Crispin's Poem
(translated from Kinyarwanda)
In
foreign lands, it’s foreign.
I
knew how to create
When
I was still young
And
I knew how to fight as well;
But
it wasn’t me
I
did it because of the forest
Because
in foreign lands
There
were conflicts.
Those
who laugh, let them laugh
Those
who talk, let them talk.
I
knew to eat forbidden things
Because
I detested
Those
who spoke to me of the future.
Good
things became
Bad
for me,
What
was cooked became raw.
I
wanted to go to the place they spoke of
They
spit on my face
And
when I asked “why?”
They
threw stones at me.
I
understood that
In
foreign lands, it’s foreign.
When
we live in foreign lands
Our
emblem is shame.
It’s
serious
In
foreign lands we cross a strange cunning
Who
fixes you in his unrelenting gaze
And
who embraces you in reprimanding you;
Instead
of asking you
how
the night passed
He
shouts at you.
I
arrived at Nyabihu
With
great shame.
I
arrived at Marembe
At
the end of my strength.
By
dint of chasing the wind
I
arrived at Kasonyi
Dying
of shame
Full
of regrets.
At
last I arrived at Bunyakiri
Disoriented.
I
arrived at Kabogoza
And God shielded me with his hand.
There where I lost
Those who I called my family,
There too I lost my irreplaceable one.
I arrived at Kigogo
I found my sight
And I took the student’s path
I smiled for the first time
I studied with courage
As if learning to create
As if to revive my mother.
But those I called mine
Did not permit me
Saying, "Come quickly, we need you
in the army, others like you
have already taken half of Rwanda."
Angry, I asked:
"What is Rwanda? "
They responded with:
"What? "And hit me.
I knew that in foreign lands, it’s foreign.
I take my bow
And I fight
See, I had so many misfortunes
Since I was called soldier.
I plotted
And I amused myself
With the property of others
I laughed and I bashed my head against those I met
Saying: "Those who have no country
Spend their time in the brush. "
It’s there that I decided,
I will take the road and return.
And the road showered me with luck
I went to my homeland
Where I got another parent, RDRC.
He raised me
Today I am an artist.
