A hit by a lightening bolt could not fully define the shock, despair, anguish and sorrow that engulfed the African continent on hearing the tragic death of their dear friend Lucky Dube.A day after his death in an attempted car hijack, the BBC website was overwhelmed by emotional and heart - breaking tributes by his fans across the world.Having recorded more than 20 albums in his music career, some of his fans were left speechless and wondering whether his assassin knew who and what he was killing. It is common among many African societies to pile praises to a dead person. Although these honours at times luck accuracy, they are driven from the love and respect friends attached to the deceased. This has not been the case with the late Dube. All the credit, praises and tributes to him from his fans, were in my opinion due. His music was listened to in all places and by people of all walks of life. In his music, Dube brought together different tribes, colours of people and always had a message to pass on.God created man and awarded him with talent, but not so many people utilize this gift like the fallen Reggae artiste did.Simple and clear, his music preached a rich message of hope, and a spirit of unity among people in different continents of the world. Dube didn’t need a pulpit to pass this message, only his equipment and backing team were enough to preach harmony and also reverse the popular mentality that Rastafarians are drug addicts, alcoholics and people who shouldn’t be associated with. “If Rastafarianism is about having dreadlocks, smoking marijuana and believing that Haile Selassie is God, then I am not Rastafarian. But if it is about political, social and personal consciousness, then, yes, I’m,” Dube was quoted by pressmen as saying while he was still alive.His songs like ‘God bless the woman’, ‘Different colors,’ and ‘Sinners shall never go to heaven’, can leave you changed forever and in dire need to have love and respect for your neighbour. Here, the slain artiste sang of how people praise and worship heroes everyday and forget women who sacrifice every thing to have them brought on earth and take care until they grow up. Anyway, who would be a better hero other than your mother who against all odds strives to bring you into the world and takes good care of you until you grow? He sang about vulnerable age groups like the world’s suffering children, who have unfortunately not won any big attention from today’s artistes.On the contrary, some artistes today use their talents to pass music full of sentimental and obscene lyrics to a younger generation that is need of a good education. Dube might be gone, but he will still live on greatly in his music. Whereas some artistes would like to be remembered like we shall live to remember Dube, others don’t attach value to this.Personally, Dube’s death reminded me of the notes I used to take on crime in Africa. His life was suddenly brought to an end by a bullet shot by a ruffian, but what lessons is Africa and the world learning from this?Governments in Africa have the means to fight illegal possession of fire arms; they have the power to stop vehicles in dangerous mechanical condition from carrying people and so many other causes of death. Should they always wait for a prominent figure to be shot before action can be taken? Well, there is a popular school of thought that says; one can’t meet death before his or her days on earth have ended, but what about taking precautionary measures against it?Africa’s problems like; huge numbers of refuges, Internally displaced and stateless people, poor health, illiteracy and poverty cannot thoroughly be handled by governments without assistance from artistes like Dube proved. Fare thee well Dube, the world will always remember your contributions to its suffering people.Ends
