Introduction
“A Far Cry from Africa,” a poem by Derek Walcott, was written in 1962, just a year before Kenya gained her independence from Britain. The context of the poem is heavily linked to the Mau Mau uprising. The writer comes from a Caribbean background which is heavily influenced by both European as well as African roots. While he holds his African heritage dear, he also embraces a Western outlook. The poem makes the speaker question his own cultural identity when the historical events of brutality from both British forces and Kikuyu warriors take root in Africa. The ugliness of the anti-colonial movement as ...