A couple of weeks back my workplace did a seminar on agent navigation in conflict zones, and among the presented case stories was Emmerson Amidu Bockarie (links to Wikipedia).
I’ve always liked grass roots rebel music, and this anti-corruption musician from Sierra Leone immediately caught my interest. The lyric is essentially a cry at the elected and corrupt officials of Sierra Leone, posing the proposition that with you leading us maybe yesterday was better than today? which is a powerful statement, with regards to Sierra Leone’s past wars.
Download the song from Awareness Times in wma: Yesterday Betteh Pass Today?
Who knows if na Bogus dem bin dae make nar Focus? […WHO KNOWS?]
Say the first things first nar we belleh
Business dem dae close; Tax dae go high
Teachers salary nar the same
Infact money nor dae flow
(…)
Sometem we go bellefull tumara
But no one knows tomorrow
Ar nor know for you
Me yesterday betteh pass tiday
His lyrics are in Krio, a language which vocabulary is derived primarily from English, while its sound system, grammar and sentence structure are heavily influenced by at least 12 African languages. If you want to read the text yourself, stop by the Awareness Times’ article. Happy listening!