Poetry of the Indian Ocean

http://fuuo.blogspot.com/2014/03/comoros.poetry.anthology.fao.html

'A movie in the making in Comoros' or 'Marooned in Moroni'

I recently watched the depressing and exhilirating "All is Lost" starring Robert Redford.  For those who haven't seen it--it's the fictional story of a man lost at sea whose world progressively deteriorates until...wait for it all is lost (or is it?!).

Well the pics of this poor soul is what that  scenario looks like in real life without the HD cameras
and big hollywood budget.  This unnamed gentlemen is from Poland and he's been stuck in Moroni, Comoros for a few months now.

He bought this boat in Miami (he claimed to have a US green card) and has been sailing around the world since then.  Things started to go downhill when he arrived in Mumbai:

From his profanity-laced tirade (while his english was broken, he nailed the expletives perfectly), I was able to deduce that somehow a corrupt port/customs agent there had swindled him out of nearly all of his money.  At some point he said 'to hell with this' and fled the port.  Somewhere around the Comoran island of Moheli, he found himself shipwrecked.  He claims his ship once had a mast but it looked an awful lot like once of those life boats you see on cruise ships.

Anyway, the Comoran Coast Guard rescued him and towed him to the port of Moroni on Grand
Comores.

With 100 euros to his name, a broken engine, no living relatives or friends and dwindling supply of canned food--his prognosis does not look good.  His own summation of his future prospects were slightly more colorful.

A month and a half after my last visit, though, I recevied an update from a colleague there who said that the Comoran government had given him a little money and that he was slowly getting his engine repaired.

Stay tuned for more updates in 2015!

The sea-faring wayward Polish sailor

Latest Poetry Anthology just ordered: Invitation to a Voyage: French Language poetry of the Indian Ocean African Islands

I came across this book doing a google search on Comoran poetry--a topic that I haven't looked into much before.  My previous research had only been into Malagasy poets and among them I have only covered the incomparable romantic poet Rabearivelo:

Background post on Rabearivelo

Rabearivelo's "Lunar Images"

Rabearivelo's 'Fruit' from "Almost Dreams"

Rabearivelo's 'Zebu' from "Almost Dreams"

Rabearivelo's "Almost Dreams" reading

Rabearivelo: FUUO August 2008 Poet of the Month

My current job, however, covers both nations.  Finding English translations of Comoran poetry (which can be in Arabic, French or ShiaComore) is a difficult task.  Once I receive the anthology
Invitation to a Voyage: French - Language Poetry of the Indian Ocean African Islands in a few weeks expect some highlighted Comoran poems.

Here's an excerpt from the poet Djailani (from the island of Mayotte--an isle of contention between France and Comoros):

"O my land!/ forever separated from your Comorian sisters/ at the base of the Indian calabash/ a shining crescent.

Want to see what Comoros looks like?  Check out my pictures here!



LINKS:
http://powerofculture.nl/en/current/2008/october/poetryanthology