Abstract:
Published in 1962, Walcott’s poem reflects his hybrid identity and the internal conflict between his European and African ancestry. His divided roots has been a source for many of his works. The following analysis focuses on how Walcott presents colonialism and its legacy of divided identity and violence in his poem “A Far Cry from Africa”.
Introduction and background:
Walcott was a black poet born of mixed racial and ethnic heritage in St. Lucia. His hybrid identity left him in a divided state, which makes him a victim of the colonial legacy. The speaker of the poem is of mixed ancestry and like Walcott, the speaker is also implied to be from a British colony. Hence, the poem is partially autobiographical.
The poem talks about a very specific historical event, i.e. the Mau Mau uprising which took place in Kenya during the 1950s. This guerilla war lasted for 8 years and was mainly led by certain members(rebels) of the Kikuyu tribe who viewed the British settlers as trespassers on their land. It was a very violent incident with lots of bloodshed on both sides.
Analysis:
The poem’s title is very important as ‘a far cry’ can be interpreted in multiple ways. One is the literal meaning wherein the poet is writing this from somewhere far away from Africa. Another can be a metamorphic one which implies that a wind (“a wind is ruffling..”) has carried the cries of pain and suffering due to the uprising, to the poet who is in a distant land.
The poem begins with a gruesome depiction of the war-torn region – “bloodstreams of the veldt. Corpses are scattered through a paradise…”. The poem is filled with similar violent imagery that depicts the violence of the British colonisers as well as the acts taken by the Mau Mau rebels. The speaker who has a hybrid identity ( “how choose/ Between this Africa and the English tongue I love?”) condemns these acts of violence from both sides even though they think it’s for a just cause.
“The white child hacked in bed” refers to the incident during the guerrilla war where a European family along with a child was hacked to death by the Mau Mau. The Britishers responded severely to this by employing various tactics such as the resettlement of natives, labour camps etc. (“The salients of colonial policy.”). The line “savages, expendable as Jews.” reflects the colonisers’ superior mindset, and it was no better than the Nazis.
The poem is postcolonial as the speaker has a conflicted mind just like how many colonised people had gone through. The poet shared an anti-imperialist view but did not approve of the violence and the path chosen by the Mau Mau people. Hybridity, an important part of postcolonial literature, is a key component of the poem. “Where shall I turn, divided to the vein?”, this line is a clear reflection of the speaker’s dual identity. The following lines towards the end of the poem-
“I who have cursed The drunken officer of British rule,how choose Between this Africa and the English tongue I love? Betray them both, or give back what they give? How can I face such slaughter and be cool? How can I turn from Africa and live?”
depicts how colonial rule and its legacy of hybridity has affected people. People with dual identities like the speaker struggle to fit into one section of their ancestry. Walcott ends the poem on a questioning note to emphasize the lack of solutions the people in conflict with their identities experience.
Conclusion:
Walcott thus depicts the struggle and the impact colonialism has on the colonised. He writes specifically about the violence from both sides prompted by a justifiable thought but which ends in the loss of human life. The poem also reveals the complexity of the hybrid inheritance.
Bibliography:
Primary source: Walcott, Derek, Collected Poems: 1948-1984, New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2014.
Secondary Source:“Mau Mau Uprising: Bloody History of Kenya Conflict.” BBC News, 7 Apr. 2011, www.bbc.com/news/uk-12997138.
Walcott, Derek – Postcolonial Studies. https://scholarblogs.emory.edu/postcolonialstudies/2014/06/21/walcott-derek/
Sharma, Kedar N. “A Far Cry from Africa by Derek Walcott: Summary and Critical Analysis” BachelorandMaster, 4 Nov. 2013, https://www.bachelorandmaster.com/britishandamericanpoetry/a-far-cry-from-africa.html
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