The Dave Matthews Band’s song “Cry Freedom” reflects on the importance of acquiring and experiencing one’s independence from unjust servitude. The songwriter goes in depth about the struggle many individuals faced, as well as the corruption and loss of innocence that accompanies subjugation. The subject of the song’s text, South African Apartheid, that began in the late 1940s and ended in the early 1990s. This act of legal segregation, ensured that an all-white government would reign, though whites were a minority group. This political structure was established by the National Party. According to researcher and author, John E. Holloway, apartheid means that each obstacle faced should be carried out and considered a separate problem, “apart” from solving the whole issue (Holloway 29). During this period of legal discrimination in South Africa, there was a maintained belief that,
“Discrimination or apartheid is necessary to place the greatly varying constituent parts in such positions as to make possible a constructive approach to the major problem of the large Bantu population as well as to the lesser problems of the minority groups” (Holloway 29).
The government viewed the white demographic as superior despite being a minority. The white Africans were perceived to be more essential and prominent beings to the rest of the world than black South Africans were at this time.
127 our experts are availableright now
The forceful and overwhelming political power in the region of South Africa at that time essentially guaranteed that the oppressed majority would suffer economically and socially for generations. For example, land previously belonging to the Bantus was redistributed and interracial marriage was outlawed. The tight grasp the white government held over black South Americans stripped people of their right to freedom and fair treatment.
The struggles experienced by many South Africans, and more specifically the Bantu people, is echoed in the repetition of the word “cry,” which evokes the dramatic and artistic intention of the songwriter. This single word challenges the listener to imagine both the pain felt by those whose freedom was stolen as well as the joy of achieving one’s natural rights after decades of struggle.
Matthews continues, “From deep inside, where we are all confined,” indicating the juxtaposition of emotions. The word “confined” suggests that the people are stuck and that they cannot change their present state; they cling little to strands of hope. Hence, they are crying for freedom, desperate to be whole once again. Near the end of the song, the lyrics “hear what I say” are repeated. Matthews projects his single voice to speak for the silent millions. The fight to establish fair laws and regulations will lead to the end of apartheid. Matthews calls out in support of the abused and persecuted South African people. His actions have additional weight as South Africa is his homeland.
Government corruption is represented by the lyrics, “Let this flag burn to dust and a new a fair design be raised.” The people want a new flag, a symbolic representation of a government protections, not stealing, freedom. The National Party’s establishment of new rules and regulations such as land redistribution and restitution, the deprivation of education to South African children, and marriage laws (Gibson 136) . The song also uses the lyrics, “we wave hands in fire,” which could stand for the protesting of the people symbolized by the waving hands in the fire, or the abusive government.
The repetition of the metaphor regarding burning and fire represents the destruction of the South African government and what it used to be to the people who are now treated as outsiders and criminals in their own home. Fire is also representative of corruption in that it destroys whatever was previously there. Prior to the National Party and Afrikaner control of South Africa, discrimination and segregation were not at the forefront of the laws presiding over the region. Fortunately for the black Africans, this unjust form of government is recognized by the 1973 Convention “that apartheid is a crime against humanity and this inhumane act is the consequence of the policies and practices of racial segregation and discrimination,” (Malekian 244). The corrupt government and cruel treatment was eventually recognized as an invasion of human rights and seen as a violation of international criminal law.
The song “Cry Freedom” not only speaks about the upsetting reality that the black South Africans had to face during this time of segregation, but it also refers to the loss of innocence that arose as a result. For example, the song says, “In this room stood a little child and in this room this little child she would remain until someone might decide to dance this little child across the hall into a cold, dark, space where she might never trace her way across this crooked mile,” which translates to a child who has lost his or her innocence. The dance that the song is referring to is the back and forth struggle between what was morally right and what was common law. It refers to a child because they are the epitome of purity. The song more specifically uses the example of a female child because at this time females were considered to be less knowledgeable or more naive of the real issues. Once a child’s rights are taken away and they are exposed to the reality of what is going on outside of their homes, they enter the “dark” and “cold” space that is now empty and unfamiliar.
The apartheid era was influential in the creative process leading up to the performing and writing of the song “Cry Freedom.” Through lyrics the artist is able to express the struggle, the corruption, and the loss of innocence that consumed many people’s lives at this point in time. In the 1990s, South Africans were able to begin the healing process thanks to the mighty efforts of people such as Nelson Mandela, F.W. de Klerk and Bishop Desmond Tutu. The age of apartheid, which brought separation, discrimination, and segregation was finally over. Yet, the scars remain.
Works Cited
- Gibson, James L. ‘Land Redistribution/Restitution in South Africa: A Model of Multiple Values, as the Past Meets the Present.’ British Journal of Political Science, vol. 40, no. 1, Jan. 2010, pp. 135-69. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/40649427.pdf?refreqid=excelsior%3Aedf3bee0692d9b99f0ded0c915e3ccb6. Accessed 18 Sept. 2018.
- Holloway, John E. ‘Apartheid.’ The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, vol. 306, pp. 26-37. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1030730?Search=yes&resultItemClick=true&searchText=South&searchText=African&searchText=apartheid&searchText=background&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3DSouth%2BAfrican%2Bapartheid%2Bbackground&refreqid=search%3Abce204e3b3005d12888f4a7fab4110a3&seq=8#metadata_info_tab_contents. Accessed 18 Sept. 2018.
- Malekian, Farhad. Apartheid. Brill, 2011. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/10.1163/j.ctt1w8h3dt.21?Search=yes&resultItemClick=true&searchText=international&searchText=criminal&searchText=law&searchText=apartheid&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dinternational%2Bcriminal%2Blaw%2Bapartheid%2B&refreqid=search%3A00e11e943e1c16e00225c50e2aa27ec0&seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents. Accessed 18 Sept. 2018.
- Review of Apartheid Exploded: Understanding Contemporary South Africa, by William G. Martin. Contemporary Sociology, vol. 17, no. 4, July 1988, pp. 491-93. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/2072703?Search=yes&resultItemClick=true&searchText=apartheid&searchText=exploded:&searchText=understanding&searchText=contemporary&searchText=south&searchText=africa&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dapartheid%2Bexploded%253A%2Bunderstanding%2Bcontemporary%2Bsouth%2Bafrica&refreqid=search%3A7f53efeb53df2cb9d95a63713b8c6395&seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents. Accessed 18 Sept. 2018.
