Verses of a Broken State

By Edrissa Ken-Joof

A Fiery Testament of Resistance, Resilience, and the Unbreakable Spirit of The Gambia

In Verses of a Broken State, acclaimed poet and scholar Edrissa Ken-Joof, Ph.D., unleashes a torrent of raw emotion and unflinching truth. This powerful anthology is more than poetry; it is the beating heart, the furious cry, and the stubborn hope of a nation straining under the weight of corruption, betrayal, and systemic decay.
Ken-Joof crafts searing indictments of power's hollow thrones ("The Hollow Throne," "Iron Ballots," "Puppeteers Riot"), where leaders feast on stolen futures while the people starve. He gives voice to the silenced dissenters ("Silenced"), the fishermen robbed by foreign trawlers ("Fisherman's Lament at Tanji"), the farmers watching their land poisoned ("Cyanide Psalms," "Women's Gardens, Mining's Grave"), and the youth risking everything on the deadly "Backway." These poems lay bare the scars of six decades of struggle since independence ("Sixty Years"), exposing the rot of nepotism, tribalism, and greed that suffocates the "Smiling Coast."
Yet, this collection is not merely an elegy. It is a defiant roar ("I Refuse to Whisper," "The Unbroken Seed," "The Echoes of Revolution"). Ken-Joof roots his rage and hope in the enduring spirit of the Gambian people - their dignity, their resilience, and their unwavering pursuit of justice. He calls for a decolonized future ("Stolen Symbols: A River's Unheard Cry") and envisions a dawn rebuilt by Gambian hands ("Gambia, Our Hands Build the Dawn").
Woven throughout are poignant threads of exile and displacement ("Five Winters," "Midwest Monsoon Season," "The Anchor and the Absence"), capturing the ache of the diaspora while affirming the unbreakable ties to homeland. Intense personal reflections ("Your Grief," "The Weight of Water," "Other Me") explore identity, loss, and the complex cartography of the human heart.
Verses of a Broken State is: A Political Torch: Igniting outrage against oppression and demanding accountability.A Cultural Archive: Preserving the soul, language, and landscapes of The Gambia.A Testament of Survival: Celebrating the unyielding resilience of a people.A Diaspora's Cry: Articulating the bittersweet reality of displacement.A Call to Action: For justice, for renewal, for a Gambia worthy of its people.For readers of potent political poetry, African literature, postcolonial voices, and anyone who believes in the transformative power of words to challenge, heal, and rebuild. Ken-Joof's verses are a necessary fire, burning away illusions and lighting the path toward a just dawn.

Gambia Gambia Stand and sing The struggle continues. The hope endures.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0FCBPDGD5
• ISBN13: 9798286729302
• Release Date: June 2025
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 86 Pages
• Weight: 0.21 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 5.0" x 8.0"