Felix: Sheng is a slang language that originated in the '50's in Nairobi' s Eastland suburbs/ghettos as a way for the young people to communicate amongst themselves without the older generation getting in on their discussions. The language which borrows words from English kiswahili and other ethinic languages in the country grew in prominence in the 90's through the local hip hop scene of the likes of Kalamashaka- a hip hop group - and is now mostly used by many youths in their daily communication instead of English and Kiswahili.
In My Country Girls Disappear
The Sheng version
Chibok
Kabila ya madenge yenye
Ililoba wakati gova
Ilikua inachea monopoly na magaidi wenye
Waliwasanya
Wengine wao walirudi bure wengine
Wakagenya na uzito
Wangine bado wako kwa iyo ngori na
Wengine hawakuwai rudi
Uwa
Mi uomba mercy kila time naandika poetry juu
Hapa
Sir-godi anaweza geuzwa vumbi
Niaje mdenge anaweza omba ku
Bakwa, kukat(i)wa, kupeanwa mbele ya
Msalaba?
Tina
Stage yoyote karibu na mtaa
Ni shooting range
Hakuna mwenye alivuka baro in time
Kumchapia eti kusimama ni catfish
Wakati sanse ni synonym ya point alafu
Angusha
Jennifer
Wakidaisha mdenge ameiva
Kenye wanamaanisha ni - je
Ako old enough kudishiwa?
Hapa, ni carnival kwa mtoi kunajisiwa
Na mafadhelaa kadhaa
Girls
Kwa zile kesi zaidi ya thao zinatendeka daily
Wakiuliza victims timestamp, zabe gani
Na vile alikua amedunga
Ni kaa izi vitendo vya kinyama
Ni design flani ya sherehe
~ Translated to sheng by Felix Omondi
 |
| Art: © Opeyemi Matthew Olukotun (@opeyemiolukotun). |
The English Version
- Originally published in Jfa human rights Journal
Chibok
A tribe of girls went
Missing while the government
Played monopoly with the terrorists that stole them
Some of them returned empty some of them died burdened
Some are still in harm’s way & others never returned
Uwa
I ask for mercy when I write poetry because here
God can turn to dust
How does a girl ask to be
Raped & mutilated, offered in front of a cross?
Tina
Any bus stop near home
Is shooting range
No one took the road in time
To tell her that standing is catfish
When the police is synonym for point and kill
Jennifer
When they say a girl is ripe
What they mean is - is she old enough for us to devour?
Here, it is carnival for a child to be abused by multiple men
Girls
& for thousands of daily unfolding cases
They ask victims for timestamps, locations & outfit styles
As though this inhumane invasion is some sort of feast
My thoughts:
Each language in my opinion gives a different kind of depth, it possesses its meaning & it has a distinct texture on the tongue. So it means so much to me that this poem I wrote about a very sad but significant event in my country Nigeria has taken meaning in another tongue, in another language - Sheng!
This means a lot to me and I hope more of my pieces get translated across the board!
Thank you, Felix!
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