Lampedusa: Visions of The Lost

Dear friends. I am in a heavy mood today. 121 bodies have been recovered off the coast of the island of Lampedusa. 250 more are missing. And 155 have survived. Reports are that there ARE Ghanaians included. But we do not know how many yet. But of the fact that they ALL are African's, we're sure. And Africa is home. 

The Spirits are bedeviling me with visions. Strong heavy visions. It weighs me. “Let me alone”,
I protest. “I have nothing to do with this”. The spirits say, “…and the Lampedusians do?” I am quiet. I sweat.

 I see storm clouds looming. Thick dark heavy storm clouds. I see them approaching… looming over our shores. Over the seas, I see the dark clouds. Dark clouds of souls… from Lampedusa. The dead from Lampedusa in Italy.

They are overhead now.

They pass over me and a thick shadow is cast over me. I, earphones in ear, listening to *Daddy Lumba’s “*Eni Mia”, am horrified! The lines of the song playing now, "*…ohia ama Ghana adehyeman mma atu ahwete nkororfo kuro so”, mean nothing to me. I am in awe of this dreadful sight.

My phone does not even have the sense of courtesy to stop playing this song, as I try to take in this heavy moment. Daddy Lumba continues, ”*…y’atu kwan akor obi man so. Akwantuo mu nsem ye ya, nso obaako fo akor hunu; odansefour ne hwan”

 Indeed, The Silent Ones Have Returned. And sadly, I am the only one home. If they had brought gifts from ‘Abrokyire’, it would have been different. They brought back not even their own bodies.

They move over me. The huge black floating mass moves off of me and I see it settle over a government building. They stay…and wait. They just…stay. As if they are waiting for a message to move on with, they just stay. There is a conference going on in there.

The spirits whisper to me that the cloud of souls wants to hear one thing from the government building. “We’re sorry”. “We’re sorry we've failed you”. Nothing comes. They give a low growl … and move on. The conference is almost over and it’s time for refreshments.  

I see the Dark cloud of souls move on… in a majestic slow pace; they roll on in the sky. 

Every now and then, as it rolls, a part of the dark cloud breaks off…and enters a home. And immediately it enters, the wails of women come out.

I hear a wailing hear. Wailing there. Wailing everywhere! Some clouds settle…nowhere! They are moving on in perpetual restlessness. They have no one.

 Some settle ominously on home homes: not being able to go in.

Wait! Wait! I see one. It settles under an almond tree; with a group of men playing draught. Some watching. Some playing. “Man! My brother is outside oo. Very soon, I’ll also leave this hell hole” one says. “How long will we wake up and sit here all day?!”

Your brother didn’t make it. He stands by you, as that dark cloud.

*Daddy Lumba is a Ghanaian musician whose songs depicted the number of Ghanaian immigrants that originally leave the country to seek better fortunes abroad but make those temporary homes permanent due to financial, emotional, or other unforeseen hardships

*”Eni Mia”: The title of the track loosely means, “With Great Difficulty”

*Translates: “Poverty has made royal sons of Ghana to be scattered on other people’s lands”

*Translates: “We’ve traveled to another man’s land. The tales of our journeys are painful. But who will bear us witness? We saw it alone”