In my eyes,
I saw an educator;
Not just an entertainer.
In my mind,
I knew an advocate;
Not just an entertainer.
She offered voice to the oppressed woman.
And I will tell my daughter, someday,
That Ebony was an adviser too.
She used Maame Hwe to advise and teach young ladies
Never to ignore their mothers’ wise counsel when choosing a partner.
She also advised women to be wary about men who lie to win a woman’s heart.
She used Sponsor to teach young ladies to choose love over money
Since the old sponsor will give you the money
But leave you cold, lonely and unhappy, in the end.
And she used Date Your Father to admonish men
Who break the hearts of innocent women.
Yes, she will not sit down and cry to make you happy,
If you break her innocent heart.
Rather, she will date your father,
To make you taste the same pain and shame you served her,
And become your mother, to demand your respect.
Ebony’s deep words of wisdom, buried in her songs, found a place in many hearts.
Her pot of songs filled with fresh happiness fed a million hearts too.
Her lines taught a million lessons about life,
This same cruel life that left her in the jaws of Death.
Her songs fed a million oppressed hearts with encouragement.
She was a great artiste.
Her art of dressing was just a symbol of the new freedom of the oppressed woman.
Surely, Ebony Reigns,
Even in the cold hands of Death.
Written by:
Yayra Goka
On the dark Friday of February 9, 2018
