My friend Eric fled West Africa to relocate to South Africa. Eric loves music and one of his favorite songs is called "Africa" by Toto. One day I asked Eric why he loved this song so much. He explained that the woman they are talking about in the song was to him a metaphor of his home being a distraction and the rest of Africa the place where he will find more beauty and salvation. Almost as if South Africa was waiting for him:
I hear the drums echoing tonight
But she hears only whispers of some quiet conversation
She's coming in, 12:30 flight
The moonlit wings reflect the stars that guide me towards salvation
I stopped an old man along the way
Hoping to find some long forgotten words or ancient melodies
He turned to me as if to say, "Hurry boy, it's waiting there for you"
It's gonna take a lot to take me away from you
There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
I bless the rains down in Africa
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had
The wild dogs cry out in the night
As they grow restless, longing for some solitary company
I know that I must do what's right
As sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti
I seek to cure what's deep inside, frightened of this thing that I've become
It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
I bless the rains down in Africa
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had
Hurry boy, she's waiting there for you
Carley, an immigrant born and raised in South Africa, made her way to the States at the beginning of 2017 to pursue her Master in Counseling. She has a deep passion for working with and amongst immigrants and refugees. Over the last 6 years she has participated and coordinated community outreaches as well as fundraisers, both in SA and USA. Currently living in Houston, she is enjoying the array of cultures and diversity that this city holds.