Children's Choir

The beautiful African voices could be heard loud and clear, as an exciting new era dawns. The Woodville High School and Adelaide Secondary School of English, in South Australia, have joined forces to form a new children’s choir known as Uhuru Voices ("Uhuru" means "Freedom" in Swahili).

The choir is made up of the recently-arrived teenage refugees from the Sudan, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, and Ethiopia.

The Woodville High School is also planning a trip to Tanzania in 2009.

Data Deluge

When the silicon gods
Were not watching, I sneaked
Out of the technological vortex
To enjoy some quality time alone
In the faraway realms.

In a passionate embrace
Of a different sun, I threw caution
To the wind, ate my ipod and blackberry,
And escaped the data deluge. A great
Liberation from the tedium of connectivity!


© Lawrence Udo-Ekpo

A Simple Pleasure

I watch the hummingbird;
Thinking of the simple pleasure
In small things.

Ah, the pretty beads
And ochre! What joy you’ve given
To so many?

Absolute delight
The colourful butterfly in motion
Tickling the wild rose.

The secret joy
Of getting mail from the letter box.
A beautiful summer’s day!


© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo

Visitor Arrivals

The seasonally adjusted estimate for short-term visitor arrivals in Australia for June 2006 (460,100 movements) increased by 3.2% compared with May 2006 (445,900 movements), according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

This includes visitors from Sub-Saharan Africa.

Raindrops

Raindrops in Findon,
The Nubian goddess of water
In a yellow raincoat.

The ageless star makes
A quantum leap to the winter paradise;
Kissing the water molecules

Raindrops on my roof,
A dose of humour and laughter
In the house.

The winter code
The quest for love in the raindrops
Reaches its peak.

The magic of raindrops:
Happiness, creativity, and gold grains
In my garden.


© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo

Crisis in the Otash Camp

There is humanitarian crisis in the Otash camp which lies just outside Nyala, the capital of Southern Darfur. This is a crisis we can’t ignore, according to the opposition foreign affairs spokesman, Kevin Rudd, who has just returned to Australia after four days in Sudan at the invitation of World Vision.

The Otash camp provides food, primitive shelter and basic sanitary facilities for 40,000 people who fled there after their villages were looted and burned by Arab militia – the Janjaweed.

Mr. Rudd thinks the Australian government should act. In fact, he believes, all people of goodwill have a responsibility to act now on the crisis in Darfur – a crisis the World Vision described as like watching Rwanda in slow motion.

www.theadvertiser.com.au

The Winter Rain

Wonderful is the sound
Of the winter rain
In my playground
The birds are singing again!


© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo

The Nubian Adventure

the Nubian adventure
living with the stars after the turbulent
moments of creation

earth-like worlds in motion
orbiting the giant stars trillion of miles away
the rhythm of love foretold!

the solar systems...
dim lights from the baby planets
but where’s the parent star?

love birds in space
i watch as hot heavenly bodies emerge
from the cosmic shade

the Nubian child in the
timeless vortex of the Milky Way
making a splash!

the kangaroo
in my spaceship; feeding
the fallen star.

from darkness to light
bright stars in my visual field
face to face with ambition!


© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo

Family Law Information Seminar

The Family Law Information Seminar provides valuable information on the Australian family law and court procedures.

This is a free service provided by the Legal Services Commission of South Australia and Adelaide South Institute, Light Square Campus.

One of the Legal Services Commission Family Law solicitors will cover the Family Law Act and other relevant information for community workers and members of the public.

People in the new and emerging communities are strongly urged to attend. And African-Australians have taken up the challenge.

For bookings and course information, visit http://www.lsc.sa.gov.au

The Diary of the Lost Boy

Gateway to heaven!
Chasing the wind and fraternising
With cool stars.

Sleep with one eye open!
There’s something fishy
On the way to Triton.

The lost boy
Captures the Neptune moons
Battling the red dwarfs.

Strangely uplifting
First mission of self-discovery
But, where’s the dough?

The Venusian dream
Challenging life in earth’s sister planet.
What a magnificent view?

Days of hope
As the Nubian goddess of love
Comes to the rescue.


© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo

Promoting Language Learning

The Modern Languages Teachers Association of Victoria (MLTAV) has developed new resources for teaching and learning of Languages Other Than English, in Australian schools.

For more information on promoting language learning, visit MLTAV website: http://www.mltav.asn.au/advocacy.

The Space Adventure

The endless space
Discovery in the distant galaxies
Kissing the luscious stars.

The space adventure
Really begins at home. Go build
Your spacecraft!

The starlight
In my space capsule, a night
Of endless passion.

The green grass
In the waxing Martian moon
Aliens on heat!

Holiday in space:
Romancing the moons of Jupiter
With gusto.

The ghost of spatial past
The meteorites can’t keep pace
With my spaceship.

Hunger in space
The primordial soup
In crisis.

Balanced life
Just got easier in deep space
Angels on my shoulder.


© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo

The Inner Glow

I woke up
With a warm inner glow; feeling
Your divine presence.

Then, the joyful moment
As the gentle spirit descended
Upon my soul.

Immersed in faultless brilliance
I became one with the light;
And the light became
An integral part of my being.


© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo