Thursday, May 04, 2006

Gimme Hope Africa

The Darfur Region is Sudan is seeing ethnic cleansing leaving hundreds of thousands dead and millions displaced.

The Horn of Africa has one of the worst droughts in the past decade leaving millions on the brink of death.

Africa has half of the world's HIV/AIDS population with some countries testing 40% and rising of their population.

Dictators like President Mugabe of Zimbabwe terrorize their country with police brutality and repression.


The dark continent has always been exploited by the western world for its natural resources. Africa, once we are done raping you, the blood diamonds run out, or our susidies on items like American cotton bankrupt your farmers, will you still be able to stand up and have hope for the future.

Eddy Grant wrote this song during the apartheid regime in South Africa. It's been a while since I've heard this song, but if there is any song for africa this is the one which comes to mind


Well Joanna she runs a country
She runs in Durban and the Transvaal
She makes a few of her people happy
She don't care about the rest at all.

She's got a system they call apartheid
It keeps a brother in subjection
But maybe pressure will make Joanna see
How everybody could live as one

Gimme hope, Joanna, hope Joanna
Gimme hope, Joanna, for the morning comes
Gimme hope, Joanna, hope Joanna
Hope before the morning comes

I hear she makes all the golden money
To buy new weapons in the shape of guns
While every mother in a black Sowetto
Fears the killing of another son

Sneaking across all the neighbours borders
Now and again having a little fun
She doesn't care if the fun games she play
Is dangerous to everyone

Gimme hope, Joanna, hope Joanna
Gimme hope, Joanna, for the morning comes
Gimme hope, Joanna, hope Joanna
Hope before the morning comes

She got supporters in high places
Who turn their heads to the city sun
Joanna give them the fancy money
To tempt anyone who'd come

She even knows how to swing opinion
In every magazine and the journals
For every bad move that this Joanna makes
They got a good explanation

Gimme hope Joanna...

Even the preacher who works for Jesus
The archbishop who's a peaceful man
Together say that the freedom fighters
Will overcome the very strong.

I wanna know if you're blind Joanna
If you want to hear the sound of drums
Can't you see that the tide is turning
Don't make we wait till the morning comes

Gimme hope, Joanna, hope Joanna
Gimme hope, Joanna, for the morning comes
Gimme hope, Joanna, hope Joanna
Hope before the morning comes

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

HOPE

A simple four letter word that represents so much more...

A Hope for a better tommorrow...
A hope for a better life....
A Hope for things to be better....

Isn't that what gives us the strenght to go on, to go to bed at night with the hope that when we wake up things will be different ....

It represents so much more and yet its ironical how much its power is underestimated!

bluesman said...

hey anjali, first time comment :)

it is a very strong word and its sad that half the world's population aren't exposed to that feeling for the future.