War/No More Trouble (Playing for Change):

Playing for Change is a wonderful concept where a song is created by musicians spread across the world, playing a theme close to their own hearts. They often play covers of classic songs with meaningful, positive lyrics. Bob Marley's 'War' is one such song. I had discovered it a while ago and saved it to my playlist. But hearing it again a few days ago sprung new meaning into it's timeless words. "That until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned; That until there are no longer first-class and second-class citizens of any nation; That until the color of a man's skin is of no more significance than the color of his eyes; That until the basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all without regard to race; That until that day, the dream of lasting peace and world citizenship and the rule of international morality will remain but a fleeting illusion, to be pursued but never attained"

I'd been watching some videos about rape as a tool of war in Congo, and also listening to some healing words of wisdom from Graca Machel, member of The Elders, about what moves humans to commit such atrocities, and how we can change our ways. Ultimately, these things happen because women are perceived as inferior. And when I think about all the other situations where one group is oppressed for one reason or another, it all boils down to the words in Marley's song. So when I heard them this time, they really moved me. And it turns out, they come from Haile Selassie's famous speech at the UN in 1963 as a representative of the newly formed Organization of African Unity. No wonder they feel so truthful, they are coming from his first hand experience.

The rest of his speech is also equally wise and insightful, I'm still in the process of reading and reflecting on it. The foundation of his beliefs is similar to Gandhi's, although I'm not sure he was as committed to the path of non violence as Gandhi was. I see their relevance not only for Africa and other poor areas where there is war and inequality, but also for our western 'democratic' reality. Here, we may not show outward discrimination, but our prejudice marks so much of our behaviour towards each other. It is born out of seemingly harmless stereotypes and judgements that limit our understanding of people and our relationships with them. And of this, all of us are guilty, including myself. I will not rest till this way of perceiving the world is gone from my system. I want nothing to do with it.