Brenda Fassie - My Black President (A Tribute To Nelson Mandela) video & lyrics
This post showcases Brenda Fassie's song "My Black President". This song was composed, recorded, and released in 1983 as a tribute to Nelson Mandela who was imprisoned in South Africa for his anti-apartheid actions. Fassie added another verse to this song when Nelson Mandela was elected president of South Africa in 1994. She sang this song during Nelson Mandela's inauguration.
The content of this post is presented for cultural, historical, educational, and aesthetic purposes.
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Nelson Mandela
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Mandela
"[Nelson] Mandela served 27 years in prison, initially on Robben Island, and later in Pollsmoor Prison and Victor Verster Prison. An international campaign lobbied for his release, which was granted in 1990 amid escalating civil strife [in the nation of South Africa]."
-snip-
From http://www.ask.com/question/when-did-nelson-mandela-become-president
"Nelson Mandela became president on 10th May 1994 after South Africa's first multi-racial elections were held on 27 April 1994. The African National Congress (ANC) won 62% of the votes in the election, and Mandela, as leader of the ANC, was inaugurated as the country's first black President. He presided over the transition from minority rule and apartheid, winning international respect for his advocacy of national and international reconciliation."
Brenda Fassie
From http://www.answers.com/topic/brenda-fassie#ixzz2mrnELZhT
"Known as the "Madonna of the Townships" or simply as the "undisputed queen of the vocals," and generally deemed one of South Africa's biggest female pop stars of recent years, Brenda Fassie [born in 1964] notched a long string of infectious pop hits. Her music was deeply woven into the fabric of South African life, and more than once her music played a role in the country's tumultuous political scene. A major talent whose popularity survived several waves of musical fashion and extended at its height to Europe and the United States, Fassie struggled with personal demons before dying a tragically early death in 2004.
By 1983 Fassie had formed an act of her own called Brenda and the Big Dudes, and that year she had a breakthrough hit with "Weekend Special," singing in the disco-flavored "bubblegum" style. "Weekend Special" sold over 200,000 copies and had an extended life in cover versions and remixes, including one by New York producer Van Gibbs in 1986 that spent eight weeks on Billboard magazine's Hot Black Singles chart. The song's international success led to a Fassie tour of the United States, Europe, Australia, and Brazil.
After parting ways with the Big Dudes, Fassie partnered with producer Sello "Chicco" Twala to record the 1989 album Too Late for Mama. Among several hits that became widely known in South Africa's black townships was "Black President," a single that looked forward to the dismantling of the country's apartheid system. That song was banned for a time by the South African government, but Fassie's popularity only increased."...
LYRICS: MY BLACK PRESIDENT
(Brenda Fassie)
The year 1963
The people's president
Was taken away by security men
All dressed in a uniform
The brutality, brutality
Oh no, my, my black president
Him and his comrades
Were sentenced to isolation
For many painful years
For many painful years
Many painful years
Of hard labor
They broke rocks
But the spirit was never broken
Never broken
Oh no, my, my black president
Hmm maa, hmm maa, hmm ma mama
Hmm maa, hmm maa, hmm ma mama
Hmm maa, hmm maa, hmm ma Madiba
Hmm maa, hmm maa, hmm ma Madiba
Ahh uyem-yem
They broke rocks
But the spirit was never broken
Never broken
Oh my black president
Let us rejoice for our president
Let us sing for our president
Let us pray for our president
Let us sing, let us dance
For Madiba, Madiba's freedom
Now in 1990
The people's president
Came out from jail
Raised up his hand and said
"Viva, viva, my people"
He walked the long road
Back, back to freedom
Back to freedom
Freedom for my black president
Let us rejoice for our president
Let us sing for our president
et us pray for our president
Let us sing, let us dance
For Madiba, Madiba's freedom
We thank You Lord,
For listening to our prayers
Oh, my president
I will die for my president
I will sing for my president
I will stand and say
Viva, viva, viva, viva, viva, viva my president
RIP Mandiba Nelson Mandela (18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013)
The content of this post is presented for cultural, historical, educational, and aesthetic purposes.
*
Nelson Mandela
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Mandela
"[Nelson] Mandela served 27 years in prison, initially on Robben Island, and later in Pollsmoor Prison and Victor Verster Prison. An international campaign lobbied for his release, which was granted in 1990 amid escalating civil strife [in the nation of South Africa]."
-snip-
From http://www.ask.com/question/when-did-nelson-mandela-become-president
"Nelson Mandela became president on 10th May 1994 after South Africa's first multi-racial elections were held on 27 April 1994. The African National Congress (ANC) won 62% of the votes in the election, and Mandela, as leader of the ANC, was inaugurated as the country's first black President. He presided over the transition from minority rule and apartheid, winning international respect for his advocacy of national and international reconciliation."
Brenda Fassie
From http://www.answers.com/topic/brenda-fassie#ixzz2mrnELZhT
"Known as the "Madonna of the Townships" or simply as the "undisputed queen of the vocals," and generally deemed one of South Africa's biggest female pop stars of recent years, Brenda Fassie [born in 1964] notched a long string of infectious pop hits. Her music was deeply woven into the fabric of South African life, and more than once her music played a role in the country's tumultuous political scene. A major talent whose popularity survived several waves of musical fashion and extended at its height to Europe and the United States, Fassie struggled with personal demons before dying a tragically early death in 2004.
By 1983 Fassie had formed an act of her own called Brenda and the Big Dudes, and that year she had a breakthrough hit with "Weekend Special," singing in the disco-flavored "bubblegum" style. "Weekend Special" sold over 200,000 copies and had an extended life in cover versions and remixes, including one by New York producer Van Gibbs in 1986 that spent eight weeks on Billboard magazine's Hot Black Singles chart. The song's international success led to a Fassie tour of the United States, Europe, Australia, and Brazil.
After parting ways with the Big Dudes, Fassie partnered with producer Sello "Chicco" Twala to record the 1989 album Too Late for Mama. Among several hits that became widely known in South Africa's black townships was "Black President," a single that looked forward to the dismantling of the country's apartheid system. That song was banned for a time by the South African government, but Fassie's popularity only increased."...
LYRICS: MY BLACK PRESIDENT
(Brenda Fassie)
The year 1963
The people's president
Was taken away by security men
All dressed in a uniform
The brutality, brutality
Oh no, my, my black president
Him and his comrades
Were sentenced to isolation
For many painful years
For many painful years
Many painful years
Of hard labor
They broke rocks
But the spirit was never broken
Never broken
Oh no, my, my black president
Hmm maa, hmm maa, hmm ma mama
Hmm maa, hmm maa, hmm ma mama
Hmm maa, hmm maa, hmm ma Madiba
Hmm maa, hmm maa, hmm ma Madiba
Ahh uyem-yem
They broke rocks
But the spirit was never broken
Never broken
Oh my black president
Let us rejoice for our president
Let us sing for our president
Let us pray for our president
Let us sing, let us dance
For Madiba, Madiba's freedom
Now in 1990
The people's president
Came out from jail
Raised up his hand and said
"Viva, viva, my people"
He walked the long road
Back, back to freedom
Back to freedom
Freedom for my black president
Let us rejoice for our president
Let us sing for our president
et us pray for our president
Let us sing, let us dance
For Madiba, Madiba's freedom
We thank You Lord,
For listening to our prayers
Oh, my president
I will die for my president
I will sing for my president
I will stand and say
Viva, viva, viva, viva, viva, viva my president
RIP Mandiba Nelson Mandela (18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013)
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