While doing one of my semi-annual checks to see if famous British reggae artist Eddy Grant had possibly changed his mind about including his huge hit “Electric Avenue” on streaming services (note: he has not)I did find that there were a few select hits by the artist on Spotify as part of reggae compilations. While this may be to the artist’s chagrin (he refuses to have his music on streamers due to the poor way they compensate artists)it did allow me to hear some of these tunes for the first timeand one that really struck me was the 1988 anti-apartheid song “Gimme Hope Jo’Anna”.
With “Jo’Anna” being “Johannesburg”the song makes references to the racial segregation in South Africa at the timebut does so over an ebullientdanceable melody that evokes the hope that the intolerant practice of apartheid will end. It’s this kind of hope that we can all desperately use right nowas Israel and Palestine’s renewed war dominates the newsand as the Ukraine/Russian battles continue.
There’s so much hatred of the “other” in this worldand I’m sure I’m not alone in a feeling of helplessness seeing so many innocent civilians losing their livesstuck in between various forces that don’t value them. While a song from 1988 won’t change thingsit’s a good reminder that there have been horrors in our world’s historyand in time they have been ended. Let this song give you some hope for change in 2024.
