Aminata the Story Teller (A cry of a Negro) by Nii Ayi SolomonShe had waited for this day to tell her story to the worldTo describe lucidly the pains of her pastShe implored sympathy from no oneThe world must hear her storyAnd share in her excruciating painShe knew from her tender ageThat she would be a story tellerThat she would see and tellHer name is AminataThe daughter of the warrior king, Moumadou TankoFrom the village of BatorShe was taken into slavery when she could not write her nameThe wealth of knowledge of her ancestral rootShe carried with herStories told by the great storyteller, DzapataKept her optimism aliveShe must live to tell her own storyShe slept by dayAnd walked by nightShe survived the crossing of the Atlantic OceanTo an unknown landWhile on the journey nothing escape her inquisitive gazeAs she recorded history in the book of her memoryThey must not know she can read and writeThey wished to disgrace herSo they shaved her hairHer pride fell like lighteningBut her mouth could only be shut for a momentShe was on a missionShe walked alone in the woodsSurrounded by trees of another continentHer freedom was taken from herA prisoner in another countryAminata sought to take back her freedomThough she lost her belongings and her routeShe did not lose her homeHome is not where you belongHome is what’s in your mindSeveral times on the journey she lost BayoHer childhood sweetheartBut she knew fate will always bring them back togetherShe became weighty with a childA baby was growing in her bellySo she can now breathe hopeAnd glow with smilesSongs of pain and agonyWill always be played in her backyardFor they vowed not to see her happySo they sold her daughter for sixty shillingsAnd her second, died from choleraShe must be a daughter of painShe prayed for death to invite herFor the hope in her belly left no smiles on her faceHer only hope is the man she had known all her lifeBayo, her prime mateEach time they were apartThey lost a part of themselvesSo they sought to stay togetherTo avoid the spell of death pronounced on themBut he did not make itHe did not live to see Aminata tell her story to the worldBayo died from freeing the slaves of ObibiBayo was a brave warriorHe freed the slaves at the expense of his lifeHistory salutes him for his braveryBut Aminata was left alone with no hopeHer prime mate bowed his headShe must face the horrors of lifeShe made it through the years of slaveryShe returned to the home of her fathersThe home of her ancestorsShe returned to the place of her departureThe little village of BatorAminata fought for the abolishing of the slave tradeShe wrote her painsShe wrote her strugglesShe wrote her name in the world’s bookShe wrote her story in the book of negrosShe became the story teller©Nii-Ayi Solomon – the Soul InspirerNorth DzorwuluModel: Naa Dedei Solomon