Fabrizio Frosini

Whispering to the Heart - Contemporary African Poetry Fabrizio Frosini

The rhythms of Africa abound in this volume. Through the dances and chants, masqueraders in African garb, who dance for children and engage them through encounters that the children will remember long after the performance. This is depicted in poems like 'The Dance of The Calabar Masquerade, ' by Birgitta Abimbola Heikka. The writing in this poem resembles the sounds of the beck and call performances in traditional songs. It is singing that the audience joins in a repetitive recital of the repeated, 'iyo.' This reminds us that African oral poetry is not written for one person, but that it is a holistic experience of the group, invoked through the poet's call to 'come and dance.' In this anthology, we see the indomitable spirit of people who live through difficult situations: the perseverance of the human spirit, as observed by poets, teaching us that lives are lived with meaning even in the most difficult situations, where powerful forces inflict harm endlessly. When victory comes, it is well deserved. (Sarah Mkhonza) "Nisaidie kumi nikule sapa" [bless me with 10 shillings for my supper], is the opening verse in Aaron Njoroge Wambu's 'Pangani Round About', whose closing line is a striking: "How many of us are 'rich' enough to give?." This collection of poetic voices from 16 African countries brings us the hues and tones of their soul: through their poetry we can experience the sheer "crystalline source of the Imagination." Here is a book that any reader who loves poetry should not miss