Follow up on Michael Kiwanuka
In the profile of Michael Kiwanuka there were references to his style and how he was influenced by some very famous artists. It does not explain the lyrics or origin . Here I wish to speculate.
Although Michael was born in England in 1987, his parents had earlier lived in Uganda and suffered through Idi Amin's brutal dictatorship.
Excerpt from last weeks Turntable: "Born in Muswell Hill, London in 1987, to Ugandan parents that had fled Idi Amin's regime in the 70's"
I'm sure most of you are familiar with Idi Amin and the atrocities he committed. What is lost in the written communication is the absolute Terror perpetrated on those who suffered through it.
By MICHAEL T. KAUFMANPublished: August 17, 2003Idi Amin, whose eight-year reign of terror in Uganda encompassed widespread killing, torture and dispossession of multitudes and left the country pauperized, died yesterday in Jidda, Saudi Arabia, where he had lived for years in exile. He was believed to have been about 78 years old, though some reports said he was as old as 80.
The devastation he had wreaked lay fully exposed in the scarred ruins of Uganda. The number of people he caused to be killed has been tabulated by exiles and international human rights groups as close to 300,000 out of a total population of 12 million.
Those murdered were mostly anonymous people: farmers, students, clerks and shopkeepers who were shot or forced to bludgeon one another to death by members of death squads, including the chillingly named Public Safety Unit and the State Research Bureau. Along with the military police, these forces numbering 18,000 men were recruited largely from Mr. Amin's home region. They often chose their victims because they wanted their money, houses or women, or because the tribal groups the victims belonged to were marked for humiliation."
Can you imagine the outright TERROR in the lives of those people . . . thinking that any moment they might be the focus of this insane, brutal, dictators violence? Can you imagine how one might try to stay alive or maintain sanity the midst of this lunacy? How long would it take to regain your life after escaping this insanity? What might a mother, who has had this experience, tell her child?
I speculate that Michael's Mother held him close. I speculate that his mother harbored deep insecurities for herself and her loved ones. These feelings and thoughts were transferred to Michael over the years of his youth as his Mother recounted her experience in Uganda. Though today, happy to be away from the terror, the events of the past linger and haunt her. She speaks to him in retrospect. Remembering life in Uganda focused on avoiding confrontation with the "Public Safety Unit" or the "State Research Bureau"
Michael expresses his mothers laments in song. "No more running through the alleys in the nighttime" . "No more running through the wars in the days"
Lyrics:
Mama she said
Got to keep him close to you
Got to keep him close to you
You might be alright
Mama she said
Got to keep him close to you
Got to keep him close to you
You might be alright
No more running through the alleys in the nighttime
No more running through the wars in the days
No more holding on to something just to leave you
Who goes running through those alleys anyway?
Mama she said
Keep it behind you
Keep it behind you
You might be alright
Mama she said
Keep it behind you
Keep it behind you
You might be alright
No more running through the alleys in the nighttime
No more running through the wars in the days
No more holding on to something just to leave you
Who goes running through those alleys anyway?
Mama she said
Hold your head up high
Keep your head up high
You might be alright
Mama she said
Hold your head up high
Keep your head up high
You might be alright
No more running through the alleys in the nighttime
No more running through the wars in the days
No more holding on to something just to leave you
Who goes running through those alleys anyway?
In the profile of Michael Kiwanuka there were references to his style and how he was influenced by some very famous artists. It does not explain the lyrics or origin . Here I wish to speculate.
Although Michael was born in England in 1987, his parents had earlier lived in Uganda and suffered through Idi Amin's brutal dictatorship.
Excerpt from last weeks Turntable: "Born in Muswell Hill, London in 1987, to Ugandan parents that had fled Idi Amin's regime in the 70's"
I'm sure most of you are familiar with Idi Amin and the atrocities he committed. What is lost in the written communication is the absolute Terror perpetrated on those who suffered through it.
By MICHAEL T. KAUFMANPublished: August 17, 2003Idi Amin, whose eight-year reign of terror in Uganda encompassed widespread killing, torture and dispossession of multitudes and left the country pauperized, died yesterday in Jidda, Saudi Arabia, where he had lived for years in exile. He was believed to have been about 78 years old, though some reports said he was as old as 80.
The devastation he had wreaked lay fully exposed in the scarred ruins of Uganda. The number of people he caused to be killed has been tabulated by exiles and international human rights groups as close to 300,000 out of a total population of 12 million.
Those murdered were mostly anonymous people: farmers, students, clerks and shopkeepers who were shot or forced to bludgeon one another to death by members of death squads, including the chillingly named Public Safety Unit and the State Research Bureau. Along with the military police, these forces numbering 18,000 men were recruited largely from Mr. Amin's home region. They often chose their victims because they wanted their money, houses or women, or because the tribal groups the victims belonged to were marked for humiliation."
Can you imagine the outright TERROR in the lives of those people . . . thinking that any moment they might be the focus of this insane, brutal, dictators violence? Can you imagine how one might try to stay alive or maintain sanity the midst of this lunacy? How long would it take to regain your life after escaping this insanity? What might a mother, who has had this experience, tell her child?
I speculate that Michael's Mother held him close. I speculate that his mother harbored deep insecurities for herself and her loved ones. These feelings and thoughts were transferred to Michael over the years of his youth as his Mother recounted her experience in Uganda. Though today, happy to be away from the terror, the events of the past linger and haunt her. She speaks to him in retrospect. Remembering life in Uganda focused on avoiding confrontation with the "Public Safety Unit" or the "State Research Bureau"
Michael expresses his mothers laments in song. "No more running through the alleys in the nighttime" . "No more running through the wars in the days"
Lyrics:
Mama she said
Got to keep him close to you
Got to keep him close to you
You might be alright
Mama she said
Got to keep him close to you
Got to keep him close to you
You might be alright
No more running through the alleys in the nighttime
No more running through the wars in the days
No more holding on to something just to leave you
Who goes running through those alleys anyway?
Mama she said
Keep it behind you
Keep it behind you
You might be alright
Mama she said
Keep it behind you
Keep it behind you
You might be alright
No more running through the alleys in the nighttime
No more running through the wars in the days
No more holding on to something just to leave you
Who goes running through those alleys anyway?
Mama she said
Hold your head up high
Keep your head up high
You might be alright
Mama she said
Hold your head up high
Keep your head up high
You might be alright
No more running through the alleys in the nighttime
No more running through the wars in the days
No more holding on to something just to leave you
Who goes running through those alleys anyway?
Michael has a good start. His sound is unique. The message is sad but intriguing. One thing for sure, if Michael is to succeed, he must broaden his source of compositional inspiration.
Thankfully, there is no more running for Michael or his parents.
Till Next Week
Harv
Thankfully, there is no more running for Michael or his parents.
Till Next Week
Harv