DEVELOPMENT by Kundi Faraja - Analysis
DEVELOPMENT
By Kundi Faraja
A man of the people
Enters his office
to sit on the throne
of Party and State,
His stick of power
Across the table.
He looks into the files
To see the demands
Of the millions of people
Who for years since Uhuru
Have just managed to survive
They ring out one message
Man of the people
You have always been telling us
What we need…
Health centres,
More schools,
Clean water,
Better transport facilities,
Better living conditions.
Do you plead incapable
To bring about development?
I declare running
Better than walking
For a young and poor country;
I plead fighting underdevelopment
Tougher than fighting
A wounded buffalo
With a pocket knife;
I plead underdevelopment
Stronger than the blows of the sea
When the hurricane is at its height.
I plead fighting underdevelopment
Tougher than combating colonialism;
I see that it’s more difficult
To maintain peace
Than to stop a coup d’état.
I plead the cry
Of the nation
More painful than the yell
Of a woman
As her husband dies in sickness;
It’s more painful than the screams
Of a man
Dying in agony
In the coils of the greatest python
Found in the African forest.
How is development
To be brought brother
When the people to whom
We have entrusted power
Are corrupt?
I plead the stomachs
Of the privileged few
Greater than the Rift-Valley;
They cannot be satisfied
With a normal share.
I plead the thirst
Of the minority
Greater than that of the Sahara;
No rain can quench it.
I reckon the minority
More sensitive to egoism
Than to National Development ;
Nothing that is not theirs
Is of any interest.
Their response to egoism,
Is faster than camera film to light
But as slow as tropism
To nation-building.
The majority plead
Exploited,
Cheated,
Disregarded,
But, brother,
How is development to come?
INTRODUCTION
Development is the poem written by Kundi Faraja, which criticises the concept of development as taken by post colonial African leaders. While it’s true that the development agenda dominated many political platforms and economic policies of pre-independence era, the bourgeoisie class that replaced their colonial predecessors have turned it to be only a nightmare to the common people. What we have now are high levels of corruption, oppression, exploitation, selfishness (egoism), classes, lies and social political and economic marginalization.
THEMATIC ANALYSIS
SELFISHNESS (EGOISM)
Most post-colonial African leaders are thinking in terms of me, myself and I. Although the resources of the country ought to benefit both classes, the lower class has remained spectators of the game. The high class misuses the national resources at the expenses of the lower. Kundi Faraja criticises the hypocritical behaviour of most African leaders who think of themselves (being the minority) while the majority whose efforts are wasted are disregarded. The national resources are not distributed equally anymore. Their selfish tendencies are expressed by the poet in these terms.
I reckon the minority
More sensitive to egoism
Than to national development
Nothing that is not theirs
Is of any interest.
The issue of national development that was at the top of the agenda has now turned only a daydream. To the leaders he asks;
Do you plead incapable
To bring about development?
CORRUPTION
Shortly after independence in an attempt to lift ourselves up from the bottom of colonialism in which we had fallen unwillingly, the nation identified three enemies that we had to fight tooth and nail in order to stand on our own feet. These included; poverty, ignorance and disease. Nevertheless in the long run corruption emerged and added to their number and has since then become tougher than the first three enemies.
It is however sad to note that it’s not the common people who are at the forefront in giving and receiving corruption but the leaders. Critically speaking, the issue of development is even more complicated when we come to think of the fact that those to whom we have entrusted power are the same who are corrupt. Thus the poet comes to a point when he shows there is no way a country whose leaders have invested in corruption can develop. No way! He says
How is development
To be brought brother
When the people to whom
We have entrusted power
Are corrupt?
Implicitly, the poet is calling for action. Because we did a mistake in the first place by giving corrupt leaders the mandate to rule us, do we still need to continue with them even when we realize that they have hypocritically, betrayed our cause? Think of it.
CLASSES AND MARGINALIZATION
Practically speaking, classes in any society are inevitable. However, the sociological investment should be more of how to bring about a harmonious relationship among the existing classes than how to neutralize them. In most cases it has been evident that whenever these classes exist, the high class oppresses, exploits and marginalises the lower. To show how detrimental class division can be in any society, the poet uses strong metaphorical comparisons to bring the message home. While the minority (whom he calls privileged few) enjoy the national cake, the majority have been marginalized and disregarded.
I plead the stomachs
Of the privileged few
Greater than the rift valley
They cannot be satisfied
With a normal share.
Their thirst he compares with that of the Sahara desert which no rain can quench. In other words he is trying to say that there is no point they will be satisfied if at all the majority will stay staring at them waiting sympathetically for their turn. Never!
EXPLOITATION
Although exploitation was condemned in colonial time as being detrimental to the national development, it is wonderful that today it has been the major means of capital accumulation by the bourgeoisie class in the post colonial Africa. Evidences show that most leaders who climb up the leadership ladder, begin while they are as poor as flies but in no time they become distinguished petty bourgeoisies. In the poem, the poet continues to point a finger at the leaders who exploit the masses.
The majority plead
Exploited.
POOR SOCIAL SERVICES AND DISILLUSIONMENT
One of the main topics that dominated political policies in colonial era was the improvement of people’s ways of life after the attainment of Uhuru. Most people, regarding the suffering they had experienced in colonial time, and considering the fact that colonial social services were provided on the basis of colour (race) and economic status, they fought for independence heart and soul.
To their surprise, today the same leaders who promised to help the common people to improve their ways of life in their free countries, have betrayed their cause. This is to say, social services for the poor have remained as poor as before. Today the masses are disillusioned and they ask.
Man of the people
You have always been telling us
What we need
Health centres
More schools
Clean water
Better transport facilities
Better living conditions
This however, is not what turned out to be. The millions of people still live in the same lifestyle they lived before independence. To them, independence is but a change of colour from white colonialists to black colonialists.
AWARENESS
The kind of awareness portrayed in the poem is that which the marginalized class have towards the ruling class. The minority seems to be aware of everything that is taking place. In so far as the liberation of the oppressed is concerned, awareness is a very important step at least as the first thing to start with. Additionally, it is a very vital step towards national development where the national resources will benefit both the ruling class and the masses. Because of this sense of awareness they ring out one message demanding for their right.
IRRESPONSIBILITY.
This is a state whereby leaders are not thinking enough about the effects of what they do or not showing a feeling of responsibility. In this poem leaders are irresponsible. They are no longer concerned about the welfare of their people but they are caught up in the same evil lifestyle of their colonial masters. The majority has been left in the periphery while the minority is enjoying the national cake. That’s why the majority class is asking?
“Do you plead incapable
To bring about development?
This is to say the majority of people are now aware of their leaders’ irresponsibility and triviality.
BUILDING THE FUTURE/STRUGGLE FOR CHANGE
The persona proposes several changes that have to be taken by poor nations if they need to realize sustainable development. Changes cannot be brought if the majority sits and waits for their time. He shows for instance that development cannot be brought by corrupt leaders. The implication is that they should change the ruling system. But also he declares running better than walking for poor nations. People must work harder than they are doing currently to fight for development.
I declare running
Better than walking
For a young and poor country;
I plead fighting underdevelopment
Tougher than fighting
A wounded buffalo
Therefore, as a matter of facts, irresponsible leaders, corrupt rulers and selfish behaviour of the few, will still remain the obstacles to development if at all the masses remain passive. The end of the poem seems to have a sense of calling for action. He leaves the audience with the question for everybody to ask him/herself. “How is development to come?” Another similar question could be “Do we have to sit and wait for our turn? Think about it.
GUIDING QUESTION
(a) What is the poem about?
The poem is about development. It criticises the concept of development as taken by post-colonial leaders and how they have failed to bring about sustainable development and hopes to the majority due to corruption, exploitation, and selfishness.
(b) What is the tone and mood in this poem?
The persona is unhappy and disappointed because of what is taking place in the society. Thus creates a disappointed and hatred mood towards the ruling class.
(c) How many stanzas are there?
There are 12 stanzas of unequal length and uneven number of verses.
(d) Show the relevance of the themes portrayed in this poem to your society.
As for real the poem has succeeded to pinpoint the reality of most African countries. While those who fought for independence sleep on the same earth they slept before independence, those who have fallen into things throw themselves into soft beds and exchange cars as though they were clothes.
In our country Tanzania for example it can be seen from the way ministers and other high government officials misuse the public funds for their benefit. Corrupt leaders are signing bogus contracts that benefit them not the masses at large. The minority are exploiting the majority. They will never be seen attending public hospitals because they know how worse the condition is. Their option is in most cases going to India or other developed countries with executive health services.
Not to speak of the schools. The condition is worse in public schools so their children attend the seminaries, international and private schools.
(e) Who is the persona in this poem? How do you know?
The persona is a citizen from low class. The poet shows that the persona is not one of those leaders because he is casting his complaints against the leaders, as he says
“How is development
To be brought brother
When the people to whom
We have entrusted power
Are corrupt?”
(f) What type of the poem is this?
It is a modern/free verse poem but specifically a didactic poem as it gives instruction to the citizens what they can do to reach sustainable development. E.g. ‘I declare running better than walking…”
(g) What is the message that is carried by this poem?
MESSAGE
If the leaders are not careful with national development one day the majority might stage a revolution.
Awareness is an important tool in so far as the liberation of the oppressed is concerned.
Corrupt leaders are an obstacle to national development.
Bringing about development is not a simple task or a cheap commodity. It needs determination, dedication and focus.
Exploitation and misuse of public resources for private gain are also an obstacle to development.
Selfishness is not good if we need to bring about sustainable development.
The leaders should fulfil their promises to the majority when they get power.
(h) How many verses are in this poem?
(Count all the lines)
(i) Comment on the language use in this poem.
The language is very simple and straightforward and it helps the reader to get the themes easily. The choice of words is also perfect they have a direct connection with the themes.
E.g. the majority plead/exploited/ cheated/disregarded
FUGURES OF SPEECH
There are several figures of speech in the poem as follows.
Barbarism. Using more than one language in a literary work.
Who for years since uhuru
Parallelism.
Health centres
More schools
Clean water
Better transport facilities
Better living conditions
Rhetorical question
Do you plead incapable to bring about development?
..When the people to whom we have entrusted power are corrupt?
How is development to come?
Hyperbole/exaggeration
I plead the stomachs of the privileged few greater than the rift valley.
I plead the thirst of the minority greater than that of the Sahara.
Simile
But as slow as tropism to nation-building
Imagery.
There are several images in this poem which the reader can imagine of in terms of;.
Visual image- this is an image of sight e.g.
Greater than the Rift-Valley;
Camera film to light, coils of the greatest python
Stronger than the blows of the sea
When the hurricane is at its height.
Organic image -this is image of feeling
Dying in agony
More painful than the yell
Audio image – this is an image of sound
The yell of a woman
I plead the cry of the nation
the screams of a man
Kinetic image -this is an image of motion.
Is faster than camera film
But as slow as tropism
I declare running
Better than walking
The poem is relevant because it has successfully depicted the problems that are facing our country today thus becoming obstacles to development. These include. Corruption, classes, selfishness, irresponsibility, marginalization, poor social services etc.
