The Problem with History Education

Ever wondered why you learn about 1066 but nothing about incredible Black leaders? Agard's poem starts by showing how colonisation shaped what we're taught in schools. The repeated phrase "Dem tell me" uses anaphora to emphasise how the speaker was only told what others wanted him to know.

The poem uses Jamaican dialect throughout, with words like "dem" and "dat" showing the speaker's Caribbean identity. This isn't just accent - it's rebellion against the standard English that was forced on colonised people. The lack of punctuation and enjambment creates flowing emotions, like the speaker can't hold back his frustration.

Metaphors like "Bandage up me eye with me own history" show how learning only white history blinds people to their own cultural identity. Bandages are meant to heal, but here they're covering up the truth. The poem contrasts trivial knowledge (like nursery rhymes about cows jumping over moons) with real heroes like Toussaint L'Ouverture.

Key Insight: Toussaint was a former slave who led the Haitian Revolution against Napoleon's forces - yet most people learn about hot air balloons instead of this incredible leader who fought for freedom.

Celebrating Hidden Heroes

The second half of the poem introduces amazing figures you probably never heard about in school. Mary Seacole, a Jamaican nurse, travelled to the Crimean War and set up her own hospital to help British soldiers - yet Florence Nightingale gets all the credit in history books.

Nanny de maroon was a Jamaican leader who escaped slavery and helped others find freedom. The poem describes her with beautiful nature imagery like "fire-woman" and "see-far woman of mountain dream", showing her as both fierce and nurturing. These descriptions use serious tones that contrast with the dismissive way white history figures are mentioned.

Shaka of the Zulu appears alongside mentions of Lord Nelson and Waterloo, showing how incredible African leaders existed at the same time as famous European battles. The poem reveals how power and conflict work together - white people maintained power by controlling which stories got told.

The ending shifts to "I carving out me own history" - the verb "carving" suggests something permanent and deeply rooted. The speaker is taking control of his own education and identity, refusing to accept the limited version of history he was given.

Remember: This poem shows how knowledge itself can be a form of power, and how reclaiming your cultural history is an act of resistance against racism and colonisation.