Jess Sah Bi & Peter One Apartheid (1985)
The discussions revolving around the conflict in the Middle East have resurrected the term “apartheid” from the annals of history—advocates for Palestine and NGOs, including Amnesty International, contend that Israel implements a like system of oppression and supremacy over the Palestinian population. Apartheid, however, is derived from the Afrikaans/Dutch term “apart,” meaning “separate, special, different.” It was the official term for the concept of racial segregation in South Africa until 1994. Until then, a white minority governed the majority of Black and other ethnic groups through discriminatory laws and acts of violence. Over time, a strong and international anti-apartheid movement emerged, which included various musicians. The most prominent of them include Miriam Makeba, Hugh Masakela, and Peter Gabriel. Little known outside their home country but real stars in the Ivory Coast in the 1980s were Jess Sah Bi and Peter One, who also sang against apartheid. The musical contributions of this country-folk duo remained relatively obscure until the Brooklyn label Awesome Tapes From Africa digitally released their album Our Garden Needs Its Flowers in 2018. The politically charged and Africa-focused lyrics in the song “Apartheid” notwithstanding, the duo draws inspiration from American country pop. And this attraction to the U.S. has endured: today, Peter works as a nurse in Nashville while Jess teaches African music to children in San Francisco.
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