Drop The Debt
Various Artists
Harmonia Mundi

Of the crises faced by the countries of the African continent, perhaps none carries greater ramifications for the continents future prospects, and a direct causal link to the policies of developed countries than the continent's foreign debt. Thanks to the efforts of an alliance of activist organizations, Church groups, left leaning politicians and celebrities like Bono of U2, the debt crisis is getting increased attention in the capitals of developed countries and their lending institutions. Drop The Debt (Harmonia Mundi 2003), a recently released compilation featuring artists from Africa and South America, seeks to raise awareness about the foreign debt of African countries and funds for the international campaign to cancel them. The album is the end result of a two year long campaign undertaken by producer Francois Mauger, and brings together a host of artists playing an eclectic melange of African and Caribbean rhythms such as reggae, morna, zoblazo, rap, bikutsi and raggamuffin. The compilation includes works by Lokua Kanza of the DRC, Sally Nyolo of Cameroon, Theophilo Chantre of Cape Verde, El Hadj Ndiaye from Senegal and Zedess of Burkina Faso. I found Zedess's piece "Poisoned Gifts" most fascinating: "they give to us with their right hand and take back with the left/ while hunger, poverty and disease strike us down/ the World Bank and the IMF were born to hand out poisoned chalices" Need I say more!