didn’t just sing but testified
A living testament to the fact that 
You don’t fight Babylon with bigger guns
You fight babylon with rhythm
You fight babylon with harmony
You fight babylon by remembering 
That every chain is just a melody waiting to be broken
So we say give us “Burning & Loottin” when the sirens wail
Give us get up, stand up when justice scales fail
Give us “Redemption Song” when our hands feel tied 
Cause he thought us to emancipate our selves from mental slavery
None but ourselves can free our own minds

Thats why today we light the candle 
To a man who reminded us sufferers, our poverty is not our sin
And dared to tell the rich man “Your castle stands on a weak foundation.”
He reminded us that “The dog that bite us  is not the enemy, the enemy is the leash 

So we see him
Every time a refugee finds a rhythm
Every time a ghetto child writes a vision
Every time a system falls and the people rise 
We hear him
We hear him singing
“Don’t worry about a thing, Cause every little thing is gonna be alright
I tell you don’t worry about a thing, every little thing is gonna be alright”

Click the link to listen to the Audio of this piece

https://soundcloud.com/mottanni/ganja-smoke

Tanni Desmond Awa 
Poet|Spoken Word Artists|Voice Artist|Human Rights Activists
www.mottanni.com
+237 699 444 555
tannidesmondawa@gmail.com