Watch Peter Gabriel Re-Record ‘Biko’ With Artists From Around the World

[Pan Times]

“You can blow out a candle, but you can't blow out a fire. Once the flames begin to catch, the wind will blow it higher.” – Peter Gabriel, Biko In honor of Black History Month, we are proud to bring the message of Peter Gabriel’s “Biko” back to the forefront, 40 years after its initial release. Inspired by the death of anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko while in police custody, this song’s relevance still holds true with the unfortunate police brutality that continues to take place in the USA, Nigeria and many places around the world. More than 25 musicians from seven countries join Gabriel for this global rendition to share a message of unity, peace, and hope, including Beninese vocalist and activist Angélique Kidjo, Silkroad’s Yo-Yo Ma, and bass legend Meshell Ndegeocello. The eyes of the world are watching… Let each of us lead with love and let that love ripple throughout the universe. Produced by Sebastian Robertson and Mark Johnson

New version of 1980 classic features Yo-Yo Ma, the Cape Town Ensemble, Sebastian Robertson, and bassist Meshell Ndegeocello

Peter Gabriel has re-recorded his 1980 protest classic “Biko” with help from 25 musicians from around the globe, including Beninese vocalist and activist Angélique Kidjo, Yo-Yo Ma, the Cape Town Ensemble, Sebastian Robertson, and bassist Meshell Ndegeocello.

The video was produced by Sebastian Robertson and Mark Johnson as part of Playing for Change’s Song Around the World initiative.

The original song was written as a tribute to South African anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko, who was murdered in police custody in 1977, but Gabriel tells Rolling Stone that it still holds incredible meaning today. “Although the white minority government has gone in South Africa, the racism around the world that apartheid represented has not ,” he says. “Racism and nationalism are sadly on the rise. In India, Myanmar and Turkey, Israel and China, racism is being deliberately exploited for political gain.”

“On the black/white front the Black Lives Matter movement has made it very clear how far we still have to go before we can hope to say we have escaped the dark shadow of racism,” he adds.