Poems

The Well

Notes

Like many of Euphrase Kezilahabi's poems, 'The Well' is concerned with the difficulties faced by writers in the face of a declining interest in literature - although the poem seems to end on an optimistic note. The giant mentioned in the first stanza is a popular figure in Swahili myth called Fumo Liyongo who, as the poem recounts, dies a lonely, heroic death with his dignity intact.

Sarah Maguire, Workshop Facilitator