Shackled

Shackled and bound by chains of oppression, our once proud and able-bodied ancestors roamed the fertile lands with heads held high, their spirits unbroken despite the weight of injustice bearing down upon them. But their strength was no match for the greed of those in power, who traded their dignity for fleeting riches.

What price did they pay for their betrayal? Was it the glint of gold that blinded them to the suffering of their own people? Or the allure of foreign luxuries that led them to barter away our birthright? Regardless of the currency, the cost was steep: the enslavement of generations, the agony of separation, and the erasure of our humanity.

Dragged through the mud, our ancestors were paraded like commodities in the market square, their worth measured by the callous hands of traders. Sold into bondage, they were condemned to a life of toil and torment, their bodies confined to the depths of dark dungeons, suffocating under the weight of cruelty and despair.

In those cavernous prisons, our black bodies were stacked like cordwood, each breath a struggle against the crushing weight of oppression. Yet amid the darkness, some found the courage to resist, to defy their captors and demand their rightful freedom. But for many, the price of defiance was death, their blood staining the earth as a testament to their unyielding spirit.

Now, decades later, we stand on the precipice of independence, but the shackles of the past still bind us. Though the chains may be rusted and worn, their grip on our collective consciousness remains firm, reminding us of the injustices that continue to plague our society.

But let us not despair, for the struggle is not over. As Nkrumah proclaimed, “at long last, the struggle has ended,” but the fight for true liberation has only just begun. It is up to us, the inheritors of their legacy, to break free from the shackles of the past and forge a future where justice, equality, and dignity reign supreme.

Together, let us rise up and cast off the chains that bind us, reclaiming our pride, our power, and our humanity. For only then can we truly say that the shackles of oppression have been shattered, and the promise of independence fulfilled.

Happy 67th Independence