Akwasi Broni Nyame: The Whiteman's God

 

 

 

Ye nim ne frititi

Oboadee Nyame a oboo mframa

Akwasi mma ye no na ye ne No bo nkomo

Akwasi mma ye no na ye ne No edidi bom

Akwasi mma ye no na yebo mpae kyere No

Tweredua Ampon Nyame

Ona obo soro ne asase

 

Akwasi baa ye ose obekyere yen Nyame

Akwasi baa ye ose yensom Nyame

Akwasi baa ye ose ye som abosom

Obi nkankyere Akwasi se abosom ye Onyame mma

Obi nkankyere Akwasi se yenam abosom so na yako Onyame nkyen

Obi nkankyere Akwasi se Awurade ennim yen ko ne kwa

Obi nkankyere Akwasi se yennim nea ye som

 

Akwasi e womma ye no na wogyidi se whanya na owhe yen so

Akwasi e womma ye no na wogyidi se whanya na omma yen eduane di

Wonim se Onyame na obo bibiara

Wo Nyame no one me Nyame

Wo Nyame ne ti brofo

Me Nyame ne ka twi

Twi ne Brofo kasa kyere Nyame baako

 

Nyame bo me tuntum ena obo wo fitaa

Nyame nim tuntum ena onim fitaa

Tuntum ne fitaa yi omoho adi baako kyere Nyame

Eda tuntum be wu no fitaa beko ne Nyame nkyen

Eda fitaa bewu no tuntum beko ne Nyame nkyen

Nyame ye baako

Nyame nye tuntum anaa se fitaa

Nyame te se mmframa

 

Akwasi womma ye no na ye wo dinni ma Onyame

Aboa a oni din entti ase

Efrititi no na ye fre no Obaodee Nyame

Tweredua Ampong

Totrobonsu

 

We know Him of old

God the Creator who created the wind

Before the Whiteman came we conversed with Him

Before the Whiteman came we dined together with Him

Before the Whiteman came we prayed to Him

God is the tree which never falls

He created heaven and the earth

 

The Whiteman says he came to reveal God to us

The Whiteman says we worshipped not God

The Whiteman says we worshipped idols

Someone should tell the Whiteman idols are the children of God 

Someone should tell the Whiteman the way to God is through idols

Someone should tell the Whiteman God is not approached perfunctorily, but with reverence and tact

Someone should tell the Whiteman we know Whom we worship

 

Before you came Whiteman whom do you think shepherded us 

Before you came Whiteman whom do you think fed us

Do you know not know that God created everything

Your God is the same as my God

Your God speaks English

My God speaks Twi

Twi and English speak one to God

 

God created me Black and you He created White

God knows Black and He knows White

Black and White reveal themselves to one God

The day Black ceases to be White goes to his God

The day White ceases to be Black goes to his God

God is One

God is neither Black nor White

God is like the wind

 

Before you came Whiteman we had a name for God

The animal without a name does not exist

From ancient days we called Him God the Creator

The Tree which never Falls

Rain-maker

 

This poem was written originally in Twi; from the Akan language of Ghana in West Africa, and translated into English 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reviews

[alternative_be]

Thank you for writing this poem, specially for the contest! Thank you for letting me get acquainted with your native language. Though I do not know it, I try to imagine what it sounds like. Thank you for the message in your translation, because it is a message that many white men do not get!