Laâfou Bali Jana
No reprieve
Have you forgotten what happened?
People suffered and died
Where are the people who left
And never returned?
Dumped in dungeons and jails
Scams and betrayals have proliferated
Men and women were repressed
What you did was unacceptable
Who was responsible?
God have mercy
God have mercy
Hade Zemane
Our time
Our time, and what a time !
All is war and oppression,
All is hypocrisy and enmity,
All is shapes and colours,
In a jumble of beliefs and false faiths.
Madari
Unconscious
Unconscious
Of what is going on
Unconscious
Of what is happening
With closed eyes,
He sees nothing
Is ignorance
Nepotism and corruption
Are his only guides
Western variation on a Ralda Salem improvisation
Indian tabla and hajhouj improvisation
Hammouda
Man
Wherefore war and oppression
Wherefore lies and felonies
O world, where is peace
Ghir Klame Khaoui
Let go
Let go, let go
It’s no more than empty talk
And suffering is worsening
Let go, let go
It’s no more than empty talk
Fraudulent words do not make it easier
Let go, let go
It’s no more than empty talk
At times lofty words
At other times worthless words
Let go, let go
It’s no more than empty talk
L’Gnaoui
Attune the rhythms of your own life,
For others’ are now beyond your healing power.
Not incense, nor braseros: nothing now will serve.
You are a glorified bohemian
Yet your ancestors came from Sudan
Your ancestors came from Mali
Your ancestors came from Guinea
Your ancestors came from Senegal
Where is your right
Where is your dignity
Where is your poetry
Where are your roots
Daouina
Heal us
Heal us
Deliver us from their rule
Their world is wallowing in ignorance
And I can see no way out
When will the world be delivered from ignorance
And find rest
People are at a loss
And what a loss it is
When can they find respite
And live in peace and dignity
Heal us, heal us
Deliver us from their rule