Beauty in Nature
Africa is a land of unspeakable beauty. From elephants to boa constrictors its full of amazing life. Brathwaite highlights the indigenous species throughout the poem's text. Nature is used to describe the progression of humanity as well. Through metaphors of volcanoes and sunsets, humans go from building homes to filming movies. Since Brathwaite is recording the history of South Africa, he painstakingly describes the natural resources of the continent in all their glory.
Hebraic Religion
Near the beginning of the poem, Brathwaite makes several references to stories from the Hebrew Bible -- Isaac and Balaam. Then, he mentions the Queen of Sheba. In the Bible she was said to have visited the King of Israel, King Solomon. The Rastafari religion out of Ethiopia is based off of the belief that Sheba returned to Ethiopia after that visit and gave birth to Solomon's son, who went on to propagate the line of the promised Messiah. According to the Jews, the Messiah has not yet come, but the Rastafari believe he was the Ethiopian Prime Minister Haile Selassie. Jah -- Yah or Yahweh -- is directly referenced in the final section of the poem. "Jah" is the name which the Rastifari use for the Hebrew God. He is also their God and plays a central role in the fate of mankind in the later half of the poem.
Racism
South Africa is the region of the continent where the most European explorers settled. Europe colonized nearly all of South Africa. Consequently, the slave trade and other racially motivated atrocities occurred in the area. In the twentieth century, racial tensions culminated in Apartheid, forced segregation and subjection. Slavery wasn't outlawed in certain parts of the south until the 1940s. Finally, the decolonization of the countries in the south gradually unfolded during the mid twentieth century. All of these crucial historical events are outlined in the poem chronologically.
Technology
This poem is about the history of Africa, so naturally Brathwaite includes a discussion of human technology as it evolved along with society. Man goes from learning basic agriculture all the way to making movies. This evolution of technology is closely tied to the relationship between man and his fellow man. As humans become more evolved, they start to rely upon machines more than other humans. This eventually leads to the mischaracterization of the entire continent of Africa due to Hollywood and the general population's ignorance.
Fire
Although life begins in the oceans, the poem continuously references fire imagery. Through the flames, humanity is birthed, tested, and eventually extinguished. The spider that expands under the oceans is actually the constantly forming volcano which returns at the end of the text to destroy mankind. Fire seems to represent divine judgement as Brathwaite uses it in connection with Yahweh's judgement upon the wicked, with the corrupt police during Apartheid, with the death of Africa's youth during the various revolutions of decolonization, and finally at the end with the volcano. The final word is "bruggadung" which means "boom."
