Joy Sigaud is a British author of Jamaican and a very mixed heritage, pick a few: African, Scottish, German, Indian, English, Irish. She writes short stories on everyday themes, things embedded in our subconscious yet pertinent and real. She also advocates the teaching of Black History in Schools and calls for accuracy and careful planning of the curriculum. She has been invited to feature as a guest on a number of radio stations and television for her views.
A Poem about a Jamaican’s journey written by J. Sigaud:
Jamaican, African, Or Just British?
Long Ago And Far Away
There is a world that exists
No one knows about it
They have civilisations, structures, tribes, hierarchies and wars
Just like everywhere else
The continent is vast
newly discovered
Landscapes varied and awesome, and yet
Its beauty is recognised but by only a few of the adventurous
The richness of the soil and the treasures that lie beneath are unnoticed
Who would dare to go inland
It is the people who become the commodities
Try to find them now but you won’t
They are lost to that world…forever!
The Trade Winds Blow
An island of great and obvious beauty has risen up
The surface of the soil is evidently good
For cash crops, sugar, spices
The people have risen up, great in number
The chains are removed
Yet, little did they know they are no longer lost
This is now home
The odd African arrives from somewhere far away
Don’t associate with him if you can help it he’s not one of us they say
These people now have a land of their own
But do they really own it?
Manage it at will
A land of springs, woods and waters
Rocks of dizzying heights with a sheer drop to the ocean
Hidden waterfalls leading out to abundant seas
The port towns bustle
Ships come and go from far away places
Joyful sounding songs from the ships are left on the tongue
Blow Billy Boy Blow
Yes the trade winds have blown
And look what has blown in
Tales of chains and shackles reach inland
Told with romantic nostalgia
Taught by rote
Could this be the lost of that land far away
That land is long forgotten
Frequent tales of history orated through legends of how
Two brothers arrived on a ship
Made a small fortune which by now has dwindled
That is how we got our name, or is it?
The Trade Winds are no more
The lost people make another move
En mass to a land that is green and pleasant
Filled with sights and sounds, structures
And peoples of all diversities
This is where we are
Here and now
In the green and pleasant land
Masters of literature
Broken from a continent of literary masters of the western hemisphere
What is this place that people of so many diverse origins now call home
A city of people who have prevailed through the millennia against all odds
A remnant
Who of us really knows the history
And yet
It is here that we first begin to learn the truth about our origins
Africa
© Joy Sigaud all rights reserved
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