African Child

The comedy "Get him to the Greek" is a forgettable vehicle for Russell Brand, except for the spoof music video "African Child" opening the film.

A screen shot of the "African Child" video in "Get him to the Greek."

I haven’t seen Get Him to the Greek, the new film starring P. Diddy, Jonah Hill and Russell Brand ((IMDB: “a record company intern is hired to accompany out-of-control British rock star Aldous Snow to a concert at L.A.’s Greek Theater.”) but thanks to the twitterverse (Ht Texas in Africa), I ran across this video of the opening sequence of the film about  The clip details the rise and fall of Brand’s character, rock star Aldous Snow, after he releases “an album and an accompanying single about problems in Africa called ‘African Child’.”

It comes with non-sensical lyrics like:

“I have crossed the mystic desert
To snap pictures of the poor
I’ve invited them to brunch
Let them crash out on my floor.

There’s sunshine in my veins

My kitchen’s filled with flies
I’m crying out in vain
Like a little African child.

Trapped in me
There’s an African child
Trapped in me
There’s a little African child trapped in me.”

Watch the video:

Further Reading

Beats of defiance

From the streets of Khartoum to exile abroad, Sudanese hip-hop artists have turned music into a powerful tool for protest, resilience, and the preservation of collective memory.

Bored of suppression

Colonial-era censorship bodies continue to stifle African creativity, but a new wave of artists and activists are driving a pan-African push for reform.

Drawing the line

How Sudanese political satirist Khalid Albaih uses his art and writing to confront injustice, challenge authority, and highlight the struggles of marginalized communities worldwide.

Not exactly at arm’s length

Despite South Africa’s ban on arms exports to Israel and its condemnation of Israel’s actions in Palestine, local arms companies continue to send weapons to Israel’s allies and its major arms suppliers.

Ruto’s Kenya

Since June’s anti-finance bill protests, dozens of people remain unaccounted for—a stark reminder of the Kenyan state’s long history of abductions and assassinations.