Why Asimbonanga?

I figured I should write something about how I chose the name of my blog.  Originally I was just going to go with "Colette's Study Abroad Blog" or something lame like that.  It just didn't seem right though.  So obviously my next inclination was to name my blog after a song.  Basically anyone who knows me knows how much I love music and what a huge role it plays in my life.  Once I decided on music it was pretty easy for my to narrow in on the song Asimbonanga by Johnny Clegg.

The last time I visited South Africa was 7 years ago.  While we were there, my dad (obviously) wanted to get some popular South African music.  I don't exactly remember where we were when we discovered Johnny Clegg, but I do know that we came home with a couple of CDs because we really liked his music and we've listened to his music off and on since then.

This song was written in 1987 and translates to mean "We have not seen him."  The "him" in this song refers to Nelson Mandela.  A quick little history lesson (I've been trying to learn as much as I can about South Africa before I leave in a week!) - Nelson Mandela was sentenced to life in prison in 1962 for sabotage.  When this song was written, Mandela had been in prison for 25 years.  Although he was in prison, he was a powerful black leader in South Africa who envisioned an anti-apartheid South Africa and fought for what he believed.

In 1990, Mandela was released from prison and in 1994 he was elected as the first President of South Africa in the country's first fully representative democratic election.  This means black, coloured, and white citizens could all vote.  (Also side note: the term coloured basically refers to a different ethnicity/race in South Africa.  It's its own category just like black and white.)  Mandela was South Africa's first black president.  Basically, he is a huge symbol of hope in South Africa and I personally see him as one of history's greatest men to have ever lived.  He fought for what he believed - for himself and for others - and ultimately he succeeded.

Back to the blog name.  Although Asimbonanga is about the South African people yearning for Mandela's release, I think it is a hopeful song.  It's a sign that they never gave up, but continued to fight for what they believed was right.  This is one of the reasons I love South Africa so much!  To me this country exemplifies hope and a promise for the future and I think this powerful song is a perfect example.

I attached the song below.  The video is AWESOME.  Definitely worth watching all 6 minutes.  One more week!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wX9H40q1vlI