Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Rise Up Naija: Let there be Light [Sound Sultan ft M.I 2010(official video )]

Striking new video from Sound Sultan, featuring M.I. A significant piece on multiple levels.

"I want to be like Moses
Show my people dem to the promised land
[....]
Me I fear this government evil
Rise up Naija
Raise your hands far
Tell them you're tired of their evil"

While the most obvious message of the video is ostensibly critiquing the government promise of electricity by 2010, the reference to "light"/"darkness" and "government evil" and the "promised land" calls on the "Naija" generation to tackle the many layered problems of the nation. "We've been living in darkness for too long."

Note at the end, the poignant dedication:

Let there be light
dedicated to the lost souls in Jos.

Friday, March 05, 2010

Longing

Poems, that fill the moment, from this Sufi poetry site:


Awakened by your love,
I flicker like a candle's light
tryin to hold on in the dark.
Yet, you spare me no blows
and keep asking,
"Why do you complain?"


Rumi - "Whispers of the Beloved" - Maryam Mafi & Azima Melita Kolin


Let sorrowful longing dwell in your heart,
never give up, never losing hope.
The Beloved says, "The broken ones are My darlings."
Crush your heart, be broken.

Shaikh Abu Saeed Abil Kheir - "Nobody, Son of Nobody" - Vraje Abramian



Longing is the core of mystery.
Longing itself brings the cure.
The only rule is, Suffer the pain.

Your desire must be disciplined,
and what you want to happen
in time, sacrificed.

Rumi - The Essential Rumi - Coleman Barks


Zo mu zauna

beautifu Hausa fim song (sorry, my keyboard is having probems with one key...guess which one....), featuring two popuar Hausa artists who have since passed on: Ahmad S. Nuhu and Hauwa A i Dodo.