A Letter to the MotherLand

Mama Land,

I fell in love with the city lights-

its true...

but I will never forget-

that they are just an imitation...

of the stars that hang

from our natural AfriKan skies...

Mama Land it is true…

That I eat different foods-

But I will never choose Chips over Chapati-

when given the choice-

Oh Mama Land Listen-

everything You heard is true-

I wear different clothes too-

Short dresses and tight jeans…

But I FEEL at my best

When dressed 

in a Mushanana-

Oh Mama Land…

No, They did not lie-

It’s all true-

I can dab, two step and twerk-

coz I’m able-

But I dance at best 

when its Amaraba

Oh Mama!

Eye me not with sadness-

or Jealousy-

I travel different lands-

But you still mean the WORLD to me-

I speak in different tongues-

but yours is the one-

that makes the most sense to me-

Mama please…

Yes, parts of my heart have been

buried on other soils that

are not yours-

but YOU are my heart-

Oh MamaLand…

Can’t you see?

My tears come from your Waterfalls,

My laugh comes from your Sun,

My hair comes from your Forests,

My skin comes from your Soil,

Mama, Can't you see?

That we can make fun of distance….

We can make a joke out of the time that passes

between us-

Because no matter where I am…

we will always be a part of each other…

Because you are Bae-MamaLand-

Bae ;)

By: Angel Uwamahoro.

To: The MotherLand

Umuco Wacu By Focus Ruremire ft Uwamahoro (Uwamahoro's Lyrics)

Hallow hearted females-

Tell the tales-
Of shallow minded men,

How they came-
In the name of friends,

But end up-
Using them,

Abusing them,
It's hard to start,
accusing them-
When these men, give jobs to them-

Can i vent?
Can i lament?
This is torment-
Young girls come to you-
For work, growth and respect-
In return,
For well earned,
No strings attached-
Paychecks,
But all you think about is sex?

Undermining their intellect-
Sending them inappropriate texts-
Making them, settle for less-
Putting up, with all your stress-
Afraid she, might loose her desk-
She's in the corner
Scared, and she cant protest-
She came to work on her profession, how'd it turn into a sexual mess ×2

Your Taking advantage,
Of the situation-
Putting her-
In an awkward position,
Just coz shes young
And at your disposition-

Shallow minded men,
Turning young girls into-
Hallow hearted females-
Growing up to tell unfortunate tales,
Just coz we work for you-
Doesn't make us for sale ×3

By: Angel Uwamahoro

Also Listen: http://smart.inyarwanda.com/musics/play/umuco-wacu-11528.html

Real

All over the world,

Real men, and women,

Full grown-

Wake up real early in the morning,

Take real showers-
have a real breakfasts-

Take their real kids, to real schools, to get them a real education...

They wear real suits, watches, and shoes and go to work in real cars-

They get real Salaries-

And making a real living-
Making real decisions as leaders of the people-


Making real decisions- that affect real people- all over the world.



You- a real citizen of a real world,

Sit and see a real T.V –
but all you do is watch the images

You sit and listen to a real radio-
but all you do is hear real stories.

You sit and comprehend a real paper-
but all you do is read between the lines and miss the real points.


On the other side of your TV- Radio- and paper-

Is Real life being destructed.

Because, there is a real gun made available.

And in that gun- is a Real bullet-

A Real trigger- on that trigger- is

A real finger, hand, wrist, arm, shoulder-

A real Person, with a real brain-

And a real heart-

A real heart,
full of real hatred.

Real hatred spoon fed to them with care –

By the people, who make these decisions, as the leaders of the people.

And by us,

who watch their images on T.V,
but don’t see their pain

Who hear the radio,
but don’t listen to their stories-

Who understand the papers,
and miss the real points between the lines.


We have made real killers!

It’s all Real.

On the other side of the gun-

A real child-

With real hopes-And real fears-
Real sweat and real tears-

It’s Real

Hearing;

Real screams and crying

Real women begging- and pleading for them to just stop-

Real Rapes-

Real female mutilations-

Smelling;

Real fire on real villages-
Real homes!



Seeing;

Real torture-

Real terror-

Victims of Real Ignorance-

It’s all real-

Tasting;

Real Famines and droughts-

Real Hunger- Real Thirst-

Real wars- Real Genocides-

Real losses-

Real widows and widowers-

Real orphans-

Real parents gone childless-


And Babies-

Real Babies-

Abandoned,

Killed-

Violated-

Burned-

Tortured-

Cut-

Beat-

Massacred-

Shot-

Smashed-

Stabbed-

By real people...

While we call ourselves good men-
and sit and do absolutely nothing-

How real is that???





By: Angel Uwamahoro

Fights with My Baby Pictures

Looking at my baby pictures,

While flipping through my baby album…

Stunned man,

Those eyes, those eyes, I can’t believe those are my eyes…

 They were looking straight at the camera then…

Now they are looking straight at me…

Got mini me asking me questions, about me… and who the hell I’ve become…

Like I broke a couple of deals or something….

Like I broke an agreement…

She’s asking me questions-

My baby picture is asking me questions

And I can’t look at her and answer

I can’t bring myself to look at her… and answer

What happened to my virginity?

I lost it over a bet when I was 14- should I tell her?

What did you do with God?

I lost him a while ago- should I tell her?

When did you forget how to love?

When I got lost, and caught up and broken up by love-should I tell her?

How can I tell her?

There’s things a little girl’s not supposed to hear-

But still she wants to know how I let her disappear.

Did you find daddy and hug him?

No

Were you smart in school?

I did so-so

Are you a star yet?

Have you traveled? Been around? Bought a house and car yet?

Uhhh-

She wants to know how far off schedule I am behind-

What I’ve been allowing to run through her young mind

Why I’m meaner and less kind

My baby picture is demanding me to tell her…

Why I chose dreads over permed hair-

And when that changed?

Why I prefer flat shoes over heals

And why I’m not tamed

What kind of food I have for my meals?

And aren’t I ashamed?

Of whom I’ve become???

Are you seeing any one?

I see this one guy on a low.

That’s a shame- Angel- I thought you’d be the type to show.

Look I know-

But before I could say anymore…

She looked at me and said to…

Strip me of my name-

We are nothing like the same-

You’re nothing like I’d hope I’d turn out to be-

How could an older me have so much failure and hypocrisy-

How could you forget me? 

And what I stood for- And my dreams to be?

Where’s my innocence?

What happened to me?

What have you done to me?

Then she cried to me…and said she wasn’t proud of me-

I wanted to slip into the paper of picture and wipe her eyes-

But the paper was to thin, I couldn’t get within-

So then I wanted to go back through time

but she interrupted my thoughts- and asked

When did you let me die?

I admitted it was sometime in 2009-

Baby Angel things were hard-they were tough

And when there was no light in my mind, with neither you nor my reflection or shadow in sight-

I made my own decisions most were wrong and some were right-

But you weren’t there so don’t judge

Blame it on the economy-

On reality

On womanhood-

On not having supportive daddies

On immorality-

On alcohol

And temptations

Blame it on Satan

And on the fact that it’s normal to be in a relationship and mating

Blame it on mental illness and on days when I was will less…

And I know I gradually let you die

But I buried you in the pieces of my heart

So we would never be apart

Till death itself do us part-

RIP

Rest in Peace---

Fights with my baby picture.

Written By: Angel Uwamahoro

Performed By: Mike Kayihura aka Big Mike, Angel Mutoni, and Angel Uwamahoro at Spoken Word Rwanda

Watch Performance!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUS_-0rEwEw

Why We Walk ( Dedicated to Walk to Remember)

We walk
Because we
Don’t
Just
 Talk

We walk
 Because actions
Speak louder than words
We walk
To -Move –This- World…

You ask why we walk?

We walk
For change
In sun Shine or rain-
In fall or snow
We walk
To let the world know…
That we are not a youth
That is indifferent
We are a youth of another brand
Understand
That
We will make a difference
 We are different …

So we walk!!!
And we do it non stop-
We are
An unstoppable force of hope

We move forward-
One step at a time-
Right foot left foot-
Over the hills, on campuses or city streets
Down the valleys and in between  trees…
In different countries…
US, UK, Norway- Walk
Canada, India, China -Walk
France, Belgium, Netherlands-Walk
Nigeria, Malaysia, Uganda- Walk
 Tanzania-Walk, Kenya Walk, Burundi Walk,
Rwanda Walk

You will see us-
Walk-
And cars will stop and let us
Walk-
And people will stop and let us
Walk
Or better yet join the
Walk
And we shall all
Walk

But we don’t just walk…

We walk to remember…
And we remember…from December to December
We remember, April, May, June
And off course
July- fourth…
We remember
All the stolen lives and
All a million souls
We remember
And so we walk to remember…
That this will never happen again…
Not on my watch, not yours (pointing to audience)
We walk till sweat breaks through our pores,
We walk for a cause,

PAUSE!!!
(flash back)


In 1994,
They stole our hopes and dreams
Broke our families,
Homes, towns and city
Our country was one, the world showed no pity
We were a wreck
A nation of broken hearts
Where were we even supposed to start?
So we sat still-
Unsure of what to do or feel…
Unsure of how to deal…
All some of us could so was kneel …
Stare out in hopelessness
Stare out in hopelessness-
We were a mess-
A nation distressed- Depressed-
Pause
But in this dark night
There was a sparkly light of hope
Giving away to cope
So we blew on it till
We could blow no more,
And this spark of hope became a flame
A flame of hope that was ours to claim

PLAY
(Phase back to reality)

And now we walk-
Walk to remember
Walk to set an example-
Walk to tell a story- of a different kind of youth-
Walk for the transformation of a nation-
Walk for peace-
We shall walk- With our heads head high-
Walk
Moving forward-
Walk till we rock this world
We will walk—
Because we are the rock of Rwanda
The firm foundation that our cities will be built over-
We will walk
To mock the past
They wanted us to forget
But we remember
This will be a walk
For all to remember
As we Walk to Remember
And this
This is why we walk

By: Angel Uwamahoro.

Silent Man

Silent Man,
Who I have loved-
for a decade of my life-

Given you my youth...
Allowed you to kiss the truth,
from my lips-
And slip your teasing lies-
Between my thighs-

Silent Man,
Who won't say that he loves me,
Only but on occasion-
And opens my legs,
with no need of persuasion-

Silent man,
Who keeps me behind closed doors,
and under the sheets,
Because God Forbid, the world sees-!
My love for you-
and your love for me-
Our love for each other,
If ever,
there was a thing like that-?!?

Silent man,
Who speaks to me no longer-
unless spoken to...
Who seems far away from
this broken tool,
that pumps blood through me!

Silent man,
Invite me to your wedding,
Where I will be shedding-
tears of 'Joy'-

Coz nothing ever happened-
Because I Never loved you-
and you Never-
loved me...
and We?
Never loved each other....

But I just dedicated a decade
of my life to you....

Silent man-

Go! with your silence-
Leave me deaf in this room-
Let me dig 'us' a grave-
and mark it with no name-
So that those who visit
will never know-
whose love lain,
in the soil!

Silent Man,
Be happy with this
dead- secret love kept...
walk away, with the ashes of my
heart in your hand-
then brush it against her face-
and tell her everyday...
that you love her, in every way....


By: Angel Uwamahoro

Strength In the Struggle

Key:

Black: Names

Red: Angel

Blue: Ines

Green: Both

Angel: Kera 

Ines: Kera cyane 

Habayeho wowe

Habaho njewe

Habaho twebge

Batubgira bati

Ines: Wowe GAHUTU 

Angel: Wowe Gatutsi 

Ines: Nawe Gatwa

Nuko, (clap) biratangira

Turatandukana

Ines : Turangana 

Angel : Tutangira gusenyana

Ines : Tusenya imitima 

Angel : Tusenya Ingo

Ines : Tusenya Imiryango 

Angel : Tusenya Ubushuti

Tusenya Igihugu

Angel: Bamwe muri twe turicana 

Ines: Bamwe muri twe turapfa 

Angel: Abandi barahunga 

Twese, tusigarana agahinda

With broken hearts

No homes, no families, or friends

With exiled women and men

In countries that didn’t belong to them

It almost felt like an end

We started to pretend

That we were people who we weren’t

Angel: We held passports of Ugandans, 

Ines: We held passports of Kenyans 

We spoke NOT our mother tongue,

Ines: And spoke Lingala, 

Angel: Kirundi, 

Ines: Swahili 

Angel: and Luganda 

Ines: We knew how to cook their foods, 

Angel: We knew how to dance their dances 

We knew their cultures and traditions

We did it so well,

You couldn’t tell

The difference, if you tried

But the tears of the past that we cried

Just couldn’t be denied.

Ines: And the people outside didn’t help us

Angel: You see, 

There were NO political, or Economic, “interests” in Rwanda

So no wonder,

They left us alone

We had to figure it out, on our own.

Angel: While they played pretend during the day

Ines: They lay awake during the night

Angel: Constantly thinking of a vision

Ines: They finally made a decision

Angel: It was time to make things right

Ironic how some times we have to fight…

For peace.

Angel: Hey but we were tired of TEARS

Ines: Sick of “sorry”

Angel: Weak from worry

Ines: And they made a choice,

Angel: To give back their people a voice

Ines: They strategized and analyzed on how to transform

Angel: Put on their boots and uniform

Ines: Marched towards their borders with persistence

Angel: And ready for the risk resistance.

Listen my people were tired of pretense

Ines: They knew the journey ahead was intense

Angel: but they disregarded their dreams

Ines: Joined forces and made teams

Angel: It was time to silence their people’s screams

They had NO heroes to call on,

Angel: Because batman was too busy

Ines: Superman was scared -

And NO ONE else cared

So we had to become, our OWN heroes.

Angel: And somehow make millions out of zeroes

Ines: Something out of nothings

Angel: Cities out of ash

Ines: Dust into grass.

But listen, we didn’t just pass, our task

We excelled and expelled

Ines: Division,

Angel: Segregation, 

Ines: Discrimination, 

Angel: And corruption

We built a nation

Ines: Far beyond our imaginations

Angel: Far beyond the world’s expectations.

Ines: It. Was. Sleepless. Nights. Of. Planning. And. Meetings

Angel: It was time, 

Ines: blood, 

Angel: sweat, 

Ines: work,

Angel: And tears

It was SACRIFICE

And it came at an expensive price.

SO WE, SALUTE - YOU!

Angel: You found strength in struggle

Ines: Bravery in your bones

Angel: Courage in your thoughts

You have hearts of KINGS

And for those who deny it

Tout le monde sait 

Que les faits 

Sont têtus 

Angel: You make us so proud to be Rwandese

Ines: We even carry our flags over seas

Angel: We might speak with accents

But don’t be mistaken please

We, are RWANDESE

Angel: Rwanda is the red to our lips,

Ines: The brown to our skin,

Angel: The white to our eyes,

Ines: The black to our hair.

RWANDA, is not just a place, it is who we are.

Angel: We are so proud to be Rwandese

That our bodies ache/itch for us to tattoo it, somewhere on our skin

In case you can’t feel it from within

We, are Rwandese

Because of you

We-are-one people

Angel: One nation 

Ines: One language

Angel: One culture

Who now carry, a Rwandan passport

With ONE identity

Yes we are proud, to be Rwandese

That we would fight on the forefronts like Ndabaga, and Fred Rwigema-

Yes, we would go that far

For the Ishema, 

Of Rwanda.

Angel: But we wouldn’t have been here without you

Ines: So for one more time

We, salute – you

Happy liberation day!!!!

Written by : Angel Uwamahoro and Ines Giramata

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3vFhwpmYpI