(Thursday, July 22, 2004 -- CropChoice guest commentary) -- The following poem is by Nnimmo Bassey, of Friends of the Earth, Nigeria, following a food security conference in Maputo, Mozambique.
Mountains of food, Oceans of hunger
Mountains of food
Oceans of hunger
How can this remain the lot of our peoples?
From the south and from the north
From the east and from the west
When our stomachs rumble
We sing the same song
And dance to the same beat
Mountains of food
Oceans of hunger
Proud people from fertile soils
We stamped the earth with bouncing steps
Once the rulers of the world
Today we are the wretched of the earth
Hands stretched out with empty bowls
When our stomachs rumble
We sing the same song
And dance to the same beat
Mountains of food
Oceans of hunger
Diets altered beyond recognition
How can we know what we are eating?
A simple question:
What did you have for lunch?
Becomes a subject for scientific debate!
When our stomachs rumble
We sing the same song
And dance to the same beat
Mountains of food
Oceans of hunger
Once enslaved with chains
Today ensnared by our belly
Shall we eat…or shall we not
If we are hungry
Must we fill our stomachs with poison?
We have a right which can't be denied
We must decide what we eat, and when and how
When our stomachs rumble
We sing the same song
And dance to the same beat
Mountains of food
Oceans of hunger
We stand on mountains of food
Yet food aid is forced on us
GE corn…GE soya and what have you
Many more still undergoing tests…
Where did you see such milk of wickedness?
When our stomachs rumble
We sing the same song
And dance to the same beat
Mountains of food
Oceans of hunger
climate change sells us drought
When it rains we are sent to tree tops
Free trade traders trade us sorrows
WTO rules, World Bank, IMF
The FAO of the United Nations
Abuse, disunite, fool and bemuse a trusting world
When our stomachs rumble
We sing the same song
And dance to the same beat
Mountains of food
Oceans of hunger
The secret is out!
The farmers are awake!
Consumers arise!
Vigilance is the word…
Grab your night vision goggles
Surveillance is the key
When our stomachs rumble
We sing the same song
And dance to the same beat
Mountains of food
Oceans of hunger
The suspicion of seeds
The suspicion of foods
The suspicion of forced aid
The even secret AIDS
That is vital wisdom
When our stomachs rumble
We sing the same song
And dance to the same beat
Mountains of food … Oceans of hunger
Brave Mozambicans … Proud liberators
We are here in Maputo
Farmers, consumers, helpers, environmental warriors
Inspired by the land… We raise our fists
And sound the alarm
Never again shall we be taken for a ride!
When our stomachs rumble
We sing the same song
And dance to the same beat
by Nnimmo Bassey, Maputo, 17 July 2004
