In Dependence

Are we not celebrating our freedom behind bars?
Bars packaged like chocolate from Tetteh Quarshie’s cocoa?
And asserting our independence on the sweetness of imported time
In measured and allotted spaces
And guarded bases
Set up by big brothers?

Is this an act of faith?
In the substance and assurance of promises unseen?
Or a fact of blind faith?
Is it hope in a distant fire while we are here in the cold?
Or an act to make us cope.
Is it an undying love?
Or a nostalgic love
For a country that was nearly born
Or one that is long gone?

Do not tell me I am free
When my country is moving forward
In all directions backward
And don’t ask me to celebrate
When my voice is paid for,
And my choice is sponsored
By a democracy that is imported
To decorate the glories of other nations.

Look at my life,
Do not tell me I am free
When my cedi is lowly on the ground
And the truth I live is supplied and rationed by my government,
From Continuity to Positive Change
To A Better Ghana
Branded and rebranded as
Ghana beyond Aid
When we know this truth is a lie.
Do not tell me I’m free when we still download our Africa
From American Apps
And Chinese Huaweis
And Korean Samsungs.
And import Brazilian hair
To color our minds blonde
And bleach our melanin pale.

Do not tell me I am free
When the true liars
Lie and swear in the name of God to uphold the colonial sovereignty
Of a military democracy to exploit the rich poverty of my people
And placate them with dead lives
And election promises
In deferment and in dependence on hope.

Do not tell me I am free
Leave me alone!
Leave me alone!
And do not put your truth on me
I am young,
And so is my tongue.
I am still negotiating for my soul
And looking for the light in the Black Star of my motherland.

Amarkine Amarteifio. 2018. Copyright
Email: [email protected]

Author: Amarkine Amarteifio

Add Comment

Remember to keep comments respectful and to follow our

What are the rules for commenting?

We've established these House Rules for your safety and to keep the ModernGhana website a healthy environment for discussion.

We love you posting comments. But please don’t do anything horrible, rude or illegal.

More specifically, please don’t post anything that:

Is inappropriate (abusive, offensive or disruptive)
Is off-topic (to the original content or the current conversation)
Contains personal information (either your own or someone else’s)
Puts children at risk
Is illegal, or glamourises illegal activity
Is defamatory (damaging to someone else’s reputation)
Is in contempt of court (anything that could affect the outcome of a court case)
Infringes anyone’s rights (including privacy rights)
Was made by someone else, or that copies someone else’s creation
Is posted for your financial gain (advertising, sponsorship etc.)
Isn’t in English (unless we’ve asked you to comment in another language)
Contains spam (unless you’re commenting on a story about reconstituted meat)
Contains links to content that can’t be seen easily, or may be unsafe (viruses, spyware, paywalls etc.)
Or doesn’t comply with the rest of our Terms of Use.

Breach of the terms of use will result in the removal of your comments. Repeated breaches will result in the restriction of your IP-Address.