An African Thunderstorm David Rubadiri From the west

An African Thunderstorm David Rubadiri

From the west Clouds come hurrying with the wind Turning sharply Here and there Like a plague of locusts Whirling, Tossing up things on its tail Like a madman chasing nothing. Pregnant clouds Ride stately on its back, Gathering to perch on hills Like sinister dark wings; The wind whistles by And trees bend to let it pass.

In the village Screams of delighted children, Toss and turn In the din of the whirling wind, Women, Babies clinging on their backs Dart about In and out Madly; The wind whistles by Whilst trees bend to let it pass.

Clothes wave like tattered flags Flying off To expose dangling breasts As jagged blinding flashes Rumble, tremble and crack Amidst the smell of fired smoke And the pelting march of the storm.

David Rubadiri • Born in 1930 • Attended King's College, Budo in Uganda from 1941 to 1950 then Makerere University in Kampala (1952 -56), where he graduated from with a bachelor's degree in English literature and History. • He later studied Literature at King’s College, Cambridge. He went on to receive a Diploma in Education from the University of Bristol. • At Malawi's independence in 1964, Rubadiri was appointed Malawi's first ambassador to the United States and the United Nations • That same year Rubadiri appeared on the National Educational Television (New York City) series African Writers of Today.

David Rubadiri ▪ Rubadiri left the Malawian government in 1965 when he broke with President Hastings Banda. ▪ As an exile, he taught at Makerere University (1968– 75), but he was again exiled during the Idi Amin years. ▪ Rubadiri subsequently taught at the University of Nairobi, Kenya, University of Ibadan in Nigeria, and the University of Botswana (1984– 97), where he was dean of the Language and Social Sciences Education Department. ▪ In 1997, after Banda's death, Rubadiri was reappointed Malawi's ambassador to the United Nations. ▪ He was named vice-chancellor of the University of Malawi in 2000. ▪ He received an honorary doctorate from the University of Strathclyde in 2005.

Summary: ▪ The poem describes a typical African thunderstorm, with all its intensity. ▪ In African society, rain is a blessing; everything loves the approach of rain, not just children. ▪ It is good for the crops and the animals, as it increases the harvest. ▪ However, in reading this poem, the feeling is that the author is not happy; he concentrates on telling us about the damage that the rain and wind do. ▪ It calls attention because the poet uses similes while referring to the wind that brings rain, a good thing. Good has a negative side to it? ▪ Is this poem an analogy between politics/ history/ nature?

Analysis: ▪ The persona describes the approach of the storm. ▪ The poem reminds us of the ominous presence and unbridled power that are associated with an African thunderstorm. ▪ This storm is however, characterised with anarchy, chaos, and disorder. ▪ The image of locusts, madman pregnant, sinister wings suggests the pandemonium that comes with the rain.

Analysis: ▪ It may have started as a mild wind but then it soon increased in velocity- whirling, tossing and altering every aspect of the landscape it passed through; making its presence profoundly felt. ▪ Its strange and insane mannerism cannot be easily understood by all yet conversely, cannot be ignored either. ▪ It seemed to fascinate and delight the innocent and perhaps the naïve who appeared mesmerized by the sheer natural beauty of its rhythmic sounds and movements. ▪ Its fury created unwelcomed cracks in the landscape and even after the storm had marched on; it left a lingering ‘smell of fired smoke’ in the air.

Analysis: ▪ In stanza two, he goes to the reaction of the people notably the children and women. ▪ The former are happy and the latter are apprehensive to the approaching storm. ▪ The last stanza deals with the storm and the anticipated chaos comes to be true as reflected in the choice of words like “Rumble”, tremble and crack”.

Analysis: ▪ The dominant image here is kinetic because even though the poet seems to focus on the destructive power of an African thunderstorm, this effect can only be actualized if there is some motion, some movement. ▪ It must also be emphasized that poem is not all about the destructive power of the elements. ▪ There is something of the African community and how it responds to natural disasters.

Analysis: ▪ It is possible to interpret the poem as the effect of colonial domination on the native land. ▪ The time that the poet has lived- his country got independent in the early 1960’s- can be convincing. ▪ He was familiar with that part of the history of his country. ▪ It also alludes to domination by such words as “trees bend to let the wind pass”, “clouds ride stately on the back of the wind”. ▪ The tattered flags have a nationalistic connotation.

Analysis: ▪ It is important to know as much as possible about the historical context in which the poet lived. ▪ Rubadiri fell out with his president a year after his appointment as ambassador. ▪ Is he talking about the repressive rule of African leaders? ▪ Is he referring to colonial rule and the destruction that resulted in African society? ▪ Is it merely a descriptive poem of a unique weather event?

Questions: ▪ Discuss three major images in the poem. Quote to support your answer. (6) ▪ Taking in account the images discussed above, how do they support themes of this poem? (4) ▪ How does the poet create a sense of movement in the poem? (2) ▪ Does this poem do justice to African rainstorms? Why? (3) ▪ Discuss the political/ historical themes that could underscore this poem. If you feel there are none justify your response with quotes. (4) ▪ The poem alludes to the destruction that can occur as a side effect of the lifegiving rain. How do the various members of the society react? Quote (4)