A discussion forum run by a seasoned Community College Instructor for those who want to share the pluses, minuses, rants, and fist bumps that come from teaching Anthropology at the undergraduate level. Gather up your pigs, yams, and banana leaf bundles and join the fun.
Today is Blog Action Day. An action designed to remind us all of the unjustness of a world in which poverty is permitted to exist. A world were exploitation reigns, hidden by the smoke and mirrors of greed and immorality. Being an Anthropologist, I leave it to the words of others to speak their pain, anger, and frustration. Faza Nelly, born as Nelson Buchard, (unfortunately, now deceased) of X Plastaz, can tell you far more effectively than I, how hunger, disenfranchisement, and injustice feel. Watch the video here.
The words he sings are translated here:
Nini dhambi kwa mwenye dhiki?
Translated from Swahili into English - original lyrics by Nelson Buchard for X Plastaz
What's the offense of the poor? All my people East Africa Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya Dar es Salaam, A town Wherever you are Kneel and pray to God Is this politics, religion, tyranny, slavery, judgement day, Sodom and Gomorrah? Hold on strong, take a look around each corner Left, right, front, back, make sure you look everywhere And if you persist, just listen and be patient, so that you won’t regret later on
This goes out to my people The cripple, blind, albinos and the insane Street children, beggars, the poor and those who are mentally sane This is a thick rope You should know that we are pulling it against those in power Fat bellies and cheeks It’s no longer a fair game The referee is biased The field itself is dry Work is hard to find, payment is little What’s left is to play the hard way We’re tired of the upper class, capitalism and dictatorship This is the time This is the redemption And I order that those who are down must get that wine I tighten the strap of your opponents I pour poison over them So that they will scratch themselves without shame First of all, a salute to those who passed away before us Second, let’s pray to God Our father, please give us our daily bread Fill us with strength So that we can succeed in the game When we pass away, the day of judgement Give us the chance to regret Because we know that we act evil We eat forbidden fruits We use every possible method Juju or crime... So that we can get food & clothing But that shouldn’t be a reason for other people to be robbed of their rights To prevent us from fulfilling our destiny To call us infidels and insult us Because what’s the offense?
Chorus: What’s the offense of the poor What’s wrong, what is right Everyone just wants his destiny Riddle: stir up the match You can’t look into the future
Why? Ask the question, if we would all be intellectuals and rich Who would do the dirty and dangerous work like working in the mortuary Everyone here in town came for a ‘business’ Everything and everywhere And even a human skin is for sale Others are fake witches and wizards Conmen, illegal travellers While others are gentle-mannered like the Born-again Christians In the afternoon offices are buzzing While the night is hard, prostitutes, Sugar daddies, criminals, and other things to be covered up There are those who died when fighting for their lives Their memories have remained in the graveyard And there’s those who lost the hope that they will ever win You’d think they have taken their souls out of mortgage When they stop you in the road You have to give them your last remaining salary for this month
(Chorus)
Really, in Tanzania it’s a matter of finding your way You will regret when you find out that you don’t even have a pair of shorts Your decision, just hold it like a goalkeeper And those who you’d depend on until the end will let you drown You’re not educated, don’t have any special talent But strength, tongue, economy you have it, you sit on it Remember To gain and to loose, it’s all normal Sometimes you sleep and dream and eat You drink, you French kiss And make love to a lovely girl To your surprise you find that the place is empty There’s nothing
(Chorus, Yamat singing a traditional Maasai song)
Copyright - Lyrics by X Plastaz – Rumba-Kali publishing
(Fellow Anthropology Profs: I use this video in class. Students enjoy it and seem to relate to it.)
This is great song and deep lyrics. I'm on my blogwalk, reading postings for Blog Action Day'08 (I haven't made my 'official' post for today yet). Great post.
I have a Ph.D. in Anthropology with a specialization in Africa. I have taught at a variety of educational institutions but since 1991, I have taught full time at a Community College on the outskirts of Houston. I teach a diverse student population many of whom are first generation college-goers. Academic discussion and anthropological issues can seem to them to be exotic and meaningless endeavors. And they may be right.
1 comment:
This is great song and deep lyrics.
I'm on my blogwalk, reading postings for Blog Action Day'08 (I haven't made my 'official' post for today yet).
Great post.
Post a Comment