An African Thunderstorm

From the west

Clouds come hurrying with the wind
Turning sharply
Here and there
Like a plague of locusts
Whirling,
Tossing up things on its tail
Like a madman chasing nothing.

Pregnant clouds
Ride stately on its back,
Gathering to perch on hills
Like sinister dark wings;
The wind whistles by
And trees bend to let it pass.

In the village
Screams of delighted children,
Toss and turn
In the din of the whirling wind,
Women,
Babies clinging on their backs
Dart about
In and out
Madly;
The wind whistles by
Whilst trees bend to let it pass.

Clothes wave like tattered flags

Flying off
To expose dangling breasts
As jagged blinding flashes
Rumble, tremble and crack
Amidst the smell of fired smoke
And the pelting march of the storm.

David Rubadiri
Summary
The poem tells of a storm violent storm moving, this storm makes its way towards an African village
causing havoc as it moves toward and through the village having the trees themselves bending over
the strength of the winds. Clouds heavy with rain moving quickly, children laugh and shout as the
storm makes it way but the mothers take them as they try to find shelter from the storm. The duality of
the actual storm and colonization in the poem gives a hidden meaning in lines of the poem much like
those of the songs of the slaves.

Stanza by stanza analysis

Stanza 1:

The first stanza gives the reader the imagery of the storm moving across the sky and the direction in
which it is coming from, the west, this may also be a reference to the intrusion of colonizers in from
the west. The “worldwide” of them entering Africa. “From the west

Clouds come hurrying with the wind

Turning sharply

Here and there “showing the manic movement of the “storm”

“Like a plague of locusts

Whirling,

Tossing up things on its tail” locust are pests which cause huge devastation and where they go and
are feared. The storm has an ominous feeling to it, out of control, ready to cause havoc. These people
came and just like locusts sucked the contents dry of its resources, the people, etc.

“Like a madman chasing nothing ‘again showing the manic movement of the storm and sets the tone
for the rest of the poem, the violent frenzy of what could be colonialism.

Stanza 2:
Again we get more imagery of the sky, clouds heavy with rain described as being pregnant for the
emphasis of them ready to burst ready to pour rain on the land. But what is about to be unleashed?
The clouds are high in the sky thing to look up at that could be a reference to how these colonizers
see themselves or how they perceive that people see them”Pregnant clouds Ride stately on its back, ”
the word stately brings contrast as it means pristine, proper and order whereas the storm is meant to
be disorderly. The stately proper men

“Gathering to perch on hills

Like sinister dark wings;” this line again bringing the ominous feeling, like a bird of prey waiting,
looking for its target.

The mere mass and force of this storm as it travels is depicted through the last line of the stanza”The
wind whistles by And trees bend to let it pass.” As the trees bent it could be signifying that the tree is
showing that the storm is stronger from acknowledging a superior

Stanza 3:
“In the village

Screams of delighted children,

 Toss and turn” the innocence of children personified, they do not understand the danger of the storm
and see it as exciting which is in contrast to the mothers looking for shelter from the storm. This is the
first stanza that lets us see how the storm is affecting the people.

“Women, Babies clinging on their backs Dart about In and out”. The repetition of the last line shows
the emphasis on the strength of the storm and also to show movement. “The wind whistles by Whilst
trees bend to let it pass.”

The storm as finally settled on the village the stanza again gives the imagery of a violent storm tearing
up the village. “Clothes wave-like tattered flags

Flying off”

The emphasis of the onomatopoeia “Rumble, tremble and crack” allow the reader to get a vivid picture
of the destruction caused by the storm. But the relentless storm continues not caring about the
carnage that it has left behind “And the pelting march of the storm.”

Figurative devices
Simile:

 “Like a plague of locusts, ” the storm is coming with a destructive force

 “Like a madman chasing nothing.” Show the chaotic movement of the storm
 “Like sinister dark wings;” showing the harshness and “evil” of the storm

Imagery:

 “From the west

Clouds come hurrying with the wind

Turning sharply

 “…on their backs Dart about In and out”.

 “Clothes wave-like tattered flags Flying off”

Onomatopoeia:

 “Rumble, tremble and crack”

 “The wind whistles”

Personification:

 .”Pregnant clouds,” not literal pregnant clouds but clouds filled with rain
 The wind whistles

Themes
 Nature
 Man vs nature
 Colonization/Colonialism
 “An African Thunderstorm” Summary
o The poem opens with storm winds and thunderclouds blowing in from the
west, violently churning up items in their path. The storm's senseless
destruction is like that of an invading insect swarm (like a biblical "plague of
locusts"), or like an insane person running after nothing.

The speaker describes the clouds that ride the wind as "pregnant" and
"stately," implying that they're full of rain and possibly full of ominous
significance, but are grand-looking as well. These clouds hover over the
hilltops like the dark wings of some evil creature. The trees bending in the
path of the strong wind that passes by.

The poem turns to the responses of villagers in the storm's path. Children
scream with excitement, and the noise is blown around by the wind as it
churns. Women frantically scramble, rushing in and out of doors, as the
babies they're carrying fearfully cling to them. Nearby trees continue to bend
in the strong wind.

The women's clothing is ripped off by the storm, exposing their naked bodies,
and then waves in the wind like torn up flags. Lightning flashes vividly,
thunder rumbles the ground, the air smells like fire and smoke, and a violent
rain begins.

 “An African Thunderstorm” Themes

o

Colonialism and Social Turmoil

“An African Thunderstorm” is both a vivid description of a gathering storm and

a symbolic depiction of social unrest. As the speaker narrates the arrival of a
massive downpour in an African village, the poem’s language
and imagery link this storm “from the west” with the turmoil brought by
Western colonization (that is, the invasion, subjection, and exploitation of
African peoples by European and majority-European countries). In this way,
the poem can be read as an allegory for colonialism, which it depicts as a
violent force that destabilizes everything in its path.

“From the west” is a loaded phrase when applied to Africa, where “the West”
is often associated with Europe, the U.S., and colonial history. Thus, as the
speaker describes the storm's arrival in biblical, almost apocalyptic terms,
readers can deduce that the speaker is also talking about upheavals in
African history (including in the poet’s native Malawi) set in motion by
colonialism.

The speaker compares the storm, for example, to a “plague of locusts,” which
might evoke the biblical Plague of Egypt in which God sends a crop-
destroying swarm to force the Egyptian pharaoh to free the Israelites from
bondage. As the clouds settle on the hills “like sinister dark wings,” the poem
might again be evoking the Angel of Death from those same Plagues—or else
a predatory or scavenging bird. These details mark the storm as an omen of
swift, destructive change. And in doing so, they imply that colonial violence
(and the struggles for independence in its wake) has the power to upend life
as people know it.

Ultimately, the storm brings violence, violation, and social disruption that
parallel colonialism’s legacy of military violence, cultural erasure, and
economic, environmental, and sexual exploitation. The wind tears off women’s
“tattered” clothes, for instance, “expos[ing]” their bodies. Symbolically, this
image suggests that colonialism is a violation and/or a stripping away of
culture. It also evokes the specific violence women faced in these
circumstances, including sexual assault.

By comparing the clothes to “tattered flags” and the storm’s progress to a

“march,” the poem further links the storm with war and political change. At the
same time, the comparison of the storm to a “madman chasing nothing" links
it with irrationality, chaos, and absurdity—suggesting that colonialism itself is
irrational, chaotic, and absurd.
 While literally conveying the experience of a big storm, these details
symbolically suggest an overthrow of human order, the kind that accompanies
war and other social upheavals. Again, this “sinister” event “from the west”
mirrors the violations and cultural destruction that have accompanied Western
violence against African peoples.

Where this theme appears in the poem:

 Lines 1-33
o

Humanity vs. Nature

“An African Thunderstorm” demonstrates human vulnerability in the face of

nature’s power. As a violent storm slams into an African village, the poem
depicts the natural world as more flexible and durable than that created by
human beings—as something that can “bend” during a storm, in contrast to
the villagers, who might be devastated and broken. At the same time, the
poem offers hints of human resilience in the face of the approaching crisis.

The power of the storm speaks to the power of nature more broadly to disrupt
human life. The storm’s first actions in the poem (“hurrying,” “Turning sharply,”
“Whirling,” “Tossing,” “chasing”) emphasize its speed, restlessness, and
ferocity. The thunder, lightning, and rain are “blind[ing]” and “pelting”; they
“rumble,” “tremble,” and “crack.” These words highlight the storm’s
disruptiveness and violence.

The villagers’ response to the storm, meanwhile, suggests their vulnerability

to nature’s might. Unlike the trees, which can simply “bend to let it pass,” the
villagers are driven into hurry and fear. Children excitedly scream or cling to
mothers; adults rush around performing unspecified activities. The poem does
not explain where the men of the village are or what they’re doing, nor how
the women “Dart[ing ] [...] Madly” are preparing for the storm. Instead, it
simply shows nature’s power causing a breakdown of normal social order.
Nature has thoroughly, if temporarily, disrupted human life.

However, the “delight” of the screaming children is an exception to the

atmosphere of dread. Their joy might be read as naïve and ironic, but it might
also be read as an expression of an irrepressible human spirit. The speaker
also mentions the “smell of fired smoke,” which is another ambiguous image.
This smell might come from outdoor fires getting doused by the rain, from
indoor fires of villagers waiting out the storm, or even from lightning strikes. In
other words, it might further demonstrate nature’s disruptive power, or it might
speak to human resilience.

The poem doesn't show the ultimate impact of the storm on the village,
instead ending just as the rain begins “pelting.” It's clear that nature has
enough power to cause human panic. At the same time, the storm seems to
do mostly superficial damage: it tears clothes, but for the moment, at least,
does not kill people. Thus, the poem illustrates nature’s power to destroy the
things humans make—and by extension, human culture—but does not show
the destruction of humanity itself. It portrays nature’s power as formidable, but
not necessarily as apocalyptic: humanity, in this poem’s vision, might be able
to endure any chaos nature can throw at it.

Where this theme appears in the poem:

 Lines 2-9

 Lines 14-15

 Lines 16-26

 Lines 27-33
LITERARY DEVICES

1. Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the

same line such as the sound of /e/ “Whilst trees bend to let it pass”
and again the sound of /o/ in “Clouds come hurrying with the wind.”
2. Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the
same line such as the sound of /w/ in “whirling wind” and /k/ in
“Clouds come.”
3. Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in
the same line such as the sound of /t/ and /s/ in “Whilst trees bend to
let it pass” and the sound of /n/ and /m/ in “Like a madman chasing
nothing.”
4. Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come
to an end at a line break; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For
example:

“Babies clinging on their backs

Dart about
In and out
Madly;
The wind whistles by
Whilst trees bend to let it pass.”

5. Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving

their five senses. David Rubadiri has used imagery in this poem such
as “Clouds come hurrying with the wind”, “Whilst trees bend to let it
pass,” and “Clothes wave like tattered flags.”
6. Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is
made between the objects that are different in nature. The poet has
used natural hazards as an extended metaphor just to show how
they bring devastating changes to the earth.
7. Personification: Personification is to give human qualities to
inanimate objects. The poet has personified clouds in the
opening stanza of the poem such as;

“Clouds come hurrying with the wind

Turning sharply
Here and there.”

8. Simile: It is a device used to compare something with something

else to make the meanings clear to the readers. The writer has used
this device at many places in the poem such as “Like sinister dark
wings; /the wind whistles by” and “Clothes wave like tattered flags.”
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in “An Africa
Thunderstorm”
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry.
Here is the analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.

1. Diction: The poem shows descriptive diction with a curious and

fearful tone.
2. Free Verse: Free verse is a type of poetry that does not
contain patterns of rhyme or meter. This is a free verse poem with no
strict rhyme or meter.
3. Octave: Octave is an eight lined stanza borrowed from Italian poetry.
Here only the first stanza is the octave.
4. Refrain: A refrain is the occurrence of a line at several places in the
poem. The verses “The wind whistles by/and trees bend to let it pass”
is, therefore, a refrain.
5. Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are four
stanzas in this poem with each having different verses.

Quotes to be Used
The following lines from the poem “An Africa Thunderstorm “are useful to
quote while talking about the disaster that occurred in the past.

“As jagged blinding flashes

Rumble, tremble and crack
Amidst the smell of fired smoke
And the pelting march of the storm.”