REJOICE- Gladys Casely Hayford


This is a poem of the pioneer generation of African poetry. As a pioneer poem, it is short, simple and straightforward. The poem can almost be classified as a prose, because of its words which are prosaic. The words employed are day-to-day words which lack complexity.
This poem celebrates blackness, exalting Africa to redeem its lost image and identity. The poet calls on every black who has been weighed down by the whites' domination and degradation. The poem opens thus:
           "Rejoice and shout with laughter
             throw  all you burdens down..."

This is to say, all blacks should rejoice and laugh off their sorrows in order to be relieved of their troubles. Laughter here becomes a character, which influences their actions and also hides their true feelngs. This laughter may also be partly because they have hope for the future.
The poet proceeds to say if God has been gracious enough to make them black, they are indeed a great nation and of great birth. He also refers to them as having a glorious heritage.
All these attributes used to qualify the blacks are worthy of glory and admiration. Against the true connotation of black, the Africans are here portrayed not as ill-omened nor of bad-luck, but as being glorious. The poet elevates the position of the blacks to debunk the various misconceptions about Africans.
The main concern of the poet is to glorify the blacks and call them to self-assertion. They should redeem their lost image in the face of colonization.