3. ABOUT THE POET
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M.V.HERWADKAR ENGLISH MEDIUM SCHOOL 3
David problems of Africa brought about by colonialism and gave a
message to Africans to bring about change and freedom. He was
known for his involvement in the negritude movement in France, a
movement started by Black writers and artists protesting against French
colonialism and its effects of African culture and values. His views
and feelings were published in"Presence Africaine" and in his book of
poems "Coups de pillon" which was publishedin 1956. Diop died at the
age of 33 in a plane crash Mandessi Diop (19271960) was
a revolutionary African poet born in France but with parents of West
African descent.
4. ABOUT THE POEM
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M.V.HERWADKAR ENGLISH MEDIUM SCHOOL 4
The poem starts by Diop reminiscing about Africa, a land he has
not seen but only heard about from his grandmother's songs.
His choice of words like "distant"symbolise how far he is from
his country, a feeling based on his real life .
14. THE POET’S FEELINGS
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M.V.HERWADKAR ENGLISH MEDIUM SCHOOL 14
His choice of words like "distant"symbolise how far he
is from his country, a feeling based on his real life as he
lived in France throughout his childhood and only
visited Africa in the 1950s. Despite this, he paints a
vivid scene of Africa and the proud warriors who walk
on its "ancestral savannahs" You can sense how much
he misses his homeland by his stress on theword Africa,
and he continues to call it "My Africa" to emphasise it is
his land and his feelings of patriotism towards it.
There is no rhyming scheme in the poem
