A Fisherman's Song of Praise

Lord, I sing your praise the whole day through, until the night.
Dad's nets are filled; I have helped him.
We have drawn them in, stamping the rhythm with our feet, the muscles tense.
We have sung your praise.

On the beach there were our mammies,
Who bought the blessings out of the nets,
Out of the nets and into their basins.
They rushed to the market, returned and bought again.
Lord, what a blessing is the sea, with fish in plenty.
Lord, that is the story of your grace:
Nets tear, and we succumb because we cannot hold them.
Lord, with your praise we drop off to sleep.
Carry us through the night.
Make us fresh for the morning.
Hallelujah for the day!
And blessing for the night! Amen.

Ghana
From An African Prayer Book by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, copyright 1995

Note:  Fishing in Lake Victoria is a way of life for many people here.  They throw large nets into the lake, and several men pull them in with a catch.  We see both fresh and dried fish at the markets, especially on the weekends, and there is always dagaa, very small dried fish and a main staple of the Tanzanian diet. Today we bought two dried Talapia for dinner.