WATCH Dave Goldblum’s Incredible SAY AFRICA (Made Famous by Vusi Mahlasela at the World Cup)

On Sunday, SAPeople posted a beautiful line from a beautiful song that sends chills down most expats’ spines. It speaks to those of us that live faraway:

I may be walking through the streets of a city called London
But the dust on my boots & the rhythm of my feet, and my heartbeat
Say Africa

It also inspires an incredible pride in South Africans back home… many of whom remember the track from the opening ceremony at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, when Vusi ‘The Voice’ Mahlasela performed Say Africa in front of a home crowd that was standing tall, hearts beating in unison with unbridled patriotism. (Watch below.)

And yesterday – in error – we posted those beautiful words, giving credit to Pretoria-born Vusi.

But it was a humble guy from the Eastern Cape who actually wrote Say Africa, and first performed it back in 1997. His name is Dave Goldblum… and his fans are fierce and loyal!

Many wrote in to politely tell us that while it was fine to credit Vusi’s legendary performance, we really needed to credit Dave as the composer. And so we updated the post.

And we got in touch with Dave… who told us about that night of the FIFA performance:

I was watching at home, and I didn’t know Vusi was going to play Say Africa… so when he played the the first few bars I nearly fell over. Then my phone went a bit crazy with calls.

So yeah, that was a good night.

Say Africa was the title of Vusi’s seventh studio album. Although Vusi has always given Dave full credit for having written the song, as Wikipedia says “the song is still publicly recognised as Vusi’s own”.

There are no hard feelings from Dave though, who told SAPeople:

I’m so proud of Vusi for everything he’s achieved. I always tell him that my mom, a big fan, would have been so thrilled.

WATCH Say Africa – written and performed by Dave Goldblum

WATCH Say Africa – performed by Vusi Mahlasela at the 2010 FIFA World Cup

SAY AFRICA LYRICS (written by Dave Goldblum)

We crossed Zimbabwe’s border, flew over the dry fields of my homeland
Coming into Joburg, the Sandton swimming pools and the Soweto shacks
Airpots and railway stations, stranded with a rucksack and guitar
The languages and the places change, and the sky has different stars

And I may be walking in the streets of a city called Amsterdam / London
But the dust on my boots and the rhythm of my feet and my heart beat
Say Africa

Sticks and stones and UN loans and passport controls
For countries that don’t exist
It’s a big world they have their own problems everyone
But there’s gold in that clenched fist

Chorus

People ask you where you’re from, you say Ibhayi (large township near Port Elizabeth)
You know, where Steve Biko died

But people have been dying there for a long, long time
No books or films for them, I wonder why

MORE

Download Dave Goldblum’s latest tracks here.

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