What Changed Amaloy?

What Changed Amaloy?
Do you remember the sunny rays of hope, the long days of joy and laughter in the village of Amaloy
Do you recall the bulls bellowing the agile calves racing, blue clear skies at harvest of Amaloy
Did you see huts sparse, the paths wind, grazing spaces wide, filled with grass swayed in the windy days?
Did you swim the strong tide of River Lero the cold current washing your slim boyish body in happy bliss?

The donkeys brayed, goats bleated in the plains, the clay bulls we made fought on the soil of Amaloy
The butterflies dotted yellow marigold flowers and the bees that made large honeycombs of Amaloy
The days meshed with loud laughter, nights quietened the moon filled folklore and snores in Amaloy
The parties competed for calendar space, of births to deaths, of marriage and naming or circumcision in Amaloy

Back then bare chest or bare foot filled with cracked crevices was no poverty, it was uniform to all
Back then most was communal, children, land, labour, food, huts, even wives were shared by all
Before school we leant, respect for elders, sharing with others, and the beauty of nature for all
By then, walked miles thirsty to learn, scaled hills and crossed rivers to save relations for the good of all

For when famine came shortly, soon the rains fell and the farms flourished - no climate change
For religion we prayed in the sacred and offered our hearts for tithes no prey seeds for charge
For the few mouths to feed, nature covered it, rivers of fish, forest of fruits, swamps of tubers full range
For the good of all we hang together surrounded by love, and sense of duty safety came first life was sacrilege

Later Ajoni traveled abroad and Majoni people from abroad came and life started changing
Later they taught number-work in school the capitalist sowed seed money and hearts got longing
Later moving metals and static concretes sprang, killed rivers, wildlife traded in ivory-ecosystem started dangling
Later the African socialism died after independence, fell apart, greed led with least sense of belonging

Because of new order mechanized farms and squatters were born out of grabbers and clan land spaces went
Because factories eat ozone, air shrank, forest varnished -draught hot sun and famine got persistent
Because family lands went people spilled into towns to survive- slums sprang and crimes now permanent
Because of untold sufferings churches expanded alongside prisons and the class divide hit hardest

It will shock you if you come because River Lero dried and the hills of Ulowa gave in to rail and disappeared
It still scares this “development” watchmen now stand sentry in our village because men thirst to drink our blood
It will be strange to you if you ever return that food granaries that doted the landscapes in Amaloy are no more
It is official the communal land with crested cranes, the Savannah grasslands with big umbrella shades are gone

And now we long for what we lost, the brotherhood the days of love and sharing and laughter’s in Amaloy
And now we know it is lost here and not in the rabbles of the West with biased reporters station in Amaloy
And sure we grieve more for African child who shall never see the beauty of the heritage and dreams of Amaloy
But we believe in the African story in crafting a new dawn a new song a new future for posterity of Amaloy