Literature and you: ‘Unity in diversity’, a poem by Munyal Markus Manunyi

Munyal Markus Manunyi

Unity in diversity
Is unity indeed
In duet we rapture
In duel we rupture
Times are evil
Days are bright
Arise Nigeria
Arise O compatriots and listen!
There are two days that doesn’t exist to progress:
Yesterday and tomorrow
Yesterday is a bygone which never returns
Tomorrow is a future unknown to mortals
The seed of disunity sown by war was buried by yesterday
The future of tomorrow lies in the building blocks of today
Together as a nation our country is built by us
Divided as a multinational state we demolish it
Together we unite for our tomorrow’s future
Divided we work our efforts towards futility

Hear the voice of unity weep in the regions
Dinning and whining
Like a child yearning for attention amidst chaos
To stay together and live together
A bunch of broom they say sweeps cleaner
But a broomstick sweeps nothing at all
A single stick breaks easily
But a bundle of sticks proves difficult to break
Together as a whole we withstand pressure
Divided as individuals we fall to life’s torture
Come one, come all
Let’s have a round table
A table round of peace

Munyal Markus Manunyi is Global President, International African Writers Association (IAWA)