Echoes of Resilience: The Transformative Power of Poetry During African Slavery

Abstract

This research paper intends to look into the role of poetry as a source of healing and hope for Africans, Who despite of being enslaved, stripped off their identity, freedom and cultural roots takes the courage to turn their verses as means of emotional solace, strength and a way of expressing resistance against oppression. Poetry has always been a part of culture for Africans. We get to see their rich tradition of music and dance being the crux of their identity. It is also an artistic outlet that deeply embed the histories of civilization and their cultures. Through evocative imagery, rhythmic steps and power of storytelling it carried profound symbolism offering comfort, belongingness and remembrance. This paper highlights how their natural ability of oral culture and saying verses helped them in reinstalling confidence about their intrinsic worth and perseverance in the face of brutality, especially in the aftermath of slavery. This write up shows how poetry appears as a transformative force with the examples of writers like Phillis Wheatly, Mahogany L Browne, Rudy Francisco, Langston Hughes, Maya Anjelou, Paul Lawrence Dunbar, Claude Mckay, Gwendelyn Brooks,Nikki Giovanni and others.