Black President (1990)

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Black President is a song by South African singer Brenda Fassie. It is listed as the sixth track on her sixth studio album which titled the same, Black President (1990). It was written by Sello "Checco" Twala, Brenda Fassie, and produced by Twala and released on February 8, 1990 through CCP Records.[1]

Black President was generally received with favorable reviews by music critics. The song is especially notable because it became the Anti Apartheid anthem, a protest against the imprisonment of Nelson Mandela and his comrades by the apartheid government.[2]

Key Lyrics

The year 1963

The people's president

Was taken away by security men

All dressed in a uniform

The brutality, brutality

Oh no, my, my black president


Him and his comrades

Were sentenced to isolation

For many painful years

For many painful years

Many painful years

Of hard labor


They broke rocks

But the spirit was never broken

Never broken

Oh no, my, my black president

Background

The songs was one of the track that was written around Mandela's release from prison, who was imprisoned for 27 years in Robben Island (1963–1990) for involvement in political activities in South Africa. Thus the song started with “The year 1963”, noting the start of Mandela’s imprisonment.[3]

Reference

  1. https://noisey.vice.com/da/article/69w4yz/theres-much-more-to-brenda-fassie-than-her-pro-mandela-anthem. Nathalie Olah. 8 December 2013. Vice. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
  2. https://www.power987.co.za/culture/political-songs-black-president-brenda-fassie/. Vukile Dlwati. 1 March 2019. POWER 98.7. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
  3. http://pltfrm.co.za/track-of-the-day-brenda-fassie-black-president/. Andy Petersen. 6 December 2013. platform.co.za. Retrieved January 20, 2021.