The Egyptian people triumphed today – but not without a little help from the former Fugees rapper and erstwhile Haitian presidential candidate, Wyclef Jean.
The rapper uploaded his song ” ‘Freedom’ (Song for Egypt)” on to YouTube this morning. This afternoon, Hosni Mubarak stepped down. Coincidence?
After being barred from running for president of Haiti in 2010 because he was not a resident there, perhaps Jean will consider running to become president of his Egyptian “sisters and brothers”.
From “La Marseillaise” to Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind”, songs have the power to inspire protesters. Let’s wait and see if the latest offering from Jean, a self-styled Bob Marley for the YouTube generation, will become the soundtrack to this revolution.
In the song, he sings of “the scars of courage” on the faces of his “sisters and brothers”, and draws on Egypt’s history:
If the pyramids could talk they probably would say we want freedom,
Cairo wants freedom, the youth want their freedom, they want a peaceful solution.
I see the camels in the desert,
But they don’t have no riders . . .
He assures the Egyptian people:
Allah has not forgotten you, he is grateful.
Jean is no stranger to mixing politics and music. He has likened himself to the Haitian revolutionary Touissant l’Ouverture, saying, “Revolution is in my bloodline.” When protest broke out in Egypt he changed his picture on Twitter to an Egyptian flag. Clearly, Mubarak was able to withstand the protests of thousands of his fellow Egyptians – but Wyclef’s video proved too much . . .
Over in Tunisia, the rapper Hamada Ben-Amor released a song protesting at the rule of the then president, Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali. The video became a YouTube sensation as protests continued in the country. The 22-year-old was subsequently arrested, and the authorities refuse to comment on the situation.
If this has whetted your appetite for music that champions a cause, check out the New Statesman‘s top 20 political songs. For a slightly more serious analysis of Mubarak’s exit, go here.
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