Land of Byere and Morimos (Equatorial Guinea)

Just as I land, I felt Nsama’s hand

And the hypnotic perfume of this African land

Land of *Byere and *Morimo

Land of my ancestors and all who are alive too

Everlasting love that I always felt inside me

Sincere love that was stock in my heart perpetually

Feeling years in vain passing by

Knowing nothing about who am I

Storming Catalan alleys, unknowing my history

And here I am for the first time indeed

Touching African soil, prostrating myself, kissing her feet

Intuitions burning through the years within me

Emotions and feelings that drag me to live

And there we go, walking and walking

And more and more of our Mother Land in love we were falling

Uncles, aunties, cousins, nephews, nieces, mums and dads

Plenty, plenty. Family we did not lack

Your nana sitting on her throne indolently

Her whole life waiting to meet you, patiently
We started our journey through *Etula Island

In Malabo is were we first admire the beauty of this land

From the mart to Ñubile, from Ñubile to Sant Paca

Few days later we flew to Bata

Bataman!! Bataman!! I remember someone shouting at me when I was a child

Now I understand the meaning of it

Approaching the village the elders started to run shouting “ Kiieeee Atara Nsam!!!”

Their eyes were watery, whiles in there cheeks tears slide down

They never dreamed to meet the son of Esimi Nsang

And for each second we passed in our land

my mind clashes with certainty
I’ve been here in this same place, my mind I haven’t lost!!

I’ve been here eating this same ground beef in tomato sauce

I’ve seen the same *ndong-mba, when my elders died, dancing

Whiles the sound of an *nvet penetrated through the window hypnotising

Involuntary *ngui that till here transported me

Not knowing what I will find, surprised to have found ME

Sleeping peacefully in my village

Whiles the monkey-cat (Nñuk) out of pitch sings

Waking up before sunrise

And bath myself in Muni river, who did not see my birth

But definitely will see and bless my death

There is not doubt, here is where I belong

walking on my village, kissing my ancestors tomb

Playing to guess to who I look like

Nights with incandescent petrol lamp scent

Fascination of understanding and feeling from whom I descent

Knowing you, resurrection of hope to have a better future and life

Everlasting fight institutionalise

Crazy excuses, that splits the people of the land

Bubee people opened their doors with hospitality to me

whiles the Fang people received you with love, warm and honesty

And ethnicities and families mixed in the street, whiles we look with emotion

Knowing that all these segregation has a solution

Understanding that no-one is welcome in others land

But understanding that we all are sisters and brothers, under the same sun

Love is neutral, they all learnt and must understand

That the division of the people its an old colonial plan

I learnt that family is infinite and everlasting

I learnt to love my nephews and nieces everyday

To treat them as my daughters and sons, the African way

Souls of my ancestors, engine that allows me to carry on living

Eternal dreams from which I am awakening

In my heart you all would have always space to stand

Wherever my body goes, my soul and spirit will be always African

Energy and soul of my beloved Ecuato-Guinean land

The sense to understand who we are and which is our place on this cosmos

De eternal love for my village and family in Nlangman Nsomo

God’s Sun ©

*Nsama (GOOD GOD)
*Byere (fang tradition)
*Morimo (Bubee /Bubi tradition)
*Ngui (ancestors’ ceremony)
*Ndong-mba (Funeral Buffon)
*Nvet (Fang Guitar)
*Etula (Old name for Island of Bioko)