This poem was written by Ronald tapfuma Jongwe Known as Wezhira in the Zimbwbwean poetry circles. Wezhira is an international poet who has performed at international platforms like the Highway Africa in South Africa, UN Habitat International Youth Crime Prevention and Cities Summit, SADC Regional Youth Hearing and the Harare International Festival of the Arts. This poem is sometimes performed as a duet in collaboration with Shoeslambada at various platforms locally and internationally.

My Son.

My son when you were born
Echoes of joy where herd from all corners
For your birth my son
Was a moment of jubilation
It was a moment of ululation
It was a moment of emancipation
The world my son saw your birth as a defining moment
They saw your birth as a refining moment
Your birth my son was indeed a designing moment
Thus the legendary Bob Marley was there to sing for you my son
And Prince Charles of the royal family
Came to honor the potential king of Africa

My son when I your father saw the potential that was in you
With the consent of the nation
I handed you over to the so called first secretary……ROBERT
For he was equipped and armed with five university degrees,
Intelligence and profound eloquence and I you father
Thought you were in safe hands
My son little did I know………

My son you became the paradise of Africa
Your economic prosperity was once an exhibition of Africa’s’ potential
You were a river that flowed with excess vigor and velocity,
A river that was the backbone of Africa’s agriculture
A scenic visa for the lovers of nature
But now my son you are struggling,
Ailing and lying in your death bed
Long before your 30th birthday
And they call it BLACK EMPOWERMENT!!!!!

My son! What is black empowerment?
When unemployment is floating at 90%
Whose democracy is it when your security agents
Use weapons of mass destruction against students armed only with their brains
What is sovereignty when the nation sweats and works for tax
So that they build mansions and villas in Beijing and Kuala Lumpur
My son now you talk of the turn around policy
But why should we turn around when the only alternative
Is to go forward
Why look East when we can’t even look at
Where we are standing
What is economic prosperity?
When ten civil servants can not afford
One crate of Castle Lager….. I WONDER


My son stand up and reclaim what is yours
Forward ever backward never
For the struggle is like a catapult
Understood backwards but lived forward
You and I need to unite for revolutions are symbolic
Of the power of the united people
Let our prophets be murdered everyday
But our voices shall be heard forever and ever
Let their armed forces brutalize us
And intoxicate our eyes with their tear gas but our voices
Shall be heard forever and ever
Let us unite to dislodge the despotic forces
For we cannot take this anymore
My son ZIMBABWE