Young Kenyan Artists Release New Music Video To Stop Deforestation
NEW YORK, NY, January 11, 2021: Kenya’s rising rap stars, Anderson Mwakazi (aka Harshkid Luckystah) and fellow artists Benard Kaisa (aka Benkaizah) and Simon Mwanjala (aka Popsodah) released ‘Pray for Nature,’ a new music video with an urgent message for the world about the Climate Crisis and the critical need to stop forest destruction.
Deforestation is the second largest contributor to the Climate Crisis. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change – warns that deforestation intensifies the effects of climate change, such as water scarcity, drought and food shortages. Billions of people will be adversely affected and especially those living in rural parts of the world who depend on farming to feed their families.
Anderson Mwakazi lives in the Kasigau Corridor, a severe drought region in SE Kenya, located between Tsavo East and Tsavo West National Parks – a vital wildlife corridor. Anderson’s family and neighbors are subsistence farmers. He knows first-hand how burning and cutting trees to clear land for farming and for charcoal production has a direct negative impact on the rain and farming conditions. Thus, his new song and music video seeks to inspire environmental activism.
“My generation is increasingly anxious about the climate crisis- we don’t know if our lives will be cut short or if current harsh conditions will get even worse. It is overwhelming and causing young people serious depression. Climate scientists have been warning our leaders since before I was born but unfortunately for us, they have not acted. I wrote this song as a wakeup call for young people to stand up and demand that corporate and political leaders take immediate action to do what’s right for the children of the world before it’s really too late,” said Anderson Mwakazi.
The Kasigau Corridor is also home to Wildlife Works, a leading conservation business focused on protecting forests, wildlife and sustainable development for local forest communities. The company with its 350 local employees and with the cooperation of 120k community members, protect the entire 200k hectare corridor.
Wildlife Works far reaching community engagement activities include youth education on environmental issues held at local schools, many of which have been built or refurbished by Wildlife Works and where thousands of children have and continue to receive scholarships covering their school fees. Anderson first learned about climate change and the importance of protecting trees from the community outreach leaders at Wildlife Works.
“Deforestation causes a direct threat to our survival in rural Kenya but it’s not only a local problem, we all share the atmosphere that doesn’t care where emissions from burning forests come from so this is also a serious problem for everyone in the world. I hope our song Pray for Nature will help people remember to have more respect for nature” said Anderson Mwakazi.
Wildlife Works and its business development partner Everland sponsored Anderson to write and record “Pray for Nature”.
Listen here:
PRAY FOR NATURE LYRICS – GREATSONs MUSIC
I remember there was a big tree in the midst of our village,
It was long ago in the days of my young age,
We used to play around the tree when we were small
It was where grandparents told stories to us all,
On top of the tree there were birds of all kind,
Their melodious songs blessed ears of the blind,
It was a landmark and the main meeting spot,
It was the holy spot that the ancestors brought,
One calm day I heard a big boom,
I couldn’t believe my eyes it was a sign of doom,
A big bulldozer fell the noble tree,
The locals who were watching were cheering with glee,
I was lost in the midst of the cheers and the dust,
Tears filled my eyes as I watched in disgust,
Oh! Baby chicks fell out of their nest,
They couldn’t fly away though they tried their best,
This mindless act affected the rain,
Bringing them drought with the hunger with the pain,
There were no more cures for the sick and the weak,
The future became quite sad and bleak,
Forests have vanished, fading away, like the evening sun,
From earth we’ll be banished, sent away, life’s gone and done x2
No no no no no no,
We should never do it again,
So I say no no no no no no,
Pray for nature and say amen,
Sote twasema pamoja tuzidi,
Kuitunza miti daima,
Kunena kutenda tutaiweka bidii,
Kuitunza miti daima,
Warning to everybody living in the generation,
Message to every state and every conscious nation,
Death of our trees has become a fixation,
We ain’t moving forward with this null acceleration,
It spits in the face of the source of creation,
So mindlessly terminating our earth’s duration,
Destroying the trees causing irreparable harm,
Is like slashing your throat and cutting off your arm,
So, before I proceed, let me ask it,
Why are you pushing us to this early casket?
Calling our leaders to stop deforestation,
Do what’s right to end this abomination,
We must shout real loud, Stand strong and proud,
Our last opportunity, to achieve impunity,
In all corners of the world and every congregation,
We must put our efforts in one combination,
Listen up, have no doubt,
Hurricanes, fires, floods and drought,
We must act without hesitation,
There is no life on earth without conservation,
Forests have vanished, fading away, like the evening sun,
From earth we’ll be banished, sent away, life’s gone and done x2
no no no no no no,
We should never do it again,
So I say no no no no no no,
Pray for nature and say amen,
Sote twasema pamoja tuzidi,
Kuitunza miti daima,
Kunena kutenda tutaiweka bidii,
Kuitunza miti daima,
So it’s time to wake up and care for the tree,
It’s time to make our world carbon free,
Cause the trees are the reason we breath clean air,
And we can only breathe if the trees are there,
So protect the trees and avoid the strife,
When you save the trees, you are saving your life.
