MUSIC: NIGERIA VS. THE AFRICAN CONTINENT VII

I was introduced to this artist not too long ago and since then I have been hooked to this particular song. The song is called "Africa" and the artist is Fishe. I will not pretend that I know that much about the artist whose real name is Andrew Mosheshe, but I will say that his song "Africa" is what I listen to when my day of following Nigeria and Africa related news has me feeling disappointed and sometimes upset. And since that happens often, I listen to "Africa" a lot.

"Africa" reminds me of my pride and love for not just Nigeria, but the entire continent. It takes me back to my Pan African roots. It reminds me that the road ahead is and will be tough but that we all must pull ourselves by the bootstraps and face the challenges ahead with dignity and strength. Now, you might not take all that away from listening to the track, but I am just sharing what I feel when I listen to it. When you listen, pay attention to the 'ancestors' he calls to and the contemporary Africans he mentions. To me, it is all quite inspiring, when you consider the odds these individuals and many more faced but yet accomplished success and recognition.

So, without further ado, and before you think I am 'weird', here is Fishe's song, "Africa".



Chorus:
God bless the rivers out in Africa
God bless the people back in Africa
Each and every nation in Africa
May God bless the continent of Africa

Verse One:
Africa. The home of civilization
Home to 53 strong and beautiful
Beautiful females, rich vegetation
The sunshine, the rainfall, the perfect location
Perfect for a very nice family vacation
What a wonderful work of creation
But the media only projects the negative situations
Kids dying of starvation on your TV station
War and diseases, just devastation
Tarzan in a jungle, no modernization
But these are just the media's misrepresentations
We've got modern infrastructures across every nation
All forms of modern day transportation
Modern hospitals and schools that give a good education
Africans come together in unification
So we can rise up to any given occasion

Chorus.
Let me take you back to the days of western colonization
One of history's worst case of dehumanization
The days of the so-called explorations
When really it was nothing but exploitation
Enslaved the population of a whole generation
Took some of us away to work in plantations
There's no justification for this victimization
There's no amount of reparation
That can pay of this....human degradation
Human rights violation
Racial segregation, racial discrimination
When Martin Luther marched in peaceful demonstration
For liberation and total emancipation
So we no longer care about skin coloration
Whether you're Latino Asian Black or Caucasian
Everybody come together in unification
So we can rise up to any given occasion

Chorus.
Nelson Mandela. Patrice Lumumba
Nnamdi Azikiwe. Kwame Nkruma
Haille Sellasie and Sekou Toure
Steven Biko. Julius Nyerere
Obafemi Awolowo. Jomo Kenyatta
Inwar Sadat. Thomas Sankara
Wole Soyinka. Desmond Tutu
Mariam Makeba. Shaka the Zulu
Martin Luther King Jnr. Marcus Garvey
Malcolm X and Ralph Albernate
Rosa Parks and Harriet Thubman
WEB Dubois. Frederick Douglas
Ray Charles. Nat King Cole. Bob Marley
Tupac Amaru Shakur. Mohammed Ali
Jesse Jackson. Louis Farrakhan
Oprah Winfrey. Barrack Obama

Chorus.

And, so, I add to the prayer - God bless the Continent of Africa and its peoples all over the world. And like Peter Tosh says "You're an African!"

Check out Fishe's website - http://www.fishe.us/fishehome.html


Further reading: The Music Series

Further Reading:

-Nigeria vs. The African Continent
-Nigeria vs. The African Continent II - P-Square "Say your Love"
-Nigeria vs. The African Continent III - Infinity's "Olori Oko"
-Nigeria vs. The African Continent IV - Tuface
-Nigeria vs. The African Continent V - Ty Bello's "Greenland"
-Nigeria vs. The African Continent VI - Banky W.'s "Ebute Meta"