Frédéric Pacéré Titinga (Burkina Faso)

Por: Frédéric Pacéré Titinga

Hymn of Debris

The mountain caved in
Just before dawn!
Night reigns completely!
The huge mahogany of the village
Has blown to pieces;
The termites hold the power of the Crowns.

The lion’s roar has stopped
In the haunted savannah!
Night reigns completely!
The immense hope of the village
Has blown to pieces;
The termites hold the power of the Crowns!

Terrified falcon,
Abandoned,
Worn out,
Maggoty,
Betrayed by the spirits,
Bending the millenary knee
That cracks
Under the damned breath of the ancestors,
Defenceless people,
Orphaned people,
Humbled
Under the mournful COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO
Of artificial trivialities
Carrying a past of hope,
Betrayed,
Livid,
Stabbed,
Crushed,
Terrified falcon,
Terrified falcon,
Terrified falcon,
Go!

Go under the enemy howls,
Dark survivor,
Tormented one-legged man
Unfortunate centipede
Go over your debris
Hope of the beheaded
Go!
Tomorrow,

The sun will be high in the sky.

Frédéric Pacéré Titinga A solicitor, writer and man of culture, he is the founder of the Bendrologie museum. He has written twenty books or a total of 60 volumes. He won the medal of honour of the Association of French speaking writers (A.D.E.L.F.). Some published poetry books are: Ça tire sous le Sahel, 1976; Refrains sous le Sahel, 1976; Quand s'envolent les grues couronnées, 1976; Problématique de l'aide aux pays sous-développés, 1976; Ainsi on a assassiné tous les Moose, 1979; La poésie des griots, 1983, Black African Literary Prize, 1982; Poème pour l'Angola, 1983; Du Lait pour une Tombe, 1974; SAGLEGO ou Poésie du Tam-tam pour le Sahel, 1990; Bendr N Gomdé, Paroles et Poésie du Tam-tam, 1984-1991; Le langage des tam-tams et des masques en Afrique, 1992; Bendrologie et littérature culturelle des Moosse, 1993; Saglengo, la poésie du tam-tam, 1994; Des Entrailles de la Terre, 1999; Pensées Africaines (Recueil de proverbes, dictons de la sagesse africaine), 2005.