Louise, you are so kind to include a description of my Substack. Asante sana ndugu! This IS a really great song and even more so when I know the story behind it. Thank you for ALL of your Songs of Social Protest. I enjoy reading about their historical context and you give them new, proper life, these timeless songs. What a fun and engaging way to teach language (Japanese and English), culture, history, and humanity. You are a wonderful teacher!
(blushing) Thank you, Mmerikani, one of my first friends here on Substack! What a very warm compliment. The songs wouldn’t be possible without the struggles of so many people, famous and unknown, whose lives can inspire us as well as give us warnings.
Asante, my friend, for reading and for your ongoing support❣️(and for teaching me ‘asante’.)🙃
Thank you, Louise, for the introduction of amazingly resilient musicians.
Just a thought of how they feel when they sing/play this song makes me feel sad and even suffocating because (I guess) they can’t sing/play this song (their own unreasonable experience) without recalling what they don’t want to recall (maybe I'm wrong about this, but right or wrong, they are super resilient).
By the way, I’ve never seen a four-string acoustic guitar (2:12). I was wondering it is another creative adaptation of theirs just like their tricycles.
Yes, they are, indeed, resilient! I wonder if that isn't an acoustic bass guitar. The strings seem to be larger than they would be on an acoustic guitar, so I'm guessing it is. You're very observant!🎸
When I was a young girl of perhaps 9 or 10 years old, I was terrified of diseases like Polio or Scarlet fever and leprosy only had to be mentioned in conversation and I would tremble (perhaps the reason I am the worse nurse to sick people imaginable..?) it wasn't until I was in my mid-teens I accepted, through school projects and my poor mothers gentle persuasion, the unlikelihood of ever catching any of them... So you can imagine how fearful I was last year when we had a suspected case of Scarlet fever in the school I worked!
I saw such people as Staff Benda Bilili in Jakarta, too many, they all had homemade contraptions for transporting themselves and every single one had a smile!
Thank you for sharing this song Louise, I love African music, even more so when the message is important.
Another sad story.
Yes, but there is hope with education and access to vaccines!
Louise, you are so kind to include a description of my Substack. Asante sana ndugu! This IS a really great song and even more so when I know the story behind it. Thank you for ALL of your Songs of Social Protest. I enjoy reading about their historical context and you give them new, proper life, these timeless songs. What a fun and engaging way to teach language (Japanese and English), culture, history, and humanity. You are a wonderful teacher!
(blushing) Thank you, Mmerikani, one of my first friends here on Substack! What a very warm compliment. The songs wouldn’t be possible without the struggles of so many people, famous and unknown, whose lives can inspire us as well as give us warnings.
Asante, my friend, for reading and for your ongoing support❣️(and for teaching me ‘asante’.)🙃
Thank you, Louise, for the introduction of amazingly resilient musicians.
Just a thought of how they feel when they sing/play this song makes me feel sad and even suffocating because (I guess) they can’t sing/play this song (their own unreasonable experience) without recalling what they don’t want to recall (maybe I'm wrong about this, but right or wrong, they are super resilient).
By the way, I’ve never seen a four-string acoustic guitar (2:12). I was wondering it is another creative adaptation of theirs just like their tricycles.
Mitsuru Hiki
Yes, they are, indeed, resilient! I wonder if that isn't an acoustic bass guitar. The strings seem to be larger than they would be on an acoustic guitar, so I'm guessing it is. You're very observant!🎸
When I was a young girl of perhaps 9 or 10 years old, I was terrified of diseases like Polio or Scarlet fever and leprosy only had to be mentioned in conversation and I would tremble (perhaps the reason I am the worse nurse to sick people imaginable..?) it wasn't until I was in my mid-teens I accepted, through school projects and my poor mothers gentle persuasion, the unlikelihood of ever catching any of them... So you can imagine how fearful I was last year when we had a suspected case of Scarlet fever in the school I worked!
I saw such people as Staff Benda Bilili in Jakarta, too many, they all had homemade contraptions for transporting themselves and every single one had a smile!
Thank you for sharing this song Louise, I love African music, even more so when the message is important.
I hope your weekend is a cosy one. 💛xx