The Coal in the Desert

This Poem analyses racism and war in northern Africa ,especially in Sudan . it reveals the identity struggle in Sudan and how the history of the region has shaped the perception of identity . this poem expresses the inner voice of black Africa trying to stand and represent its beauty in Sudan despite seemingly being opposed by the Sudanese federal government. slavery which still exist in Sudan is a bye product of the trans-Saharan slave trade . i do not intend to arouse hatred towards Arabs as we were all made in God's image , rather i want to express a truth in its real form . the genocide in Darfur cannot be denied ,it is real.

Black and Beautiful, coated with gold,

brown eyes of literature, provokes a beauty unknown,

the language i speak is as the drums, echoing far,

Low-born, my hands dug deep in the soil,

The Coal in the desert, i wither as leaves waiting for dew,



Black and Beautiful, I bleed in the desert,

the prologue of my trial can never be known,

dark skinned, red blood runs through broken bone,

Death came on a horse back and struck our home,

God's beautiful land was turned into a house of war,

The Coal in the desert , I remember my grandmother's stories,

How they castrated us and took us away,



Black and Beautiful, I welcomed in strangers,

Jews as brothers, even the eternal king fleeing Herod's anger,

The Pyramid stood tall, the heritage of our father's,

but our history sleeps on the pages of history,

our tears dry in the desert's heat ,



Black and Beautiful, I mourn the curse of silence,

Africa watch as i die , my music erodes from my tongue,

my mother is raped, dishonoured before you eyes,

the little ones carry the burden of war, sorrowful songs



The Coal in the desert, the red sand remembers me vividly,

It has sucked the blood of my women and infants,

I have bled for centuries,and cried for freedom,

The Coal in the desert, made in God's image,

I was born beautiful, that will never change.

Our homage to the trailblazers...

We cannot get underway without recognising the contributions of those who were there well before us. Despite having varied aims, styles, and opinions, these bloggers have been the true fore-fathers for what ZBM reports aims to grow into.

The honour roll includes: New African, All Africa.Com, Timbuktu Chronicles, The African Executive, Africa Unchained Blog, and many others.

Thank you all for your pioneering works, online and off. You have set both the bar and the tone, we can only hope to continue as you have started.


The Editorial Team,
ZBM Reports.

Launch of ZBM Reports

Welcome! This is the official launch of the 'ZBM Reports', the premier source for regular updates of all things concerning African current affairs. Whether it is in Central, Eastern, Southern, Northern, or Western Africa, 'ZBM Reports' will be covering it.

In addition, the key parts of the package are our opinion articles and expert-additions which take you behind the headlines and into a world of deeper understanding; allowing you to form your opinions on more than just 'headline-skimming'.

The editorial team would like to take this opportunity to invite you all to make this blog part of your online diet, and hope we meet and even surpass your expectations.

May ZBM Reports mark a brave new era in online reporting on African affairs.