He came to our country
The man from France
He greets everyone he sees
Symbolizing such with his hands-raised
And smile so cheery and awesome
He walks from street to street
And children follow him follow him because of his colour?
One day, I called him for a conversation.
Shockingly, he said: “Me no English”
And smiled again cheerfully at me.
I was dispirited for my desperation
I spoke with English language
He responded with French Language
I wrote my mind on a paper with English
He wrote his too on a paper with French,
Then I mused as we were looking at the paper
I couldn’t read likewise he couldn’t read
We’re engaged in a health-given smile
With our palms clamped together
Like a shackle on a theft hand
Now said I in my mind:
What is the definition of illiteracy?
Who said that Africans were illiterates?
I was astonished when a white man
Cannot speak English language nor write
Is he not an illiterate?
Am I not an illiterate of French?
We settled our course on laughter
But I could not yet define illiteracy!
« return.