The Child Song


When a woman of a certain African tribe knows she is pregnant, goes to the jungle with other women, and together they pray and meditate until they get to "The song of the child."

When the child is born, the community gets together and they sing their song. Thus, when the child begins his education, people get together and he sings his song.
When you become an adult, they get together again and sing.
When it comes to the wedding, the person hears his song.

Finally, when your soul is to go from this world, family and friends are approaching and, like his birth, sing their song to accompany it in the "journey".

In this African tribe, is another occasion when the men sing the song.
If at some point the person commits a crime or aberrant social act, take you to the center of town and the people of the community form a circle around her.
Then they sing "your song."

The tribe recognizes that the correction for antisocial behavior is not punishment, is the love and memory of his true identity. When we recognize our own song, since we have no desire or need to hurt anyone.

Your friends know "your song". And sing when you forget it. Those who love you can not be fooled by mistakes you have committed, or dark images you show to others. They remember your beauty as you feel ugly, your total when you're broke, your innocence when you feel guilty and your purpose when you're confused.

Tolba Phanem
African poet