The Tanzanian Mask
Mount Kilimanjaro can be found in the Kilimanjaro National Park of Northern Tanzania. This mountain is the highest in Africa. To some of the tribes in the region, the snow-covered mountain is seen as the throne of God.
I am not in a sacred place; my countrymen are gone.
Where is Kilimanjaro, “the seat of God”?
I ache for the “Roof of Africa”, a glacial-capped peak.
This glass cage is a fake palace; it is lonely, airtight.
Where is Kilimanjaro, “the seat of God”?
This is not my home. Strange faces peer at me.
This glass cage is a fake palace; it is lonely, airtight.
Here, no one voices my tongue; an ancient form.
This is not my home. Strange faces peer at me.
I miss the dancer who wore me; we became one spirit.
Here, no one voices my tongue; an ancient form.
Old laws are, but memories soured by staged light.
I miss the dancer who wore me; we became one spirit.
We erupted in a protector’s force; a flame in the savannah.
Old laws are, but memories soured by staged light.
An outsider snatched me, trapped me in this foreign land.
We erupted in a protector’s force; a flame in the savannah,
To the flow of drums, ancient souls shared tales.
An outsider snatched me, trapped me in this foreign land.
How I miss dancing in the cloud forest of Kilimanjaro.
To the flow of drums, ancient souls shared tales.
Praises on astral planes where beasts thrive.
How I miss dancing in the cloud forest of Kilimanjaro,
Where the moss known as “old man’s beard” whispered.
Praises on astral planes where beasts thrive,
On buried black soil, we danced rituals of thanks,
Where the moss known as “old man’s beard” whispered.
Oh, where are the ancestors’ tribal songs?
On buried black soil, we danced rituals of thanks.
Missionaries banned me. They feared my purpose.
Oh, where are the ancestors’ tribal songs?
When I danced with the warrior, my power spun.
Missionaries banned me. They feared my purpose.
I am not in a sacred place; my countrymen are gone.
When I danced with the warrior, my power spun.
I ache for the “Roof of Africa”, a glacial-capped peak.