| Introduction |
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xxi | |
| Poems |
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1 | (2) |
| Angola |
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Augustinbo Neto (1922--79) |
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Farewell at the Moment of Parting |
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3 | (1) |
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4 | (1) |
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5 | (1) |
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6 | (2) |
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Antonio Jacinto (b. 1924) |
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8 | (1) |
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9 | (3) |
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Letter from a Contract Worker |
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12 | (3) |
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15 | (1) |
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Fourth Poem of a Canto of Accusation |
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16 | (1) |
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17 | (2) |
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19 | (1) |
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Ruy Duarte de Carvalho (b. 1941) |
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20 | (1) |
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Makuzayi Massaki(b. 1950) |
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21 | (1) |
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22 | (1) |
|
Mawete Makisosila(b. 1955) |
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23 | (4) |
| Benin |
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27 | (1) |
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27 | (4) |
| Botswana |
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31 | (1) |
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31 | (4) |
| Cameroon |
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35 | (2) |
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Mbella Sonne Dipoko(b. 1936) |
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37 | (1) |
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37 | (1) |
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38 | (1) |
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A Poem of Villeneuve St Georges |
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38 | (2) |
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40 | (1) |
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41 | (1) |
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42 | (5) |
| Cape Verde Islands |
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Onesimo Silveira(b. 1936) |
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47 | (4) |
| Congo Republic (Congo-Brazzaville) |
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Tchicaya U Tam'si(1931--88) |
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Three poems from Feu de brousse (1957) |
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51 | (1) |
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51 | (1) |
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52 | (3) |
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I was naked for the first kiss of my mother(b. 1962) |
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55 | (1) |
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What do I want with a thousand stars in broad daylight |
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55 | (1) |
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You must be from my country |
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56 | (1) |
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57 | (1) |
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Two poems from Le Ventre: |
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I myself will be the stage for my salvation! |
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58 | (1) |
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58 | (1) |
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Two poems from L'Arc musical (1970): |
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59 | (1) |
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59 | (2) |
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Jean-Baptiste Tati-Loutard (b. 1939) |
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Four poems from Poemes de la mer (1968): |
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61 | (1) |
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61 | (1) |
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62 | (1) |
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Pilgrimage to Loango Strand |
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62 | (1) |
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Two poems from Les Racines congolaises (1968): |
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63 | (1) |
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64 | (1) |
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From La Tradition du songe (1985): |
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65 | (1) |
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Two poems from Le Serpent austral (1992): |
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66 | (1) |
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Letter to Edouard Maunick |
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67 | (1) |
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Emmanuel Dongala (b. 1941) |
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68 | (5) |
| Cote d'Ivoire |
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Joseph Miezan Bognini(b. 1936) |
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From Ce dur appel de l'espoir (1960): |
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73 | (1) |
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74 | (1) |
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Two poems from Herbe feconde (1973): |
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We are men of the new world |
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75 | (1) |
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75 | (2) |
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77 | (4) |
| Democratic Republic of Congo (Congo-Kinshasa) |
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Antoine-Roger Bolamba (b. 1913) |
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81 | (1) |
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82 | (1) |
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Mukula Kadima-Nzuji (b. 1947) |
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Incantations of the Sea: Moando Coast |
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83 | (1) |
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83 | (4) |
| Gambia |
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87 | (1) |
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88 | (1) |
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88 | (2) |
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90 | (1) |
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91 | (1) |
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92 | (2) |
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94 | (1) |
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95 | (4) |
| Ghana |
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Ellis Ayitey Komey (b. 1927) |
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99 | (1) |
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99 | (2) |
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101 | (1) |
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102 | (1) |
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103 | (2) |
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105 | (1) |
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The Sea Eats the Land at Home |
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106 | (1) |
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Three poems from Rediscovery (1964): |
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107 | (1) |
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107 | (1) |
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108 | (1) |
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From Night of My Blood (1971): |
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109 | (1) |
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From Ride Me, Memory (1973): |
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Afro-American Beats III: An American Memory of Africa |
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110 | (1) |
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From the House by the Sea (1978): |
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111 | (2) |
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From Collected Poems (1987): |
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Had Death Not Had Me in Tears |
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113 | (2) |
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115 | (1) |
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116 | (2) |
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118 | (2) |
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120 | (4) |
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124 | (1) |
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125 | (2) |
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I am the Freshly Dead Husband |
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127 | (3) |
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130 | (1) |
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Soul in Birthwaters: vi. Ghosts |
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131 | (1) |
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132 | (1) |
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133 | (4) |
| Guinea |
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Ahmed Tidjani-Cisse (b. 1947) |
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137 | (1) |
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138 | (5) |
| Kenya |
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Khadambi Asalache (b. 1934) |
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143 | (2) |
|
Jonathan Kariara (b. 1935) |
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A Leopard Lives in a Muu Tree |
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145 | (2) |
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147 | (1) |
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148 | (1) |
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149 | (1) |
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150 | (1) |
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151 | (2) |
|
Micere Githae Mugo (b. 194?) |
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153 | (1) |
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153 | (2) |
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155 | (1) |
|
Maina wa Kinyatti (b. 195?) |
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156 | (3) |
| Madagascar |
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|
Jean-Joseph Rabearivelo (1901--37) |
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Four poems from Traduits de la nuit: What invisible rat |
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159 | (3) |
|
The hide of the black cow |
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159 | (1) |
|
She whose eyes are prisms of sleep |
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160 | (1) |
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161 | (1) |
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From Presque-songes (1934): |
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162 | (1) |
|
Flavien Ranaivo (b. 1914) |
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163 | (1) |
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164 | (5) |
| Malawi |
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169 | (2) |
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171 | (1) |
|
The Stranglehold of English Lit. |
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172 | (1) |
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173 | (1) |
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174 | (1) |
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On Being Asked to Write a Poem for 1979 |
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175 | (1) |
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An Elegy for Mangochi Fishermen |
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175 | (1) |
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At the Metro: Old Irrelevant Images |
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176 | (1) |
|
The Cheerful Girls at Smiller's Bar, 1971 |
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176 | (1) |
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The Famished Stubborn Ravens of Mikuyu |
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177 | (1) |
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Your Tears Still Burn at My Handcuffs (1991) |
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178 | (2) |
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Smiller's Bar Revisited, 1983 |
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180 | (2) |
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182 | (1) |
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Developments from the Grave |
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183 | (2) |
|
Frank Chipasula (b. 1949) |
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185 | (1) |
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A Love Poem for My Country |
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186 | (1) |
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187 | (1) |
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188 | (1) |
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188 | (2) |
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190 | (1) |
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191 | (1) |
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191 | (3) |
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Stella Chipasula (b. 195?) |
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194 | (1) |
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Albert Kalimbakatha (b. 1967) |
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195 | (4) |
| Mali |
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Ouologuem Yambo (b. 1940) |
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199 | (6) |
| Mauritania |
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205 | (1) |
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205 | (1) |
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206 | (1) |
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206 | (3) |
| Mauritius |
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Edouard Maunick (b. 1931) |
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Two poems from Les Maneges de la mer (1964): |
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|
Further off is the measured force the word of the sea |
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209 | (1) |
|
I love to encounter you in strange cities |
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210 | (3) |
| Mozambique |
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|
Jose Craveirinha (b. 1922) |
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213 | (1) |
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214 | (1) |
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Noemia de Sousa (b. 1927) |
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215 | (1) |
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216 | (2) |
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Valente Ngwenya Malangatana (b. 1936) |
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218 | (1) |
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219 | (1) |
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220 | (1) |
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221 | (4) |
| Namibia |
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Mvula ya Nangolo (b. 194?) |
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225 | (1) |
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226 | (3) |
| Nigeria |
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The Snowflakes Sail Gently Down |
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229 | (1) |
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230 | (1) |
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231 | (1) |
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One Night at Victoria Beach |
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232 | (1) |
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233 | (1) |
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Christopher Okigbo (1932--67) |
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Six poems from Heavensgate (1961): |
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234 | (1) |
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234 | (1) |
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235 | (1) |
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236 | (1) |
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236 | (1) |
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237 | (1) |
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Four Poems from Limits (1962): |
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Suddenly becoming talkative |
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237 | (1) |
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For he was a shrub among the poplars |
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238 | (1) |
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238 | (2) |
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240 | (1) |
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From Lament of the Drums (1964): |
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Lion-hearted cedar forest, gonads for our thunder |
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240 | (1) |
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Two poems from Distances (1964): |
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241 | (1) |
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241 | (2) |
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Two poems from Path of Thunder (1967): |
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243 | (1) |
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244 | (2) |
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Seven poems from Idanre & Other Poems (1967): Death in the Dawn |
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246 | (6) |
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247 | (1) |
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248 | (1) |
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249 | (1) |
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250 | (1) |
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250 | (1) |
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251 | (1) |
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Four poems from A Shuttle in the Crypt (1972): |
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252 | (1) |
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253 | (1) |
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254 | (1) |
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255 | (1) |
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John Pepper Clark (b. 1935) |
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Eight poems from A Reed in the Tide (1965): |
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256 | (1) |
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256 | (1) |
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257 | (1) |
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For Granny (from Hospital) |
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258 | (1) |
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259 | (1) |
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260 | (1) |
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261 | (1) |
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261 | (1) |
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262 | (2) |
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Frank Aig-Imoukhuede (b. 1935) |
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264 | (2) |
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Okogbule Wonodi (b. 1936) |
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266 | (1) |
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267 | (1) |
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Michael Echeruo (b. 1937) |
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268 | (1) |
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Man and God Distinguished |
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269 | (1) |
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270 | (1) |
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270 | (1) |
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271 | (1) |
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The Woman Who Wants to be My Wife |
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272 | (2) |
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274 | (1) |
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275 | (1) |
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Onwuchekwa Jemie (b. 1941) |
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276 | (1) |
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Towards a Poetics: 1 and 2 |
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277 | (2) |
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Molara Ogundipe-Leslie (b. 1941) |
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Song at the African Middle Class |
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279 | (1) |
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280 | (1) |
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280 | (2) |
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282 | (1) |
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283 | (1) |
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284 | (1) |
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284 | (1) |
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285 | (1) |
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286 | (1) |
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287 | (1) |
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288 | (1) |
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And What If They Broke Wind in Public? |
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289 | (1) |
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289 | (2) |
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291 | (1) |
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292 | (1) |
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292 | (1) |
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293 | (2) |
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295 | (1) |
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295 | (3) |
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The Incandescence of the Wind |
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298 | (3) |
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301 | (1) |
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302 | (2) |
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And If You Should Leave Me |
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304 | (3) |
| Sao Tome |
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Alda do Espirito Santo (b. 1926) |
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Where are the Men Seized in This Wind of Madness? |
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307 | (2) |
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309 | (4) |
| Senegal |
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Leopold Sedar Senghor (b. 1906) |
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313 | (1) |
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314 | (1) |
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315 | (1) |
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315 | (1) |
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316 | (1) |
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317 | (1) |
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What Dark Tempestuous Night |
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317 | (1) |
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318 | (2) |
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320 | (1) |
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I Will Pronounce Your Name |
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320 | (1) |
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321 | (1) |
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322 | (1) |
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323 | (1) |
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324 | (1) |
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324 | (2) |
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326 | (1) |
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327 | (1) |
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327 | (1) |
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328 | (1) |
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328 | (2) |
|
Annette M'Baye d'Erneville (b. 1927) |
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330 | (2) |
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Thierno Seydou Sall(b. 196?) |
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332 | (1) |
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Amadou Elimane Kane (b. 196?) |
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333 | (1) |
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The Continent That Exists No More |
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334 | (1) |
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335 | (4) |
| Sierre Leone |
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Syl Cheney-Coker (b. 1945) |
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Six poems from The Graveyard Also Has Teeth (1980): |
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On Being a Poet in Sierra Leone |
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339 | (1) |
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Poem for a Guerrilla Leader |
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340 | (1) |
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The Hunger of the Suffering Man |
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341 | (1) |
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342 | (1) |
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Letter to a Tormented Playwright |
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342 | (2) |
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The Road to Exile Thinking of Vallejo |
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344 | (1) |
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Three poems from The Blood in the Desert's Eyes (1990): |
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345 | (1) |
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346 | (1) |
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347 | (1) |
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348 | (1) |
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Hagar, or, the Insufficiency of Metaphor |
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349 | (1) |
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The Defiance of Figures in Wood |
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350 | (5) |
| South Africa |
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355 | (1) |
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355 | (1) |
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356 | (1) |
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356 | (2) |
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358 | (1) |
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359 | (1) |
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360 | (1) |
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361 | (1) |
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362 | (1) |
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362 | (2) |
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364 | (1) |
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365 | (1) |
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365 | (1) |
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366 | (1) |
|
Keorapetse Kgositsile (b. 1938) |
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367 | (1) |
|
Song for Ilva Mackay and Mongane |
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367 | (2) |
|
The Present is a Dangerous Place to Live: I and IV |
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369 | (1) |
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370 | (3) |
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373 | (2) |
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375 | (1) |
|
Ride upon the Death Chariot |
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375 | (1) |
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376 | (2) |
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378 | (1) |
|
At Rest from the Grim Place |
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|
379 | (2) |
|
Mongane Wally Serote (b. 1944) |
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|
381 | (1) |
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382 | (1) |
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383 | (1) |
|
From Come and Hope with Me (1995): |
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|
In that day and in that life |
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|
384 | (2) |
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|
386 | (5) |
| Uganda |
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From The Song of Lawino (1966): |
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391 | (2) |
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From Song of Prisoner (1970): |
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Is today not my father's funeral anniversary? |
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393 | (2) |
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395 | (1) |
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396 | (3) |
| Zambia |
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Gwendoline Konie (b. 195?) |
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In the First of Your Hatred |
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399 | (4) |
| Zimbabwe |
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Hopewell Seyaseya (b. 195?) |
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403 | (1) |
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404 | (1) |
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Albert Chimedza (b. 195?) |
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I screw my brother's wife |
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405 | (1) |
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405 | (2) |
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Dambudzo Marechera (1955--87) |
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407 | (1) |
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407 | (1) |
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The Bar-stool Edible Worm |
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408 | (1) |
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408 | (1) |
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Musaemura Bonas Zimunya (196?) |
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409 | (1) |
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409 | (1) |
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410 | (1) |
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410 | (1) |
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411 | (2) |
| Notes on the Authors |
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413 | (16) |
| Sources of the Poems |
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429 | (6) |
| Acknowledgements |
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435 | (3) |
| Index of Poets |
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438 | (2) |
| Index of First Lines |
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440 | |
Other versions by this Author