Blackshikisha – Amandla Ft. C-Blak & Siyabonga Skhondo

The word is Zulu for power, and anybody who has watched old footage of South African protest songs knows it comes with a call and response. One person shouts it, and the whole crowd is expected to answer. Power is not a small subject, so a record carrying it as a title points to strength, whether personal, communal or political.

Having three voices on one record fits that idea well. Blackshikisha shares the song with C-Blak and Siyabonga Skhondo, and a title like Amandla naturally suggests people standing together, not one man making a speech alone. It also sits comfortably on an EP called Music Take Control, because both names are about holding the steering wheel of your own life.

What I like is how ordinary the idea can become once you step away from rallies and slogans. Power is the person who keeps going to work when the pay is thin. It is the woman who runs a household on very little and still smiles on Sunday. It is the young man who refuses to give up on his dream after the third rejection. Nigerians know that kind of strength very well, because we practise it every day.

This is a record for the week that tries to break you, and for anyone who needs a reminder that they are tougher than their circumstances.

Download MP3