posted 8th October 2022.

I know! You are probably asking, why am I writing about South Africa? What relevance does this have with British Brown history? Well, I believe it was the inspiration for a lot a songs of resistance by Asians in the 1980s and 1990s as well as anyone who sang against oppression, discrimination during this era. 

The boycott of visiting artists to South Africa began here. 

Steve Van Zandt composed the anti-apartheid protest song "Sun City" in 1985. Sun City, a casino and resort in South Africa, served as the primary focus point. Despite the resort's location in an apartheid-supporting region, a number of notable performers had performed there. In light of this, the lyric "I ain't going to play Sun City" in the song encouraged a cultural boycott of Sun City. 

Similar to "We Are the World" by USA for Africa and "Do They Know It's Christmas" by Band Aid, United Artists Against Apartheid was a supergroup of musicians. Nevertheless, "Sun City" was edgier, more daring, and more eclectic than those earlier works. For instance, the song included a variety of rap musicians, such as Run DMC, Kurtis Blow, Afrika Bambaataa, and Mellie Mel. At the time, rap was only beginning to acquire prominence (from Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five). Van Zandt is a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. The diverse collection of performers also featured jazz icon Miles Davis, U2, Peter Gabriel, Joey Ramone, George Clinton, Keith Richards, Lou Reed, Bob Dylan, and Hall & Oates, among others. 

In addition to being an important protest song, the song's jazz, funk, rap, and rock fusion was extremely original for the time. It was one of the early fusions of rap and rock.

What really surprised me was the lack of knowledge that American people had about South Africa Apartheid? The American government and media stifled the news of apartheid in America. It was only when this concert took place that the people of America became more aware of this discrimination in South Africa. 

Music moves people in more ways than one. It is one form of protest.