If there is a poem that every Black child must learn by heart,then its ‘My People’ by the American poet Langston Hughes.Written in 1923 at the height of Harlem Renaissance,no poem captures the beauty of Blackness better.
The Harlem Renaissance (1910s–1930s) was a cultural, intellectual, and artistic movement that celebrated Black identity, creativity, and resilience. Centered in Harlem, New York, it saw the rise of legendary writers like Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston, musicians like Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong, and activists who challenged racial injustice. This explosion of Black literature, music, and art reshaped American culture and laid the groundwork for the civil rights movement.
So, as way of celebrating this years Black History Month,I  thought, why not bring the magic of this famous poem into Gĩkũyũ? Here’s my translation of this Harlem Renaissance classic.
ANDŨ AITŨ
Ũtukũ ni mũthaka,
Ota mothiũ ma andũ aitũ.
Njata ni thaka,
Ota maitho ma andũ aitũ.
Riũa onario ni ithaka,
Ota ũria maroho ma andũ aitũ marĩ mathaka.

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