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THE SOUL OF KUSAUG

A Poem of Hope and Memory in Honor of Our Ancestors, Our People, and Our Future

We, the sons and daughters of Kusaug,

Drink from rivers that knew our names,

Walk the fields where our ancestors’ footsteps still hum,

And raise songs in lands where the baobabs stand guard.

We were born of kindness, not conquest.

Our fathers opened their arms to strangers,

Fed them with the fruits of our harvest,

And sheltered them under the trees of our gods.

But kindness turned into chains;

Welcome turned into wounds.

The stranger, once a guest, claimed the throne—

And called us slaves in our own homeland.

O land of Kusaug, sacred and scarred,

Where the sun kissed the soil before maps were drawn,

Where strangers found welcome—

And turned tyrants overnight.

Where we, the children of the first land, still stand.

Our fathers, with bare feet and burning hearts,

Walked from court to court under the scorching sun,

Their smocks heavy with dust,

Their souls heavy with hope,

Seeking justice that slept too long in foreign hands.

Our mothers, awake through endless nights,

Sat by smoldering fires,

Listening for the drumbeat of justice,

Listening for footsteps that never came.

We were never conquered by sword or spear,

Yet they dared to name us slaves on our own land.

The stars blinked away the nights,

The rivers carried away the days,

But our fathers never gave up.

Some fell before the courts could hear their cries,

Their blood soaking into the earth they fought to protect,

Their names etched in memory,

Whispered in broken songs.

We believed in the law.

We trusted the courts.

We thought truth, once spoken, would set us free,

But we were wrong.

The tides of politics turned,

And blood flowed again on our farms,

The blood of pregnant women and the aged,

Children whose dreams were torn before they could run,

Young men, their laughter now only an echo in the wind.

Where did we go wrong?

Was it our crime to open our arms to strangers?

Was it our mistake to trust the white man's laws?

Were we wrong to believe that kindness would shield us?

We are a hundred times more in number,

Yet they still shout that we are nothing.

We own the land; we breathe the gods of the soil,

Yet they deny our very existence.

Even with our gods in the trees and rivers,

Even with the songs of our ancestors in the wind,

Still, they say we are nothing.

In every struggle, truth prevails.

No matter the storms, no matter the years,

Truth may delay—but it does not die.

Will the winds of truth blow again tomorrow?

We do not know.

But we do know this:

Truth can be delayed, but it can never be denied.

But listen, sons and daughters of Kusaug:

Today, as our fathers and brothers again march forward in Kumasi,

Remember—this is not the end.

This is another step on the long, sacred road

That our ancestors began with blood and tears.

Let every heart in Kusaug remember:

This struggle is not new.

It is an inheritance,

A sacred task left by those who fought and fell before us.

Now is the time.

Now is the hour to kneel in unity and reflection,

Clothed in the garments of faith and fortitude. Let’s lift solemn prayers,

To the gods of the land,

To the spirits of our ancestors,

To the gods of the ancient past.

Whatever faith, whatever creed:

Now is the time to unite in prayer, in memory, in strength.

Put on your garments of faith!

March with heads held high,

Feet planted firmly in the soil of truth.

We are Kusaas.

We have faced storms.

We have endured humiliation.

We have been beaten, bullied, betrayed—

But like the baobab, we grow taller with every storm.

We raise our heads, high and proud,

For the spirit of Kusaug can never be broken.

Because we carry the truth,

We carry the dreams of those who walked before,

We carry Kusaug in our blood.

We will prevail.

We will prevail.

We will prevail.

Forward, Kusaug. Forward, in faith.

For one day soon, truth will rise with the sun—

And so shall we.

In Solidarity and Faith, we will prevail.

Composed by Dr. Mumuni Sharon

MESSAGE OF ENCOURAGEMENT TO THE KUSASI MEDIATION TEAM

Sons of Kusaug,

In this critical moment of our history, you have been chosen — not by chance, but by destiny — to be the voice, the courage, and the wisdom of our people.

We know the weight you carry.

We know the frustration you feel.

We know the shadows that try to sow doubt among us.

But hear this, and never forget: You are not alone. The spirit of Kusaug stands with you.

You are the descendants of those who tilled the land when there were no maps.

You are the sons of those who stood firm when the winds of oppression blew the hardest.

You are the living testimony that truth does not die — it endures through every storm, every battle, and every generation.

Today, the land cries out for unity.

Today, the hopes of thousands ride on your shoulders.

Today, history demands that you rise — not divided, not afraid — but together.

Trust each other. Believe in each other. Support each other.

There is no obstacle we cannot overcome if we stand side by side.

There is no mountain too high when we climb with one spirit, one heart, and one voice.

And there is no victory greater than the victory that is shared by a united people.

Our ancestors are watching.

Our children are watching.

The whole of Kusaug is watching.

They are not waiting for heroes who stand alone.

They are waiting for a team who trusts, who fights with integrity, who wins together — for Kusaug, for justice, for peace.

Let fear fall away. Let doubt be silenced. Let unity be our weapon and truth our shield.

Go into this mediation with your heads held high.

Speak with one voice. Stand with one heart. Move with one purpose.

And remember: The truth is our foundation. Kusaug is our inheritance. Victory is our destiny.

Forward together. Stronger together. Kusaug forever.

In Solidarity and Faith,

Dr. Mumuni Sharon