The Child Who Was Shot Dead by Soldiers at Nyanga
The Child Who Was Shot Dead by Soldiers at Nyanga is a beautiful poem by Ingrid Jonker that tackles topics such as segregation, war, excessive violence towards helpless citizens, or are they? It is also about how anyone can stand up for their country and how everyone deserves freedom.
In the poem, there are people, and even kids being murdered. You may be thinking to yourself, "What type of dystopian terrorism attack is this?" Well from 1948 to the early 90's apartheid was South Africa's segregation, under a somehow all-white government (despite the majority of the population being non-white) enacted a policy that said the non-white citizens could not live near the white people. Unfortunately, after people started to rebel it got violent. 1959 to 1960s was the worst of it people were murdered, buildings destroyed. That's what this poem is about, when you know the history and the context, it becomes much darker the tone shifts from battle to outright oppression and discrimination. Just like the U.S. segregation of non-light-skinned African folk was violent and unwarranted. Worst of all it was in their own country, one woman saw and documented it all.
Ingrid Jonker was born in South Africa in 1933, and ever since she was a little girl she loved to write poetry. As a kid, she didn't know the extent of the apartheid, but when she got older she learned, and she was disgusted by what her country was doing to the native peoples. She allied with Cape Town's group of racially diverse writers, poets, and activists, and she protested the only way she knew how through poetry. She quite frankly lived through the battle. This is seen through the way she paints the scene, "...in the march of the generations who scream Africa scream the smell of justice and blood in the streets of his armed pride" Who scream the scream of justice and blood. The word choice in this specific stanza really signifies that the helpless died and they will not let their sacrifice be in vain. In the march of generations, a great metaphor for everyone is fighting the young, the old, and the in-between.
In conclusion, with the word choice, metaphors, and history all encompassed in this short poem, it shows pain, struggle, and the eventual victory and freedom when you make it out. So yes it is valid, but the real question is what did you take away from it?