African Poetry: Birago Diop’s Vanity – SS1 Literature-in-English Lesson Note (Second Term)

“Vanity” is a poem of lamentation by the Senegalese poet Birago Diop, in which he mourns the self-inflicted social misfortune of Africans and their indifference to the answer.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. state the theme of the poem “Vanity”;
2. explain the complaints of the community and the people’s reaction in the first two stanzas;
3. list the answers the poet gives to Africa’s social problems;
4. explain why the poet calls dependence on Western civilisation vanity;
5. describe the conclusion the poet draws in the last stanza.

Who is Birago Diop?

Birago Diop is a Senegalese poet and storyteller who wrote in French and belongs to the Negritude movement.

• Nationality: Senegalese, from West Africa.
• Language: he wrote in French, so English readers study the poem in translation.
• Movement: Negritude, a movement of French-speaking black writers who celebrated African culture and identity.
• Common concern: respect for African tradition and for the ancestors.

What are the key terms in the poem?

These words help students follow the poet’s message.

• Vanity: empty and useless effort, or false pride that achieves nothing.
• Lamentation: an expression of deep sorrow or complaint.
• Self-inflicted: brought on by one’s own actions.
• Indifference: lack of interest or concern.
• Contemptuous (derisive): showing scorn or mockery.
• Ancestry: the line of forebears from whom a people descend.
• Western civilisation: the ideas, values and ways of life that come from Europe and America.

What is the poem “Vanity” about?

“Vanity” is about the social misfortune of Africans, which the poet sees as self-inflicted, and the people’s refusal to listen to the answer.

• The problem: social trauma and misfortune have befallen the people.
• The cause: the poet sees the problems as self-inflicted.
• The answer: the poet also sees the solution.
• The people’s response: they seem indifferent and do not listen.

What are the themes of “Vanity”?

The main theme is the need for Africans to look inward, return to their roots and honour their ancestors.

• Lamentation: the poet grieves over the condition of his people.
• Self-inflicted suffering: the people cause their own problems.
• Return to roots: the answer lies in African tradition and ancestry.
• Rejection of foreign dependence: looking to the West for solutions is vanity.
• Futility of complaint: complaining without changing one’s ways achieves nothing.
• Respect for ancestors: the ancestors are ever present and must be obeyed.

What do the first two stanzas say?

The first two stanzas capture the complaints of the community and the contemptuous reaction of the people.

The complaints of the community

• Outsiders’ response: no outsider will take the community’s cries seriously.
• Nature of the complaints: they are trivial and self-inflicted.
• Attitude to tradition: the people are neither serious about their traditions and ancestry nor receptive to them.

The people’s reaction

• Manner of complaint: whether the community complains gently or loudly, the derisive reaction remains the same (see lines 1 and 6).
• Age of the complaints: they did not start today.
• Portrait of the people: the poet depicts them as insincere.

What answers does the poet give to Africa’s problems?

In the later stanzas the poet says Africans must look inward to solve their problems.

1. Go back to our roots.
2. Recognise our ancestors.
3. Take pride in our tradition.
4. Believe in ourselves and our products.
5. Stop the senseless dependence on foreign ideas.

Why does the poet call dependence on Western civilisation vanity?

The poet calls it vanity because looking to the West to solve domestic problems is useless while the basic facts of existence are left unattended.

• Wrong direction: the answers lie at home, in tradition and ancestry.
• Neglected basics: the basic facts of existence receive no attention.
• Wasted effort: reliance on foreign ideas brings no lasting relief.

What does the last stanza conclude?

The last stanza is a logical deduction from the preceding lines: it is futile to complain when we refuse to change.

• Futility of complaint: we know the source of our predicaments but refuse to amend our ways.
• Condition for success: Africans can only fare well if they continually recognise the undying presence of the ancestors.
• Required action: they must obey the ancestors’ instructions.

What is the tone and message of the poem?

The tone is sorrowful and critical, and the message is that Africans must change their ways and return to their roots.

• Sorrowful: the poet laments the people’s condition.
• Critical: he blames the people for their own problems.
• Advisory: he points to tradition and the ancestors as the way forward.

Evaluation

1. Why is “Vanity” described as a poem of lamentation?
2. Why does the poet say that outsiders will not take the community’s cries seriously?
3. List four answers the poet gives to Africa’s social problems.
4. Why does the poet regard looking up to Western civilisation as vanity?
5. What conclusion does the poet reach in the last stanza?

Assignment

In your own words, write a short paragraph explaining what the poet says Africans must do to solve their own problems, and why he thinks complaining is futile.