Stephen Biko was a black activist in South Africa during the Apartheid years. The police arrested him at a roadblock, took him to a cell and five of them beat him for 22 hours until he was unconscious. He died of a brain haemorrhage.
Peter Gabriel wrote this song. It sends chills through me.
The eyes of the world are watching every wrong doing. I’d like to believe that was true and that all those torturers will be brought to justice.
“Biko”
Port Elizabeth weather fine
It was business as usual
In police room 619
Oh Biko, Biko, because Biko
Oh Biko, Biko, because Biko
Yihla Moja, Yihla Moja
-The man is dead
When I try to sleep at night
I can only dream in red
The outside world is black and white
With only one colour dead
Oh Biko, Biko, because Biko
Oh Biko, Biko, because Biko
Yihla Moja, Yihla Moja
-The man is dead
You can blow out a candle
But you can’t blow out a fire
Once the flames begin to catch
The wind will blow it higher
Oh Biko, Biko, because Biko
Yihla Moja, Yihla Moja
-The man is dead
And the eyes of the world are
watching now
watching now
Historically, an important song!
Yes Dave. It captures it for me. It was a terrible crime that was committed. The song will always highlight that.
Along with ‘Free Nelson Mandela’ … though right that the outrage over Steve Biko kicked it all off.
Such a shame that South Africa isn’t soaring to the heights. If only Nelson Mandela had been thirty years younger. He was an exceptional man. I think he would have achieved miracles.
I wonder how many people actually remember Steve Biko. Shocking then and shocking now.
I’m sure a lot of people do. His terrible death was instrumental in changing opinion.