'Africa': Toto's 1982 hit trends for having 'racist' lyrics, shocked fans can't find one reason to cancel it
The tragic death of the 46-year-old black man George Floyd has led to a historical revolution, with people from across the globe holding protests and demonstrations in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Social media has been pivotal in the evolution of the movement, providing a platform for people to voice their opinions. However, a few have used the situation to serve their own personal interests. Similarly, when hundreds and thousand are tweeting on a daily basis about socially relevant issues that need to be addressed at the earliest to stop mankind from destroying itself further, a few have taken to the social media platform to call out the American rock band Toto for one of their hit songs ‘Africa’, whose lyrics have now been dubbed “racist."
The lyrics of the 1982 song read, “I bless the rains down in Africa." One internet user tweeted, "'Blessing' the rains in another continent that you’ve never been to is pretty white savior complex. Thank GOD this rando blessed the rains now we will have enough grain to feed the starving babies in this wild untamed land!” while another wrote, "White people i understand this will be hard to hear but we’re gonna have to talk about that toto song sooner or later" added another to the previous tweet. However, the majority of fans have defended Toto saying the band doesn’t deserve to be canceled over Africa’s lyrics as they aren’t racist in any form.
Explaining the meaning of the song, a fan wrote, “I don’t think it’s for us non black folk to tell black folk how to feel about a song performed by 4 white men about the continent their ancestors were kidnapped from. But that’s just my opinion. I think it’s a metaphor, the gods resides on mount Olympus, the song was saying Kilimanjaro is where the gods of Africa reside, Hence bless the rains.” And some have expressed that the cancelation of Toto is simply ridiculous as they don't understand the issue with the lyrics. “I am genuinely curious about what's wrong with the song. Just checked the lyrics and ya, would sincerely like to be informed of what the issue is.” said one.
“After searching and reading the lyrics to Toto Africa, I cannot find one reason to cancel it. Y'all really out here with nothing to do but be offended at the mention of the motherland. Y'all lost y'all's damn minds!” added another. One Twitter user has stated that supporting ridiculous claims and trends is only going to sideline the actual issue. “Oh cool we're gonna turn this massive movement to expose predators into another dips**t witch hunt where we say s**t like "AFRICA BY TOTO IS RACIST" so nobody gets taken seriously and all the rapists slip back into the shadows and get away with everything because we look crazy.” the tweet read.