Natural disasters
This poem is about an African town that has been destroyed by a flood. In a demonstration of the immense power of nature, and the destructive abilities of natural forces, the sea suddenly wrecks and drowns everything from cement walls to chickens. Through personification of the sea, Kofi Awoonor examines one of the troubling and difficult aspects of natural disaster—the indifference of the natural world. The sea is described as cruel and angry, but simultaneously as unfeeling and immortal, highlighting a difficult reality: that nature can be destructive without any maliciousness or awareness. Awoonor also highlights the way in which natural disaster can impact entirely human processes, from religion to marriage. Aku feels abandoned by the gods and Adena loses her dowry; while these losses have a natural source, their impacts are psychological and social.
Colonization
Although this poem is about a natural disaster, it has been read as a metaphor for colonization. According to this reading, the sea represents an invasive and destructive colonizing force. The sea's combination of unfeeling instinct and cruel-seeming maliciousness is an apt metaphor, implying that the settlers and soldiers enacting colonial policies are conscious and blameworthy actors and, simultaneously, unthinking cogs within a broader colonizing machine. Meanwhile, the flood's capacity to wreck not only objects but entire institutions and lives, ultimately eroding the culture of a town and the bonds between its residents, offers a commentary on the ability of colonialism to destroy the intangible and cause lasting damage to communities.
