Okot p'Bitek

Long poem in which Lawino, a rural Acholi woman, laments her husband's rejection of traditional ways for Western culture, defending African identity.

The companion poem to Song of Lawino, giving voice to Ocol, the Westernized husband. His contemptuous monologue dismissing Africa as backward becomes an unwitting self-indictment, exposing the psychological damage of colonial education.

p'Bitek's collection of Acholi oral poetry — love songs, war songs, hunting songs, and funeral dirges — translated into English while preserving the rhythmic energy of the original.