A Poems by Nnimmo Bassey

How can this remain the lot of our peoples? 
From the south and from the north
From the east and from the west 
When our stomachs rumble 
We sing the same song

And dance to the same beat 

Mountains of food
Oceans of hunger

Proud people from fertile soils
We stamped the earth with bouncing steps 
Once the rulers of the world

Today we are the wretched of the earth 
Hands stretched out with empty bowls 
When our stomachs rumble 
We sing the same song

And dance to the same beat 

Mountains of food
Oceans of hunger
Diets altered beyond recognition
How can we know what we are eating? 

A simple question: 
What did you have for lunch?
Becomes a subject for scientific debate! 
When our stomachs rumble 
We sing the same song

And dance to the same beat 

Mountains of food
Oceans of hunger
Once enslaved with chains
Today ensnared by our belly

Shall we eat ... or shall we not
If we are hungry
Must we fill our stomachs with poison?

We have a right which can’t be denied
We must decide what we eat, and when and how 
When our stomachs rumble 
We sing the same song

And dance to the same beat 

Mountains of food
Oceans of hunger

We stand on mountains of food
Yet food aid is forced on us
GE corn ... GE soya and what have you

Many more still undergoing tests ...
Where did you see such milk of wickedness? 
When our stomachs rumble 
We sing the same song

And dance to the same beat 

Mountains of food
Oceans of hunger

Climate change sells us drought
When it rains we are sent to treetops
Free trade traders trade us sorrows
WTO rules, World Bank, IMF

Neo-liberal power blockers
Confuse, disunite, fool and bemuse a trusting world 

When our stomachs rumble 
We sing the same song

And dance to the same beat 

Mountains of food
Oceans of hunger

The secret is out!
The farmers are awake! 
Consumers arise!

Vigilance is the word ...

Grab your night vision goggles 
Surveillance is the key 

When our stomachs rumble 
We sing the same song

And dance to the same beat 

Mountains of food 
Oceans of hunger

The suspicion of seeds 
The suspicion of foods

The suspicion of forced aid 
The even secret AIDS

That is vital wisdom 

When our stomachs rumble 
We sing the same song

And dance to the same beat 

Mountains of food ... 
Oceans of hunger

Brave people ... 
Proud liberators

We populate the earth

Farmers, consumers, helpers, environmental warriors 
Inspired by the land ... We raise our fists 
And sound the alarm

Never again shall we be taken for a ride! 
When our stomachs rumble 
We sing the same song

And dance to the same beat 

Caption: Subsistence farming in Jimma, Ethiopia

Credit: Mintsnot

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Nnimmo Bassey is a leading African environmental justice activist and writer.