Still Timely Message from Johnny Clegg and Nelson Mandela

"Everything is going to work out in the end, and if it doesn't work out, it ain't the end!"

At times like this, with the Israeli regime embarked on genocide in Gaza with the complicity of the Biden administration, it is very difficult to take a more hopeful view of the future.

Yes, there is internal dissent in both governments. Yes, there are widespread protests around the world. Progressive Jewish, Palestinian, and other voices, even in the United States, are demanding a ceasefire. Yes, it should not be hard for most people to reject terrorist violence against civilians whether the perpetrators are non-state groups or national governments.

I don´t have more words to add to the post I sent a few days ago with excerpts from other sources. But I thought I would share these musical messages from that I just revisited online and find still timely today. 

South African musician Johnny Clegg, died in 2019 of pancreatic cancer at the age of 66. He is best known outside South Africa for his song "Asimbonanga" calling for the  release of Nelson Mandela. Fortunately his music is still widely available on YouTube. 

In the first video below, he began with the message quoted above. In the second video, his performance in Germany was unexpectedly (to him) joined by Mandela himself. The third video is one of his most viewed performances, set in Cape Town, and the final video a tribute to him before his death by fellow South African musicians.

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For more selections, see this playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3ZXDstm9OyN4wt2MfcBzOnYqWF7mpmSQ

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