Mama Africa

Tells the story of an immigrant mother working two jobs in London, sending money home every month to a family she hasn't hugged in three years. The lyrics are drawn from real diaspora patterns — the Western Union lines, the WhatsApp video calls at odd hours, the birthday parties watched through a phone screen. Mama Africa isn't one woman; she's millions, scattered across Europe and America, building futures for children growing up without them. The Afrobeats rhythm carries the warmth she can't deliver in person.

[verse 1] She wake up at four in the morning, London cold Two jobs and a prayer, watching children grow Sent money home every month without fail Western Union receipt like a holy grail Nigerian mama in a Brooklyn flat Cooking jollof rice, keeping culture intact Her children speak English but they know the tongue Of the village where their grandmother sung Kenya mother working night shift in Dubai Missing bedtime stories, tears she try to hide But the money she send build a school back home Every sacrifice ensuring seeds are sown One hundred billion flowing back each year More than all the foreign aid, let me make it clear Africa don't need your pity or your charity We got mothers moving mountains with clarity [chorus] Mama Africa hold us tight Through the storm and the darkest night Mama Africa hold us tight From Lagos to London, we gon' be alright Mama Africa hold us tight Every child of the soil carry your light Mama Africa hold us tight Scattered cross the world but the bond is tight [verse 2] Grandmother telling stories by the fire Of kingdoms and empires reaching ever higher Mali, Songhai, Great Zimbabwe walls Benin bronzes standing proud in foreign halls They took our treasures, put them in their museum But the greatness in our blood, they could never seize 'em Nollywood projecting African dreams Second largest film industry, bursting at the seams Ankara fabric flying off the shelf The world wearing African, expressing itself From Accra fashion week to Paris runway shows The influence is African, everybody knows But it start with mama and her steady hand Teaching every child to love the motherland Whether born in Dakar or in Baltimore The rhythm in your heartbeat trace back to the shore [chorus] Mama Africa hold us tight Through the storm and the darkest night Mama Africa hold us tight From Lagos to London, we gon' be alright Mama Africa hold us tight Every child of the soil carry your light Mama Africa hold us tight Scattered cross the world but the bond is tight [verse 3] One hundred seventy million in the diaspora From the Caribbean islands to the streets of America Different passports but the bloodline same When the drum start beating, we all feel the flame Pan-African spirit rising once again Not just a movement, it's a state of mind, amen Connected by the music, connected by the food Connected by the struggle and the gratitude Young girl in Johannesburg writing poetry Young boy in Toronto making Afrobeats They never met but they share the same soul Africa the thread that makes the fabric whole So let them draw their borders, let them build their walls The African spirit lives beyond them all Every generation adding to the chain Mama Africa running through our veins [chorus] Mama Africa hold us tight Through the storm and the darkest night Mama Africa hold us tight From Lagos to London, we gon' be alright Mama Africa hold us tight Every child of the soil carry your light Mama Africa hold us tight Scattered cross the world but the bond is tight [bridge] E go be alright, e go be alright As long as mama praying through the night From Mombasa to Mogadishu, Cape Town to Accra Every African child is a shining star Hakuna matata, that's what they say But the real strength is the love that don't fade away So wherever you are in this world tonight Remember mama praying, holding you tight [chorus] Mama Africa hold us tight Through the storm and the darkest night Mama Africa hold us tight From Lagos to London, we gon' be alright Mama Africa hold us tight Every child of the soil carry your light Mama Africa hold us tight Scattered cross the world but the bond is tight [outro] Mama Africa hold us tight Mama Africa hold us tight We are your children, near and far Mama Africa hold us tight Naija, Kenya, Ghana, we all one Mama Africa hold us tight Hold us, hold us, hold us tight Mama Africa hold us tight Forever and ever, your children of light Mama Africa hold us tight