Uneven Development: Listening to the 'South', Listening to Vancouver

Tiken Jah Fakoly is an Ivoirian musician living in political exile in Mali. His lyrics and message are very powerful and I believe he captures the contraditions and inconsistencies that exist in West African and North-South politics.  This post actually consists of two song – though I’ve only posted the one video (Viens Voir has no music video) – because the totality of his message cannot be grasped in a single song (or even two songs, for that matter).

Y’en a Marre (We’ve Had Enough) critiques the relationships that has existed between North and South as captured by dependency theory.

Translation of lyrics:

(Chorus: )
We’ve had enough

Africa has had enough

We’ve had enough

The people have had enough

Journalists assassinated

Because of assassin presidents

Generals in command

Oppressed populations

Aid to the countries diverted

Famished populations

The nations funds squandered
Human Rights ignored

(Chorus)

After the abolition of slavery

They created colonization

Once we found the solution

They created ‘cooperation’

As we denounced that situation

They created globalization

Without explaining globalization

Babylon* is exploiting us

(Chorus)

{Yaniss Odua :}

We must stop supporting this

The life of our brothers doesn’t count for

this gang of vampires**

Stop the wars keep the faith

Faya (fire) on all the heads of state that

send us to kill our brothers

They don’t respect us

It’s the same thing for their laws

They don’t even look when the people

reclaim their rights

They absolutely do not share the money

It’s not that there isn’t any

They do nothing for our sisters who

sell themselves to live in this world

(Chorus)

Assassin-presidents

We want no more!

Generals in command

We want no more!

Child soldiers

We want no more!

Orphans of war

We want no more!

(Chorus)

Africa has had enough

Of all these plots

My people have had enough

Of all these manipulations

Africa has had enough

Of all these exploitations

My people have had enough

Of all this oppression

Africa has had enough

*Babylon: a reggae/rasta term meaning the (corrupt) establishment, ‘the man’, the system, the authority and, in this case, the North and modernity.

**Vampire: another reggae/rastafari term meaning the oppressor, the exploiter.

Viens Voir (Come See) (Viens Voir video) is a critique of the mainstream development initiatives that often depict and refer to Africa as a destitute and helpless. Rather, Tiken affirms – and not only in this song – that Africa is a place of richness. Resource rich, cultural richness and diversity, generosity. Tiken rejects the notion that Africa needs to be saved by the North.

Translation of Viens Voir:

(Chorus)

Come see, come see

Come see, come see

You who speaks without knowing

Bamako, Abidjan or Dakar
Sierra Leone, Namibia, Kenya

Come see

My Africa is not what they would have you believe

Why always the same faces?

Why always the same comments?

Why always the same reportages

To listen to them, my Africa would be nothing but drought and famine

When we listen to them, my Africa is nothing but combat and mine fields

Come see
(Chorus)

My Africa is not what they make you think

Not a word on the history of the continent

On the civilizations and riches of the past

Not a word on the values

The people who welcome you, their hand on their heart

(Chorus)

My Africa is not what they want you to believe

Africa is not what they want you to believe

Come into our families

Come into our villages

You will know what is hospitality

Warmth, smiles, generosity

Come see those who have nothing

See how they give

You will leave rich

You will never be able to forget

Come see

Both these songs are sung in French, but Tiken Jah Fakoly also sings in Djoula and occassionally English. These two songs also both address international issues, whereas many of his songs are focused on domestic issues in Cote D’Ivoire and other West African countries.

Enjoy,

Skyler