“Give us Free!” – Joseph Cinque a member of the Mende tribe
Still
We were taken from our lands
Dragged to Sierra Leone’s sands.
Sold off to the Spanish
Though it was not our wish
No one man has the right to steal
Away a right held so ideal
Too long were we on that dinghy
Some became sick and were thrown into the sea…
The conditions, unspeakable
We must beg for the crumbs off their table
The African heart is better than this
Life we can’t afford to remiss.
So we attacked
Only now do they see us as people, not black
Blood stains the deck
But the rain will wash away this human wreck
When we arrived on the main land
A trial had been planned
How could they try us with murder?
They weren’t there when it occurred
They speak of justice but do not know the meaning
Between the justice they serve to themselves and me
They are very different
Can’t you see now that justice will not end our torment
At least not your kind
One can only be so blind!
We were set free
Someone heard our plea
And by the grace of good-will
We can be African still…