DESCRIPTION:
Manfred Mann's Earth Band - "Brothers and Sisters of Africa" and "Africa Suite" - Lyrics on screen and in description. In tribute to Nelson Mandela.

These two antiapartheid songs are from the Manfred Mann's Earth Band CD, "Somewhere in Afrika".

(The following is part of a review by Dan Pine.)

"Somewhere in Afrika" is a fabulous collection of socially conscious songs from art rock band, Manfred Mann's Earth Band. Originally recorded and released in Europe in 1982, the album was re-released 2 years later in 1984 to an international market, where it achieved notable attention.

This is a concept album that addresses themes concerning aparteid, and became a forerunner to many other musical projects that later addressed social concerns and international issues. (Paul Simon's "Graceland"/Peter Gabriel's solo work/Sun City project,to name a few, would shortly follow...)

Apartheid (Afrikaans pronunciation: [ɐˈpɑːrtɦɛit]; from Afrikaans "the state of being apart") was a system of racial segregation enforced through legislation by the National Party (NP) governments, who were the ruling party of South Africa from 1948 to 1994. Under it, the rights of the majority black inhabitants of South Africa were curtailed and white supremacy and Afrikaner minority rule was maintained. Apartheid was developed after World War II by the Afrikaner-dominated National Party and Broederbond organisations and was practised also in South West Africa, which was administered by South Africa under a League of Nations mandate (revoked in 1966 via United Nations Resolution 2145, until it gained independence as Namibia in 1990.

Racial segregation in South Africa began in colonial times under Dutch and British rule. However, apartheid as an official policy was introduced following the general election of 1948. New legislation classified inhabitants into four racial groups ("native", "white", "coloured", and "Asian"), and residential areas were segregated, sometimes by means of forced removals.

During the South African Apartheid, the 1950 Population Registration Act was enacted. Every person had to complete a questionnaire so that their race and tribal affiliation and language, etc., could be documented. A passbook was issued to each person for identification purposes. The families of black people were split up if the husband was from one tribe and the wife from a different tribe. This is because people were forced to live in certain provinces set up for members of their tribe.

Non-white political representation was completely abolished in 1970, and starting in that year black people were deprived of their citizenship, legally becoming citizens of one of ten tribally based self-governing homelands called bantustans, four of which became nominally independent states. The government segregated education, medical care, beaches, and other public services, and provided black people with services inferior to those of white people. The vestiges of apartheid still shape South African politics and society.

"Africa Suite: Brothers and Sisters of Africa" Lyrics:

Brothers and Sisters of Africa
It's still the same
The words they use are just a game
Mothers and Daughters of Africa
It's not for me
To say to you what you must do
Amandla awethu
Maatla aruna
Brothers and Sisters of Africa
Amandla
You always knew
Awethu
That history belonged to you
Maatla aruna
Amandla awethu
Maatla..

"Africa Suite: To Bantustan?" Lyrics:

What do they do with a man whose Father was a Swazi ?
What do they do with a man whose Mother was a Zulu ?
Where do they send him ?
Where do they send him ?

What do they do if that man's Grandmother was a Tsonga ?
Do they send him to Kwazulu, Bophuthatswana or Transkei ?
I ask why ?
What do they do to a man ?
They take away his freedom
What do they do to a man ?
They take away his woman
Where do they send her ?
Where do they send her ?
What do they do to a man ?
They take away his children
Oh, they send him to Kwazulu, Bophuthatswana or Transkei
I ask why ?

Amandla, awethu...(Repeated)

KOZE KOBENINI
(aproximate translation)
How long must we wait?
How long will they keep kiling our leaders?
How long must we suffer?

No Kwazulu, No Bophuthatswana, i. Ciskei...(Repeated)