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  • "Seeing Equals Saying": Peace Corps Poem by Simbè Sankaré

    Simbè Sankaré (right) and Peace Corps Baba (Oumar Cissé)
    Simbè Sankaré (right) and Peace Corps Baba (Oumar Cissé), founder of the bead museum Farafina Tigne, are sharing information about their work in the Mali area of the Peace Corps program.
    Photo by Sojin Kim, Ralph Rinzler Archives

    Hamadoun (Simbè) Sankaré wrote this poem and read it at a July 6 reception organized by the Peace Corps to honor the participants in the 2011 Smithsonian Folklife Festival Peace Corps program. Simbè Sankaré is manager of Farafina Tigne, a bead museum located in Sévaré, Mali. He gave us permission to share this through the Web site.

    The Peace Corps
    I am need too much
    To express all what
    They do all over the world?

    The way they are doing
    Don’t need any comment
    Seeing equals saying!

    The best way to help is
    Sharing the knowledge,
    That’s what they do through the world

    From China to Zambia
    Russia to New Zealand
    Peru to Mali

    Jamaica to Morocco
    Kenya to Tonga
    Ghana to Colombia

    Boys and girls with all their hearts
    Day and night
    Up and down

    Riding bikes inside the countries
    Helping, sharing
    All what they have

    “Peace” and “Corps” are short words, but
    They are very heavy by the meaning,
    What means life without peace and love?

    I am in lack of words to say
    Thank you for all what
    You are doing in my country

    You travel from United States
    To Africa, coming to meet
    My beloved poor country

    Speaking my languages
    Sharing my food and my names
    Kissing, loving, sharing!

    The spirit is positive
    The heart is clean
    The body is ready

    Thank you so much!

    God bless America!
    God bless Peace Corps!
    God bless Humanity!

    Big Brother Simbè

    Washington, D.C., July 2, 2011


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