sampling my musical roots: 'Motherland-Africa'

"We, verily, have made music as a ladder for your souls, a means whereby they may be lifted up unto the realm on high; make it not, therefore, as wings to self and passion." 

~ Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas

back in the day, i used to love dancing to hip hop, house and reggae music.  i would be in my own world, transported by the rhythms to a state of inner joy and contentment.  i simply loved rhythms of the African experience.  i danced for myself, for my soul.  little did i realize then that my soul longed to be connected with the spirit, the energy, the history, the struggle, and the story of African peoples.  i had always felt connected with people of African descent but music was the medium whereby i could immerse myself in the vibe of it all.  music and dancing were synonymous with oneness of the human spirit for me..and nothing felt more like home to me than hip hop, house and reggae rhythms..

this particular song, 'Motherland-Africa, was the most significant song for me as a young Baha'i woman longing to make this world a better place. it spoke to my heart.  it made my soul cry freedom when i was unable to feel like i was making a difference.  i could dance to this song and feel like my soul was uplifted to that plane of oneness with all people, as i those words were my words and that yearning for freedom was my prayerful call for that freedom..

i have been looking for this song for years.  i didn't know the name of it or the group.  my online searches proved futile until now when i found it on YouTube trying different search words.  long gone are my days of dancing at the clubs but music lives within me just as it did more than 20 years ago.  i am now carrying this song in my heart like i do many other songs that continue to root my soul within the pure soil of love as it strives toward spiritual transformation while living in Africa.