While Malawi former (Nyasaland) is endowed with red-clay fertile soils, the gift of abundant dialects, the blessing of variegated cultural rhythms, wonderment of a dedicated human mass that carry nuggets of tenacity and love gems within their heart-frames/mind shafts. This land is counted amongst the most peace-loving country, since the demise of the great Ngwazi, Kamuzu Banda, the last /all powerful African Napoleon of all times ruled Malawi up until to his grave – a rich though controversial political history- a delicious fodder to the poet-writer/griots of the land
. Although this great land of great Ngwazi is an endowment of wonders, mixed political clout/wealth / rich soils, mighty rivers and more. Malawi is decorated by deep- historical boils, revolutionary wounds, ideological/cultural scars that were carved unto its humanity/ moral marrow from days and nights of ravaging colonial regimes up to the days of the heavily iron-fisted/steely -gloved African Napoleon Ngwazi, Kamuzu Banda unrepentant dictator and first ruler of independent Malawi until political rough parch of the Bingu and the Mutharika dynasty. And now the land after many prayer sessions is presided upon by a man of cloth,
Malawi remains a paradox.
This introductory reportage is an effort by the reviewer to compliment the prowess and poetic chronicles of this African -Malawian poet of the people and the griot of the land William Khalipwina Mpina as he uses his poetic dexterity to decode pain from the hearts of his people , raves their minds with verbose simplicity , entertains/nudges their nerves with toned down adages and concurrently ripples their blood with both head busting verse , laughter is aroused with smiles blooming like rose petals in some of the poems , a coterie of mixed feelings . Remember this poetry expose’ is dripped by bowls of tears of the masses chlorinating aged scars that have become birthmarks of this land of contradictions.
The dream withers without a red flag
Sirens breaking the morning market noise
The wind blows to bring betrayal
Sudden darkness to witness crushing of ideas
As silently Kampepuza rolls
To poke sores of scolded souls
Taken or picked up like army worms
Unpleasant to those whose
God the market was
When tears are stirred in their sacs
Only memories wipe, whisper stories
Of sunbathed pain and sorrow
This above excerpt is adapted from a powerful/strong but stubbed poem Kampepuza. The poem and more others are an expose of a people at crossroads, the land that is dipped in pain, rending poverty and life-sapping sorrow. This intentionally shortened but suspense -rimmed poem depicts moral discord that might have been derived from several years of political murkiness and moral decadence. And it is the role of griots to chronicle the pain /truth/poverty/success/wonders of their land/country. To observe and write of their experiences both sound /dull and bad/good
Black nights and dusky days
Long black days and white gloves
Hiss in the mind’s ceiling
Greeting black shadows
Scratching despairing black hearts
Masking wheels of time
Sinking in buckets of questions
Black nights and dusky days sing
Of a new dawn in a whirlwind
Slapping sweetness of groaning
Without pain like a sleeping swine
Basking in a confined cabin
Gazing at the setting Sun
While the poet-griot author is an educationist, his chronicles are didactic, his poetic nuggets are both metaphoric and candid- the griot writes/pens these soul -rending psalms with a heavy heart. His versifications are a proof that he never had experienced peace /love/passion in his youthful days and he is still hunting for fruits of peace, freedom and happiness. He is famished of love. His suns set every day and they never rise – such are disparities of life. The dimples of his country are incessantly bathed in tears. He sees humiliation, lives in decadence, walks in segregation and experiences neo-colonialism. One of his introductory poems Africa is not a drum – the poet spits unto the corrupt-charged face of the capitalistic community/master-architects of neo colonialism without mincing his verbiage , In Africa is not a drum , the griot-poet-chronicler – African literary warrior is ready for a revolution, he turns into a militant writer , a fighter for truth and for the defence of his Africa-land- surely Africa is not a drum , cannot remain a drum and will never be a drum again.
His candid -revolutionary poetry fist knows no sacred cows. He goes on to undress political wounds and social /moral boils as they prick his heart- his poems remain emotionally charged and truth packed- they are candid. He clamours for the release of his fellow countrymen and himself from the grind of political short- changing and bondage of pseudo-revolutionary turncoats looting the wealth of the land and fruits of freedom alone. The griot exclaimed that My Country is in War Bus
My country is a war bus
Coughing from political smoke
Dressing wounds
Smelling of a dead dog–
Traversing the burning flame
The war bus
The passengers
The loyalty
The scent of human blood
The flywhisk of power
The silent majority
The cry in the wilderness
This great literary expose Mooning the Morning is anchored by vivid imagery, verbal prowess and more other literary nuggets like witticism and dexterity. This poem and not only this one, it is like a short -film fizzy-pop popping with suspense, pace, beat and serenading rhythm- the verses arouses your mental tendrils to dance and your heart valves to jive. The discord nudges your gut with pain while the syntax and the beat within send the reader to jive- dexterity/real poetry
I epilogue this review instalment with the Language of the Bleeding Heart.
Blood stirred in a bowl of tears
Listens to the language of
The big drum, watering stories
Of sunbathed pain, of sorrowful resoluteness
While suckers stomping on pink lawns, wisdom
Breaking in pots of empty visions and dreams
Reason reversed or left behind, bows and arrows
Sip philosophies of the starry-eyed
Waving at robots brushing sores
of a bleeding heart
This scintillating but mind -boggling poetry collection is an exhibition of the sorrows, painful experiences, the moral grind, a myriad of political discord and social /economic eyesore as experienced by the poet-chronicler-writer/griot and his people. He sees the pain of the boiling country in the teary eyes of poor children he teaches every day, he watches intriguing short films of sorrow through the shrivelling breasts of mothers surrendering lives in the streets of suffering. He reads longform wrinkled facial pages of poverty marinated vendors- surely the language of the bleeding hearts. Mooning of the Morning Night is a dark story of a country/people/land disembowelled by political disharmony, moral discord and social/cultural decadence
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Author of the reviewed book ,Mooning the Morning,William Khalipwina Mpina is a Malawian poet, fiction writer, Economist and Data Analyst. His writing reflects on the mundane and the everyday experiences. Many of his works appear in online international literary magazines such as Kalahari Review, Literary Shanghai, Writers Space Africa, African writer, Nthanda review, Scribble Publication, Atunis Galaxy Poetry, Poetica and Expound Magazine; and in over ten local anthologies. A co-editor of ‘Walking the Battlefield’ and ‘Tilembe Newsletter’ of Malawi Union of Academic and Non-fiction Authors, Mpina has contributed verses in international anthologies such as Lockdown 2020, On the Road, A New World: Rethinking our lives post pandemic, Writing Robotics: Africa versus Asia, Christmas, Childhood, Friends & Friendships, Culture & Identity, The Trick is to keep Breathing, Family, Fixing Earth: Africa, UK and Ireland Writers Anthology etc. His books include Princess from the Moon (2020), Shattered Dreams (2019), Blood Suckers (2019), Shadows of Death and other poems (2016), Namayeni (2009) and Njiru (2003).
The Book Reviewer(Mbizo Chirasha)
Mbizo Chirasha chief -curator at Pan-WritersCaravan, Head of content at AfricanWilliamBlake.publisher of Time of the Poet Republic, founder at Womaword literary Press. curator/editor of Voices of Africa: A Call for freedom (ihraf.org).co-editor of Corpses of Unity anthology with Kenneth Toa Mala of Cameroon in solidarity with civil victims of Cameroon. project curator/co-editor of Second Name of Earth is Peace(worldbeyondwar.org) with David Swanson. co-editor of the bilingual German/English digital anthology Street Voices with Andreas Weiland.african contributor to Demer press international poetry anthology series with Hannie Rouweler. World Poetry Almanac poetry series with Hadaa Sendo of Mongolia.essayist, poet and panafrican editor and african writivism laureate at ihraf publishes with Thomas Block. live literature hub /word fiesta producer at Sotambe Film and Arts Festival 2019. resident coordinator of All of Africa 100 Thousand for peace- global with Michael Rothenberg. African Writing Associate with Jamie dedes.com, A poet a day, the bezine.com with poetry chef Michael Dickel. Oxford School of poetry/Blackwell Pamphlet of poetry with Kirsten Norrie Contributing essayist to Monk Arts and Soul Magazine with Sophie levy Burton. poet in residence of the Fictional Café, an American but pan international writers’ space with Jack.B. Rochester. initiating the WordCitylit journal international journal to promote literary diversity, dialogue among civilizations with Darcie Friesen Hossack.
Mbizo Chirasha (African WilliamBlake) 