Page d’accueil • Sommaire de ce numéro • Contribution de texte et de courrier: Editeurs@tanbou.com



Askia Touré an Kreyòl

Li rekèy powèm Dawnsong! The Epic Memory of Askia Touré («Chanson Granmaten! Powèm Epik Memwa Askia Touré») pa Askia Touré soti nan mezon edisyon Third World Press, Chicago, 2001. Nan liv sa a kouwè nan plizyè lòt liv li, tankou From the Pyramids to the Projects: Poems of Genocide and Resistance («De Piramid a Bidonvil: Powèm Jenosid ak Rezistans»), Askia Touré jwenn pwezi li avèk sa yo rele Black Art Movement / Mouvman Atis Moun Nwa nan ane swasant yo, Ozetazini—yon mouvman Askia limenm ede fonde avèk yon gwoup atis e powèt ankòlè, pami yo Amiri Baraka, Larry Neal, Quincy Troupe, Sonia Sanchez elatriye.

Kritik literè e powèt Larry Neal defini Mouvman Atis Moun Nwa a kòm swit: «Mouvman Atis Moun Nwa a kont tout konsepsyon de yon atis ki alyene li de kiminote l. Mouvman sa a se nannan estetik e espirityèl konsèp Pouvwa Moun Nwa [Black Power]. Mouvman Atis Moun Nwa pwopoze yon rearanjman radikal estetik kilti oksidantal la. Li pwopoze yon senbolism, mitoloji kritik e ikonoloji ki separe [de kilti oksidantal dominan an]»

Pami lòt gran figi nan Mouvman At Moun Nwa a—pratikman reprezantan pi enfliyan mouvman an—se Leroy Jones, ki pita chanje non li pou Amiri Baraka. Kou anpil lektè nou yo ka konnen, Baraka vin senbolize alafwa lespri rebèl e afimasyon nasyonalis minorite afriken oprime nan sistèm sosyo-politik meriken an. Baraka leve flanm rezistans ak ideyal liberasyon mouvman pou dwa sivik Nwa Meriken nan yon dimansyon si radikal, enkoriktib e konsistan ke li vin gen respè menm establishment blan li tap goumen kont li a.

Nan yon temwayaj Baraka fè sou Askia Touré konsènan enfliyans li sou Mouvman Atis Moun Nwa a, misye di: «Pou mwen powèt tankou Larry Neal e Askia Touré te mèt nouvo pwezi nwa a. Askia te gen yon fason li fè mo yo chante kòmsi li ta vle di w pwezi te fèt pou yo chante l. Apre m te tande misye nan Baby Grand lè nou te fèk vin nan Harlem, son melodi vwa misye enfliyanse tout sa mwen pral vin fè nan pwezi de pi jou sa a.»

An janvye 2000, Askia Toure, Aldo Tambellini, Brenda Walcott, Jill Netchinsky, Gary Hicks, Anna Wexler e Tontongi fòme nan Boston sa yo rele a «Pwezi Liberasyon 2000,» yon kolektif e mouvman literè ki ensiste pwezi ka sèvi kou yon zouti pou libere alafwa lespri e kondisyon sosyo-politik malouk yo; nan sans pwezi powèt la ka simayen labèlte e konsyantize konsyans moun pandan l’ap patisipe—antanke endividi, donk ajan sosyal—nan travay jeneral kolektif yo pou chanje lavi. Kolektif la ap prepare yon antoloji kap gen ladann tou powèt tankou Jack Hirschman, Paul Laraque, Joslyn Almeida, Neil Calender, Patrick Sylvain, Danielle Legros-George, Daniel Laurent, Denizé Lauture, elatriye.

Nan ane 50 e 60 yo nan NouYòk, Askia te fè aprantisaj li nan frekentasyon gran mèt powèt kouwè Langston Hughes, John Oliver Killens, John Henrik Clarke, e pita Sun Ra, Calvin Hernton, Ishmael Reed, etc. Jounen jodia, Askia kontinye ap simayen lapawòl pou fè zonbi goute sèl nan Boston e nan tout Etazini. Liv From the Pyramids to the Projects: Poems of Genocide and Resistance te pran pri literè American Book Award pou ane 1989. Nou tradui an kreyòl youn nan powèm Askia yo ki pibliye nan Dawnsong! an 2000, e nan Before Columbus Foundation Foundation Antholoji an 1992:

Nzingha Revisited (For the Woman / Black)

“La grande composition,” huile sur papier —par Wilfredo Lam, 1949.

«Ethiopia Awakening» sculpture en bronze —Meta Warrick Fuller

Mould me a face in
gleaming bronze, a rare one;
mobile, sensitive, strong.
Female and gentle with
classical features:
profile sculpted
from Yoruba
forms.
Crown it with cornrowed hair;
adorn the ears with golden rings;
Place gentle, placid eyes
large beneath arching brows.
A beautiful, Afrikan
woman, smiling—or
dreamy-eyed, lost in
precious thoughts.
Bathe her in the vermilion light of a
glowing sunset, shifting its colors to
canary horizons beneath tangerine skies.
She is walking at sunset,
in autumn, graced by the day’s
dying brilliance. A tall, radiant
beauty adorned with kente
robes above sandaled feet.
Though our setting is not
Afrika, but North America.
She is seed of the lost
tribes in Diaspora, who
formed a nation in the U.S. Southland.
This tall, radiant woman walking in autumn
is a living miracle: a testament
of a race’s drive for survival.
She is intelligent, artistic
lovely. She is modern,
dedicated to her people’s
freedom; educated to
know that it is a bitter,
protracted struggle,
lasting centuries.
She is determined that her children
will drink from cooling waters
of that freedom, and is sacrificing
to make that dream a reality.
She is buiding futures: organizing,
educating, demonstrating
by example, how a sister
should conduct her life
in this age of the U.S.
empire falling. She is
giving her all—her
life, honor, energy,
undying love—to make this
Black freedom blossom in the West.
Black man; working your shift,
fixing your car, walking your dog,
I didn’t mean to interrupt, but
a few words in passing. Please
know that she is the most vital,
precious glory of your life.
This woman was always
yours—from the slave-
ships to the hot
cottonfields and beyond. She is your
dignity, and the only Afrika you’ll ever know!

Note to «Nzingha Revisited»

Nzingha. queen of Matamba (modern Angola and Southwest Afrika) was one of the greatest and most successful guerilla warriors in history. Fighting the colozing Portuguese in her region, she never lost a battle! Matamba remained free as long as this military genius lived.

—Askia Touré (in Dawnson!)

Revizite Nzingha (Pou Fanm / Nwa)

Fòje pou mwen yon vizaj
Ki yon bwonz briyan, ki ra,
mobil, sensib, fò.
Femèl e jantiy avèk
fòm klasik:
pwofil eskilte
ki soti
sou fòm Yoruba.
Kourone l avèk cheve très mayi
abiye zòrèy yo avèk bag annò;
Plase zye janti e fatige yo
anba sousi laj an fòm ak.
Yon bèl, fanm
Afrikèn, kap souri, oubyen
zyè andòmi, ki pèdi
nan panse ki presye.
Benyen li nan limyè dore
yon kouch solèy kap chanje an tout koulè
anba orizon yon syèl joni.
Li pwomennen lè solèy tap kouche,
ann otòn, li santi l gratifye pa briyans
fen jounen an. Yon bèlte grann tay,
ki radyan ak yon ròb ki layite l
sou de pye sandale.
Men lokal la pat Akrik,
se te Amerik di Nò.
Manmzèl se semans tribi afriken yo
ki pèdi nan Dyaspora
e ki fòme yon nasyon nan Sid Etazini.
Fanm bèl tay ak briyans sila a
kap mache ann otòn
se yon mirak vivan: yon testaman
sou yon ras kap lite pou l siviv.
Fanm lan entelijan, adorableman
atistik. Li modèn e devwe
pou libète pèp li; yon fanm edike
ki konnen se yon lit kè-mare
ki dire plizyè syèk.
Li detèmine pou timoun li yo
vin yon jou bwè dlo fre
nan fontèn libète, e li fè sakrifis
pou rèv la vin reyalite.
L’ap bati lavni: l’ap òganize,
edike, manifeste
pou bay ekzanp kouman yon fanm vanyan
ka kondi tèt li nan
nan tan koulye a Enpi Etazini.
an fayit—Li bay
tout vi li, onè li, enèji li,
ak lanmou enperisab—pou fè
libète nwa fleri ann Oksidan.
Nèg nwa; wap travay yon chif
repare machin ou, pwomennen chen ou,
mwen pat vle entèwonp,men m’vle di
senpleman kèk mo an pasan. Souple
sonje manmzèl se fòs ki pi vital,
laglwa ki pi presye nan vi ou.
Fanm sila a te toujou pa w
—depi bato negriye
jouk chalè chan koton e odela.
Fanm sila se diyite w
e li se sèl Afrik ou ap janm konnen!

—Askia Touré kòmante e tradui de anglè pa Tontongi

Nòt: Nzingha, rèn de Matamba (modèn Angola e Sidwès Afrik) te younn nan pi gran e ki te gen plis siksè nan gèrye guerilla nan istwa. Nan konba li mennen kont kolonyalism Pòtigè nan rejyon li an, li pa janm pèdi yon batay! Matamba ret lib diran tout lavi jeni militè sila a.

Page d’accueil • Sommaire de ce numéro • Contribution de texte et de courrier: Editeurs@tanbou.com