‘Thinking beyond the horizon’
Poem: Moyo wina
Artsist: Evelyn Pangani
Reviewer: Albert Sharra
From its title, Moyo wina, a poem that also anchors the strength of Evelyn Pangani’s first poetry album called Nyonga za Bongo, rests in-depth thinking and storytelling in a brief and exceptional context.
In Moyo wina, (during the next life), Pangani proves a new dimension in poetry that tasks the brain of the audience to deep thinking and the need to know issues around them.
Centering on the uphill and downhill of a political career and how successful and most feared politicians and presidents in the world have been falling, Pangani thinks beyond the horizon.
She wants to know how politicians are continuing with their political career in the world of the dead and whether malpractices that are registered during elections in this world are also there.
“Moyo uno ukatha, dziko nkufotsera,dothi ku dothi, fumbi ku fumbi-chiyambi cha moyo wina.Winawooo kumakhala zotani?”(When this life comes to an end,deep down the grave,dust to dust-the begining of the next life.What is there?),goes the first part of the poem.
“… polingalira kuti kumasano kwapita ochuluka andale ankhanza ena okhumbira kulamulira anzawo, enanso osafuna kutula pansi maudindo.Polingalira kuti umenewo ndiwo moyo wotsiriza muchilengedwe, komanso poti limenelo ndi dziko limodzi pakachere pa anthu a mtundu sankha wekha.
“Atsogoleri ena anadziwika ndi nkhanza, ngakhale msukulu ana amawaphunzira ngati mbiri imodzi ya mbiri zosaiwalika, Adolf Hitler, Mobutu Seseseko, Laurent Kabila,Samora Machel ndi ena mtolo. Ngakhale ku Malawi kuno Mkango unalanda ulamuliro kwa Asamunda zikutha bwanji kumeneko?”
This is a puzzling question that broadens the thinking.
The poem suggests that being a new world, it might be possible that the leaders who made a mark in this world are no more living to their mark. They lost their robes of majesty and cannot even win a junior position in the legislation.
“We want to be thinking beyond what we obviously think. The purpose of the poem is to remind people that there is life after death and that what we do today can be part of the game in the next life and so we need to be careful,” says Pangani who is also a journalist working at Joy Radio in Malawi.
The exceptional part with the composition is the sensational part--How it is creating the mood and put one into consideration of how relevance he/she is in today’s community and what about in the next life?
Coherence of facts, use of idioms and rhyming are some of the strongest traits of the poem. Listening or reading Moyo wina one should appreciate the outstanding weaving of the triple.
With that pace on track rallied by many, Malawi’s future in poetry should not be underrated.
