The weaver bird built in our house by Kofi Awoonor — Analysis & Translation

Original Poem

The weaver bird built in our house And laid its eggs on our only tree. We did not want to send it away. We watched the building of the nest And supervised the egg-laying. And the weaver returned in the guise of the owner. Preaching salvation to us that owned the house. They say it came from the west Where the storms at sea had felled the gulls And the fishers dried their nets by lantern light. Its sermon is the divination of ourselves And our new horizon limits at its nest. But we cannot join the prayers and answers of the communicants. We look for new homes every day, For new altars we strive to rebuild The old shrines defiled by the weaver's excrement.

Translation (English)

The weaver bird made a nest in our home And laid its eggs on our only tree. We didn't want to drive it away. We watched as it built its nest And oversaw the laying of eggs. Then the weaver came back acting like it owned the place. It preached salvation to us, the true owners. They say it came from the west Where sea storms had brought down the gulls And fishermen dried their nets by lantern light. Its message is about understanding ourselves And our new future is limited to its nest. But we can't join in the prayers and responses of the believers. We search for new homes every day, Trying to rebuild new altars To replace the old shrines ruined by the weaver's droppings.

About the Poet

Kofi Awoonor (20th century)

Kofi Awoonor was a Ghanaian poet and author, known for his works that often reflect on his country's history and postcolonial themes. He was born in 1935 and tragically died in a terrorist attack in 2013. Awoonor's poetry often explores themes of identity, displacement, and cultural heritage.

Historical Context

Literary Form: Free verse
When Written: Postcolonial era
Background: The poem reflects on the impact of colonialism and cultural displacement. It uses the metaphor of a weaver bird to explore themes of invasion, loss of home, and the struggle to reclaim cultural identity.

Sources: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/57146/the-weaver-bird, https://folukeafrica.com/the-weaver-bird-by-kofi-awoonor-as-postcolonial-commentary-on-loss-of-home/, https://allpoetry.com/poem/12204013-The-Weaver-Bird-by-Kofi-Awoonor

Detailed Explanation

The poem 'The Weaver Bird' by Kofi Awoonor uses the metaphor of a weaver bird building a nest in the speaker's home to explore themes of colonialism and cultural invasion. The bird, which represents the colonizers, takes over the home and acts as if it owns the place, symbolizing the way colonizers imposed their beliefs and systems on the indigenous people. The reference to the weaver bird coming from the west alludes to Western colonial powers. The poem reflects on the disruption caused by colonialism, as the indigenous people are left to rebuild their cultural identity and homes, which have been defiled by the colonizers' presence. The poem's tone is one of loss and resilience, as the speaker acknowledges the damage done but also the ongoing effort to reclaim and rebuild what was lost.

Themes

Literary Devices

Word Dictionary

Word	Meaning	Translation	Transliteration
weaver	a bird that makes woven nests	a type of bird known for building intricate nests	wee-ver
guise	appearance	an outward appearance or semblance	guyz
preaching	teaching	delivering a sermon or religious message	pree-ching
salvation	rescue	deliverance from harm or sin	sal-vay-shun
divination	prediction	the practice of seeking knowledge of the future	div-i-nay-shun
horizon	boundary	the farthest point you can see where the sky meets the ground	ho-rye-zon
communicants	participants	people who partake in a religious ceremony	kuh-myoo-ni-kants
altars	sacred tables	tables or platforms used in religious rituals	awl-turz
shrines	holy places	places regarded as holy due to their association with a divinity or sacred person	shryns
defiled	polluted	made unclean or impure	dee-fyld
excrement	waste	waste matter discharged from the body	eks-kruh-ment