Remembering Amandla and War.

War by Bob Marley & the Wailers
Today, I remember Amandla. the struggle for independence by the Black South Africans from the apartheid.

"Amandla" is a South African (Zulu and Xhosa) word meaning "power" and made famous as a rallying cry during the era of the Black South African's resistance against shackles and evil of apartheid. That period marked a bitter battle between the majority Blacks and the minority White supremacists. Amandla, as a word, itself was used by the African National Congress (ANC) and its allies all over the global community. The leader of a group would call out "Amandla!" (meaning power) and the crowd would respond with "Awethu" which means “to the People”.

"War" however was a classical Reggae song released in 1976 Bob Marley & the Wailers in support of the struggles by the Black South Africans against apartheid. Incidentally, the group adopted the original speech presented by Halie Selassie of Ethiopia at the 1963 inauguration of the Organisation of African Unity (O.A.U.) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. "War" evoked so much emotion and anger that many freedom-loving people across the world rose up to condemn the apartheid regime in South Africa. The Reggae group led by Bob Marley went on to devote tracks in some other record albums to the struggle. Among them were "Exodus", "Get up, Stand Up" and "Redemption Song".

War by Bob Marley.
  
Until the philosophy which hold one race superior
And another
Inferior
Is finally
And permanently
Discredited
And abandoned -
Everywhere is war -
Me say war.

That until there is no longer
First class and second class citizens of any nation
Until the colour of a man's skin
Is of no more significance than the colour of his eyes -
Me say war.

That until the basic human rights
Are equally guaranteed to all,
Without regard to race -
Dis a war.

That until that day
The dream of lasting peace,
World citizenship
Rule of international morality
Will remain in but a fleeting illusion to be pursued,
But never attained -
Now everywhere is war - war.

And until the ignoble and unhappy regimes
That hold our brothers in Angola,
In Mozambique,
South Africa
Sub-human bondage
Have been toppled,
Utterly destroyed -
Well, everywhere is war -
Me say war.

War in the east,
War in the west,
War up north,
War down south -
War - war -
Rumours of war.
And until that day,
The African continent
Will not know peace,
We Africans will fight - we find it necessary -
And we know we shall win
As we are confident
In the victory

Of good over evil -
Good over evil, yeah!
Good over evil -
Good over evil, yeah!
Good over evil -
Good over evil, yeah! /fadeout/