The Mermaid Doctor

The Mermaid Doctor

By
Vincent Dzapasi

They were herding their cattle home
They were thirsty and tired
The cool Blackwater pool beckoned
They couldn’t resist the temptation

The herdboys plunged into the pool
And one of them dived for good
The famed mermaid dived out
And Taku bade his friends goodbye

They ran home to narrate the ordeal
All famed witchdoctors were assembled
And the village elders trooped to the pool
With drums, divine bones and heavy hearts

They sang, danced and ululated
Hoping for the best
Provided no one cried
And the rituals were done correctly

The mermaid would release Taku unharmed
And Taku would be a great healer
The Chief priest went into a trance
And his voice changed

‘Oh revered Makoni, the Great healer!
Your children cries before you
Hear our pleas oh Great priest
Make our son a great medicine man!’

Supplications and divinations continued
Hoping Taku will emerge from the dark pool
It can be two days, two weeks or two months
As long as he came out

With reed growing out at his back
Dressed in traditional regalia
Armed with his bones of divination
Ready to serve his faithful villagers
 

The Patient Peasant

The Patient Peasant

By
Vincent Dzapasi

Toiling in the soiling soil
From dawn to dusk
For simple ends
From simple means

Trusting the seeds to sprout
After fighting it out
From pestering pests,
Stubborn weeds and animals.

Anticipating Thanksgiving day
Courtesy of the heavens’ waters
The fertility of the soil
And the grace of  God.

Admired for their faith
Their patience and perseverance
Simplicity and sincerity
Contentment and selflessness

Unbeknown to sly urbanites
Peasants desire a place in the Sun
To brighten their dreary lives
And to be blessed by the Lord

The African Warrior

The African Warrior

By
Dzapasi Vincent

With a spear in one hand
And a shield in the other
Amidst song, dance and ululation
The mighty warrior is on a warpath

To kill beasts of the jungle
And defeat foes near and far
And conquer lands beyond the horizon
So as to bring pride to the kingdom.

With a pen in one hand
And a book in the other
Amidst the internet traffic
The African youth is on warpath

To acquire ancient and modern knowledge
To defeat illiteracy and poverty
And conquer diseases and petty squabbles
So as to bring pride to the continent.

Migration Merry-Go-Round

Vincent Dzapasi
Stand No. 757 Dwarsloop
Bushbuckridge, 1280
+27797981277
dzapasiv@yahoo.com











Migration Merry-Go-Round
by Vincent Dzapasi


Mustaff and his friends were accosted by the Corps of the Port Captaincies when their overcrowded boat was about 15km into the Italian waters. They were immediately arrested and detained at a refugee camp in San Ferdinando. Their fingerprints and documents were hastily processed. By the second day Mustaff found himself in a military plane heading for Libya. 
The hostile reception at Triq al-Matar was akin to a horror movie. Torture, random beatings, rape and murder were a daily occurrence. These crimes were perpetrated by the Misrata militia, even under the watch of UNHCR officials. He was lucky to be sold to humane traffickers for US$2000.
After being resold several times and shuttled around many illegal detention centres, Mustaff eventually found work at a farm outside Tripoli. He worked for six months and saved enough money to enable him to buy a one-way ticket to Johannesburg.
Mustaff quickly connected with other community members from Ethiopia and Somalia in Johannesburg. He was offered work as a shop assitant in a heavily barricaded spaza shop selling groceries. Three weeks later service delivery protests erupted and his spaza shop was ransacked by a marauding mob of xenophobic youths.
Mustaff fled to the nearest police station for sanctuary. The policewoman who was taking statements from him called Home Affairs officials because he didn’t have a work permit. He was taken to Lindela Detention Centre so that he will be deported back to Libya, or Ethiopia if was lucky.