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By Davis Ndyomugabe of Qachecks

In A Witness Without Testimony, Davis Ndyomugabe of Qachecks confronts the silence of people who witness wrongdoing but choose not to act. Through the recurring image of motionless statues, the poem questions whether indifference can make a witness complicit in the suffering unfolding before them.

Standing still like stoic statues,
Many are witnesses without testimonies.
Appalling and disgusting ills committed as they watch,
Yet they stand still, quiet and silent,
As if they’re dead sculptures and statues,
So devoid of breath, emotion, energy and word.

They’ve colluded with culprits to be quiet,
Like they’re taking heed to Napoleon’s advice:
‘Never interrupt your enemy when he’s making a mistake.’

And it’s a murder so foul,
Or a rape so vile,
A trespass so disturbingly disgusting,
As the fraud so despicable—
Yet all, they’re dumb, stupid, stupid statues,
As they quietly watch the commission so vile,
Body, limb and mind.

They’re humming:

‘It concerns me not!’

Aren’t they terrible witnesses!
Accessories after the fact?
Aiding and abetting by their indifference?

As the child is left to drown…

— Davis Ndyomugabe of Qachecks

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