Mama se, Mama sa, Mama coo sa.

Aki yama no
Momiji wo shigemi
Mado inuru
Imo wo motomenu
Yama ji shirazu mo

Aki no yo mo
na nomi narikeri
au to ieba
koto zo to mo naku
akenuru mono o

Fusuma ji wo
Hikite no yama ni
Imo wo okite
Yama ji wo yukeba
Ikeri to mo nashi

Kamo yama no
Iwane shi makeru
Ware wo kamo
Shira ni to imo ga
Machitsutsu aramu

Aki yama ni
Otsuro momiji ba
Shimashiku wa
Na chiri midare so
Imo ga atari minu

We are celebrating a female activist. Sometimes Mama was chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) here in UI. She was also a champion of women rights. To so many of us, she has touched our lives. She practically mentored many of us. Even in old age, she has continued to publish.

Iro miede
Utsurou momo wa
Yo no naka no
Hito no kokoro no
Hana ni zo arikeru

Ito ga tame
Hozu e no ume wo
Ta oru to wa
Shizu e no tsuyu ni
Nurenikeru kamo

Iro miede
utsurou mono wa
yo no naka no
hito no kokoro no
hana ni zo arikeru

There are a couple of people who have identified themselves [in the chat], including the person who invited us both here, Amina Mama, and I just want to read what Amina says because I think it’s important and it emphasises what you said when you introduced yourself and your origins. Amina has put up on the platform that she grew up between Nigeria and London, so the exactness of your portrayals hits her very deeply. And it is true that there was only Buchi Emecheta in those days, and [she’s] celebrating the fact that our daughters and mothers have you to read. So that was her comment.

Wabinureba
mi o ukikusa no
ne o taete
sasou mizu araba
inamu to zo omou

Wabinureba
Mi wo ukigusa no
Ne wo taete
Sasou mizu araba
Inamu to zo omou

The girl who had been crying was now sobbing louder; all of us were aware that every passing minute brought the train's thunder nearer, that any moment now we would hear death riding down the tracks. One girl cried "Mama!" and then other voices cried "Mama!" because there was an echo in the woods. ("Jean-Christophe")