Lucky Dube
"Nobody can stop reggae.
Nobody can stop reggae.
Nobody can stop reggae.
'Cos reggae's strong."
You can change the style of playing reggae
You can change the rhythm of playing reggae
But never change the message every time I play it, a Babylon A wish me fe dead, a wish me fe dead"
Those are the wonderful lyrics of one of the greatest tunes of the South African Reggae legend, Lucky Dube. October 18 marks the 5th anniversary of the murder superstar in his country.
Through hard work, Lucky rose to be Africa's bestselling and outspoken reggae star; unfortunately, he didn't live long to enjoy the fruits of his labour. Lucky met his untimely death in an attempted car hijack.
In one of his interviews granted to me at the Pole-Pole festival in Antwerp, Belgium, a couple of years ago, Lucky said, "I know that the fall of Apartheid, I was part of it in some way."
His music was just like an arrow piercing through the flesh of the bad ones and the light to those engulfed in perpetual darkness. Truly, some great people don't live long. In a relatively short period, Lucky recorded 22 classic albums in Zulu and English.
Even though Lucky is gone, his music will never die. His music is aired more than any African reggae star. May his soul rest in peace, and music continue to inspire others like his daughter Nkule, and others to follow him.
Nelson Mandela became president of South Africa after 27 years in prison, but he didn't have a magic wand to solve all the problems created by Apartheid leaders.
As a matter of fact, South Africans have suffered a great deal from grim terrorism, segregation, mass killings, and imprisonment without trial under the minority white rule, before the fall of Apartheid.
The coming of Nelson Mandela as the first elected president of the Republic of South Africa gave hope to many South Africans, with the idea that poverty is over and everyone will have the chance for better education and job opportunities.
Unfortunately, their thoughts are what one could call wishful thinking. Nelson Mandela doesn't have the magic wand to heal a nation that has been crippled for ages with the Apartheid virus, which has created a big difference between "white rich and black poor."
Unemployment soared, coupled with a high rate of crime. The suffering escalated when the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome started taking its toll on them.
Under the administration of Jacob Zuma, South Africa hosted the just-concluded World Cup. Before the match, South Africans thought the tournament would help to create job opportunities for them. Unfortunately, the game has ended with South Africans facing another bleak future.
The World Cup has certainly put South Africa more firmly in a global perspective as the first African country to host a World Cup tournament. The question now is "what is next after all the money made in this World Cup?
Would that create more jobs to improve the welfare of the people? Time will tell, or God only knows.
