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Blakk Rasta Tackles Xenophobia In South Africa With New Song

...'A LETTER TO SHABALALA'
Music News Blakk Rasta Tackles Xenophobia In South Africa With New Song
APR 25, 2019 LISTEN

Ghana's legendary Dub Poet and Kuchoko/Reggae artiste, Blakk Rasta, visited South Africa for the first time to familiarise himself with the goings on in the country after a much -publicised xenophobic slaughter of Africans in the hands of their South African counterparts.

The radio show host wrote and shot a video for his poem, A LETTER TO SHABALALA in Johannesburg in 2017 which featured a popular South African actor/cultural dancer, Xolani Ntombela. Barely two years after these unfortunate attacks, renewed xenophobic killings hit South Africa again claiming the several lives.

This time around, Blakk Rasta's A LETTER TO SHABALALA poem gained huge support and went viral all over Africa as Africans united against these cold-blooded murders in that country. Several heads of governments of Africa spoke against it including South African president and, opposition leader, Julius Malema.

Nevertheless, a few weeks after the attacks subsided, chickens seem to be coming home to roost. Ntobela who featured in the Blakk Rasta anti-xeno video is about losing his job with Lesidi Cultural Center in the Kwazulu Natale province of South Africa. South African authorities are blaming the Zulu indigene for helping a foreigner malign Zulus and South Africa.

In an interview with Blakk Rasta, he was shocked that a professional could be victimised for playing a role in a creative piece. "How can an actor be punished for playing a thief role in a movie? Does that movie role make him a real thief? A movie role does not necessarily translate into a real-life situation. A drunk in a movie does not have to be drunk in real life. I am overly disappointed"

Lesedi Cultural Village, where the video was shot is asking the artiste to issue a disclaimer as tourists are beginning to avoid going to the place after having seen the video in their various countries. "It is very bad. We don't want to lose tourists. We are not xenophobic neither do we support it. We love all people but this video is tainting our image and seemingly aligning us to politics. We are losing tourists for no fault of ours" Llyod, Director of the South African arts village complained.

The shocked Blakk Rasta said his next step will be to seek justice for Ntombela and all the massacred individuals in the heinous xenophobic murders in South Africa. He looks at speaking with the Amnesty International, UN, AU and passionate leaders of the world against xenophobia. "I am glad my message has reached all four corners of the earth. I am, however, sad that an innocent person is being victimised. Xolani Ntombela should rather be awarded for playing so well in a poetic video like this. " Blakk Rasta concluded.

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