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about
“Niger Delta Blues” addresses the ongoing ecological disaster and environmental crisis in the oil reach Niger Delta region of Nigeria. The song features Afrobeat co-creator Tony Allen on drums.
lyrics
Intro chant:
Ẹ wá w’aiyé òshèlú, òshèlú alábòsí - alábòsí
Ẹ wá w’aiyé òshèlú o, òshèlú alábòsí - kí l’ọ́n she?
Wọn f’owó ìlú s’ápò, wọ́n she b’áwọn gbọ́n -
Wọ́n she b’áwon gbọ́n
Ẹ wá w’aiyé òshèlú - òshèlú, òshèlú alábòsí - alábòsí
Ẹ wá w’aiyé òshèlú o, òshèlú alábòsí - kí l’ọ́n she?
Wọ́n f’owó ìlú s’ápò, wọ́n she b’áwọn gbọ́n - wọ́n f’owó mu’tí
Ẹ wá w’aiyé òshèlú, òshèlú alábòsí - wọ́n f’owó b’ẹ́bò
Ẹ wá w’aiyé òshèlú o, òshèlú alábòsí - kí l’ọ́n she? wọ́n f’owó j’aiyé
Wọ́n f’owó ìlú s’ápò, wọ́n she b’áwọn gbọ́n
Verse 1:
Fellow countrymen & women
We have gathered here to protest the environmental devastation
Caused by the oil industry in the Niger Delta
The inhumane conditions under which our people are forced to live Is a constant reminder that we do not belong to the artificial entity called Nigeria
There are no schools, medical clinics or social services in most of our villages, no electricity, no clean drinking water
Malaria, typhoid and cholera
Are a given in this tropical disease epic center
We understand that a war is being consciously waged against our people
A genocide of the highest proportion
In a country where all nations are supposed to be equal
Billions worth of our oil Dollars
Are pumped out of our land every year
But still no one seems to care
Our plight, our cries, our grievances
We have brought before the world's attention on numerous occasions
We have petitioned the African Union, United Nations
And all kinds of international institutions
Yet there have been no reactions
Our women, our men, our children
The elderly and weak
Are still being murdered
Cold-blooded
Jungle justice style
Chorus:
Niger Delta Blues
My people dem dey cry
Dem dey kpeme dey go
Niger Delta Blues
My people dem dey cry
Dem dey kpeme dey go
Dem dey kpeme dey go
Verse 2:
Twenty years after the Ogoni Nine
The blues of the Niger Delta has now become the blues of Nigeria
Yours and mine
We sing in unison to the melodies of pain, deceit and shame
A nation high on petrodollars
And the giant of Africa hype
Reinvents the narrative of the oppressed turned oppressor
With clichés and stereotypes
Unwilling and unable to search deep within
We lack the morality or courage to wipe our slates clean
Decades of dictatorships
World Bank, IMF loans and shock therapy
Have crushed our resistance and taken its toll
Broken and pained we have learnt the hard way
That disaster-capitalism was invented
Only to protect its own
All hail the shoeless, clueless
For the one-eyed has been crowned king
His entourage of militants, neo-liberals and fanatics
Perfectly positioned on the side wings
Court jesters now openly mock our struggle
And claim to be the voice of our people
Our demand for restitution
Has been hijacked with brute force and muscle
We know divide and rule has always been the order of the day
Nigerians remember: “no victor, no vanquished”
That’s how you keep the uprising at bay
Chorus:
Niger Delta Blues
My people dem dey cry
Dem dey kpeme dey go
Niger Delta Blues
My people dem dey cry
My people dem dey cry
credits
released December 9, 2020
Written & Composed by BANTU
Produced by Aman Junaid
BANTU is a 13-piece Afrofunk/Afrobeat musical collective Their music is an eclectic fusion of the rich musical heritage of
Nigeria and the hybrid sounds of urban Africa and the diaspora. The band political lyrics reflect their strong stance against corruption,, social and economic injustices, urban alienation and xenophobia ....more
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