Niyi Osundare: Not My Business

This poem is about shared responsibility and the way that tyranny grows if no one opposes it. It is composed, simply, of three stories about victims of the oppressors, followed by the experience of the speaker in the poem. The poet is Nigerian but the situation in the poem could be from many countries. It echoes, in its four parts, a statement by Pastor Martin Niemöller, who opposed the Nazis. Speaking later to many audiences he would conclude with these words, more or less: “First, they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came f...

account act african agent akanni also alway answer anywher apart appear ask audienc away awoken back bad basic beaten buis bulli busi came charact chinw chorus clear come compos concern conclud connect could countri critic danladi democraci detail door easi eat echo end enjoy episod estat even eventu ever everyon everywher except exemplari experi famili find first follow food found four freedom give given grant grow guarante happen harmless hint hous hunger identifi implic innoc jeep jew justic keep knock know last later left less liber liberti long lost make mani martin may meal meant mere mine morn mouth name nazi next niemöller nigerian night niyi notic obvious occas offic one oppos oppressor organ osundar outsid park part pastor peopl perhap persecut person pick place pleasant poem poet poetri point polic poor power pronoun quiet random reason record refer refrain reign resist respons return sack safeti sat savour say scene school second seem seiz serious set share show simpli situat socialist soldier speak speaker specifi stainless stand state statement store stori stronger structur suffer suppos sustain take taken tell terror thing think though three thrive time told trade tri troublemak turn tyranni tyrant understand unionist us use vers victim warn way weapon west whose without word work worker would wrong yam yet