"Soweto", By Edward Kamau Brathwaite

Theme

Standing against injustice is a principle that spans across language boarders and ethnic diversity. However, the path for justice is marked by death and destruction which must be overcome in order to achieve equality.

Symbolism

Tone

• "Rolling moth ball eyes yellow teeth" (3): Describes the police dogs. however, in line 26, "The searchlights of dogs", refers to the police
• "Bladder of elephant" (9): A canteen, and symbolizes the youth and innocence of the school students
• "Helmet and fusil and the hand grenade" (31): Demonstrates the youth of the students as well as their unprepared defenses for the violence

Imagery

• Lines 1-11: Optimistic as the setting is described, despite the presence of police dogs
• Lines 12-23: Threatening as the police advance on the protestors
• Lines 24-31: Critical as the protest turns violent, and the number of student causalities increases

• "The cool juice of Soweto", (14): The school students of Soweto
• "Wandering into the everlasting shadow of Jah", (23): The tribes walk together into the shadows of the Jah Mason Valley, which is an barely known region
• "That black bellied night of hell and helleluia", (19): Symbolizes the tragedy of the young people's death, yet praises their courage to continue the fight
• "Basuto mokhethi namibia azania shaka the zulu kenyatta the shatt erer the maasai..." (22-23): The different tribes that took part in the protest
• "Boer" (30): An Afrikaans word for farmer, describing the variations in lifestyles that are unified under the same cause

Syntax and Sound

• Utilizes phonetic spelling to dictate the accents of the South African Students
• Stanzas are broken up randomly to convey sense of choas
• Repetition of word choices as the poem intensifies. "Flicker" (20), "Bellowing" (25,26,27), and "Malan" (29).

An excerpt from "Soweto", By Edward Kamau Brathwaite

Paraphrase

Out of the screams from attacking dogs, dust covers the streets. Houses are still warm from the recently departed inhabitants, and the sound of canteens clanking is audible. The youth of Soweto fill the streets, and march forward. They march into the night, where lights flicker in the darkness. Within the group, different tribes march beside each other for the same cause. Yelling against their suppressors, as dogs and gunfire are unleashed. The chants continue as the violence increases.

Edward Kamau Brathwaite

Dramatic Situation:

• Born in Barbados, 1930
• Aquired a PhD in Philosopghy from the University of Sussex
• Co-founder of Caribean Arists Movement
• The subjects of his works are mainly nature and social commentary

The Soweto Uprising, on June 16th, 1976, was the result of the South African government passing the Afrikaans Medium Degree. This removed indigenous languages from public schools, and replaced them with Afrikaans and English. High school students gathered on this day in June to peaceful protest the new law, yet were met with police gunfire. This anti-apartheid protest lead to the death of approximately 700 students. Three years later, Brathwaite publishes "Soweto".

"Soweto"

out of this dust they are coming

our eyes listen out of rhinoceros thunder

darkness of lion

the whale roar stomping in heavin

that black bellied night of hell and helleluia

whn all the lights of anger flicker flicker flicker flicker

and we know somewhere there there is real fire

basuto mokhethi namibia azania shaka the zulu kenyatta the shatt

erer the maasai wandering into the everlasting shadow of jah

daughters lost daughters

bellowing against bullhorn and kleghorn

bellowing against bargwart and the searchlights of dogs

bellowing against the crick and the kick in the stomach

the acrid wretch against teeth

bellowing against malan malam malan

and boer and boerwreck and boertrek and truckloads of metal

helmet and fusil and the hand grenade...

Out of this roar of innumerable demons

hot cinema tarzan sweat

rolling moth ball eyes yellow teeth

cries of claws slashes clanks

a faint high pallor

dust

oceans rolling over the dry sand of the savanna

your houses homes warm still with the buffalo milk

bladder of elephant. Tusk of his stripped tree

sing soft clinks

but the barracks

the dark dark barks of the shark

boys

the cool juice of soweto...