Excerpts
from the poems of the opening ceremony (translated
by Clarissa Vierke and Andrew Eisenberg)
From "Tushikepi
Tuatepi" by Ustadh Ahmad Nassir Juma
Bhalo
Adabu za mila
zetu, ni fakhari kuu kwetu
Na utamaduni wetu, sifaze ni kuu
piya
The virtue or our customs
is a great glory for us,
the merits of our culture
are great as well.
Kutaba mambo ya
watu, ambayo si mema kwetu
Ni kuvunda hadi zetu, tuigizapo
mabaya
To imitate the manners of others,
which are not suitable to our society
is to destroy our norms,
especially when we imitate the bad.
From "Kulio
Huliya Mwenye" by Ustadh Mahmood Ahmad Abdulkadir
Mau
Masomo
tutapieni, ilimu kuilimbika
Tupige mbizi za ndani, na lulu tupate zuka
Ilimu si ya fulani, wala haina
mipaka
In education let us make an effort and let the knowledge
grow,
let us dive to the bottom to retrieve the pearl.
Knowledge is not restricted to someone, and neither does it
have limits.
Sindano
natutieni, kinga ipate inuka
Kwa yetu tutoshekeni, ndipo tutasalimika
Majinzi na tuvueni, turudi
tulikotoka
And let us vaccinate
each other, so that a resistance can build up,
so that we may be satisfied at our own place, where we are
sound.
And let us push away benighting things; let us return to
whence we came.
