The Silenced Villain

I don't know how it feels to be hungry and have someone hung me Or look for food and instead have a bomb in But I know exactly how it feels to be angry have nothing in I was five when we had our first hustle Just I and my mom in our little castle When the Uyoga we used to eat was gone When the money she had was none When only one meal was fine But still couldn't have one I saw how hard it was to go to school when you have marasmus When you were shoeless and got tetanus I know how hard it is to fight for your dreams when food is your only fantasy Or even dream to be great When teeth are the only things you can grate At those times I would go to the streets with my gang And yes we were young From our homes we would run They called us Watoto wa Mtaani Because Tulizagaa Barabarani Smoking the few paper cigarrettes Njiani and no Hatukugusa Kamjani We always moved like a fleet With our shoeless tiny feet In our clothes that didn't fit We jogged through the dumpy streets Once we heard there was a feast Even though the food couldn't fill a fist I remember scouting to the wedding at the rivers Ng'ambo I remember shouting tunaomba ubwabwa I still remember the black nylons that we called Rambos In them they'd throw rice to us starting the scrambles And whoever won the royal ramble Went home with a full Tumbo Definitely not me But thats okay, because now hunger knows me Because when he tried to catch me I slipped Every time he tried to hatch me I made my shell harder Every time he wanted to paint me weak I acted bolder He shouted hold her, bold her, scold her I was bleeding but I told him, You will never break me And when he came up with definitions I refused to be defined When he wanted to confine me to poverty I refused to be confined When he put me into the mills of sickness I refused to be refined I was bleeding but I told him You will never break me So ladies, ikikutaka usell your body Ndo uwe some body Tell hunger You will never break me Vijana, ikikutaka uuze drugs Ndo uwe drugged into success Tell hunger You will never break me Leaders, ikikutaka ule rushwa kidogo Ndo uwe kigogo Tell hunger You will never break me And as for you hunger Shut up I am talking to my brothers Who will feed their sisters Without being twisters Shut up I am talking to my leaders Who will lead us And not cut us with taxes and bleed us Shut up I am talking to the youth who will invest in agriculture, And help the fragile not to fracture. Shut up I am talking to the future Dangotes who will help the needy Without the need to steal the ballotes Shut up I am talking to a strong generation That will cut off the chains of starvation Shut up I am talking to my people who despise you, and you will never never break them Shut up I am talking to my people who despise you, and you will never never break them So, shut up Shut up