Reclaiming Africa (Why Are We Still Struggling?)

INTRO — MARKET SOUNDS, SOFT GUITAR, SPOKEN Four in the morning, Makola Market, Accra. Mama Adjoa sets out her tomatoes, the way she has for thirty-five years. Her grandson Kofi asks her softly: "Grandma, why are we still struggling?" VERSE 1 — PART ONE: IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT Grandma worked from dawn to evening, So did her mother, so did hers, Our grandparents danced at independence, Thought that freedom would be ours. They say it's laziness, they say it's tribe, They say the fault is in our blood— But the borders drawn in a distant room Cut our nations where they stood. PRE-CHORUS It's not your fault, Mama, it's not your fault, The road was bent before we came— But the future is ours to build, And we will not carry the blame! CHORUS — FULL CHOIR, CALL AND RESPONSE Reclaiming Africa! (Reclaiming Africa!) We were made "poor"—we were never poor! Reclaiming Africa! (Reclaiming Africa!) Rich in soil and rich in soul, and rich in so much more! From Makola to the world, hear the people say: It's not our fault, but it's our future— We take it back today! VERSE 2 — PART TWO: HOW THEY KEEP US DOWN, HORNS STAB Divide and rule, they kept us quarrelling, Leaders serving others first, Shipping cocoa, gold and copper raw, Buying back our goods at worst. Then came the debt, a heavy burden, Schools that taught us to look down, Stories told by distant cameras, Foreign bases in our towns. PRE-CHORUS It's not your fault, Mama, it's not your fault, The road was bent before we came— But the future is ours to build, And we will not carry the blame! CHORUS — FULLER Reclaiming Africa! (Reclaiming Africa!) We were made "poor"—we were never poor! Reclaiming Africa! (Reclaiming Africa!) Rich in soil and rich in soul, and rich in so much more! From Makola to the world, hear the people say: It's not our fault, but it's our future— We take it back today! BRIDGE — QUIET, TALKING DRUM AND VOICE Until the lions have their own historians, The hunter tells the tale— So we will write our story now, And we will not fail. Teach the children in their mother tongue, Let our scholars lead the way, Stop being studied, start to study— Africa, this is our day! VERSE 3 — PART THREE: HOW WE CAN CHANGE IT, BUILDING See how every problem links together, Like a chain we can undo, Agenda twenty sixty-three— A plan that's ours to carry through. Process what we grow and what we mine, Trade with neighbours, free and fair, From our dreams to power, step by step, Every hand and every prayer. MUSICAL LIFT — HORNS, DRUMS AND CHOIR RISE FINAL CHORUS — TRIUMPHANT Reclaiming Africa! (Reclaiming Africa!) We were made "poor"—we were never poor! Reclaiming Africa! (Reclaiming Africa!) Rich in soil and rich in soul, and rich in so much more! From Makola to the world, hear the people say: It's not our fault, but it's our future— We take it back today! OUTRO — MUSIC SOFTENS, SPOKEN Kofi took his grandmother's hand. "Grandma, now I know the answer. And now I know the work." CHOIR — GENTLE However far the stream may flow, It never forgets its source… Reclaiming Africa. END