We look at non-western places through one of two lenses, either scary bad evil (see most of the Arab world at the moment) or super-romanticized, which is called “idealizing the native”. As a native woman- you should be familiar with the second one. It’s the one that makes all Native Americans into peaceful noble savages or that makes dumb Californians flock to Buddhism as the one pure religion without a history of corruption. Either way- scary bad or romantic refuses to look at people as people or things in an honest light.

In the romanticizing part, even the way we talk about the land turns it into a sexual conquest (ah racism and misogyny- like peanut butter and chocolate how they go together). We talk about how there is a virgin wilderness to be conquered or passages that need to be opened up.
Kippling is probably the king of idealizing the native in literature.

And the problem with this video is that it is very Kippling-esque. Lead singer is the intellectual conqueror, I’m not quite sure how I feel about his black librarian (it’s actually kind of a plus, but…)

hurry boy she’s waiting there for you is very much a call to conquer. Africa- she’s waiting for you!

(I say this and my little adventurous spirit likes this song and wants to run away to Africa after listening to it over and over again. )

I’ve been lazy and still have your cool WoW item in my office but I;ll try to get it in the mail soon

pido…i always appreciate your two cents as well at least you are here reading and thinking along w/ me!

All your questions are good ones and I have no answer except for the fact your are asking them means you’re on the right road

I stopped an old man along the way
Hoping to find some long forgotten words or ancient melodies
He turned to me as if to say, hurry boy, its waiting there for you

I find this a problem as western nations have sought Africa for the purposes of taking something. It is simply appropriation put to music. Whether it is her people, her culture, land, resources, Africa has been and continues to be the land of plunder.

The wild dogs cry out in the night
As they grow restless longing for some solitary company
I know that I must do whats right
Sure as kilimanjaro rises like olympus above the serengeti
I seek to cure whats deep inside, frightened of this thing that Ive become

In his fascination just like Africans himself he has become Africa. It is his fascination with the “dark continent” has made him a “thing”. Is acknowledging what is right, to mean acknowledge that he must own the wildness inside that can only be “cured” by Africa?

Gonna take some time to do the things we never had.

On its own a simple statement, but when added to the rest of the lyrics perhaps not. To me this implies that African experience is a unique experience. Again not such a bad thing until we connect it with the fact that it turned him into a “thing”. True wildness can only be experienced in Africa.

At any rate that is just my humble two cents, do with it what you will.