Episode 20: Global South

Episode Date: October 9, 2025

“The Global South is not just geography—it’s a shared story of survival, solidarity, and hope.”

In this powerful episode of The Cause: Conversations on Music, History, and Democracy, Dr. Reiland Rabaka explores The Global South—not just as a place, but as a living, breathing movement for liberation. Through stories of art, activism, and resistance, Dr. Rabaka connects the histories of Africa, Asia, and Latin America, revealing how centuries of colonialism have shaped today’s struggles for justice and self-determination.

Drawing inspiration from thinkers like bell hooks, Angela Davis, Assata Shakur, and Frantz Fanon, Dr. Rabaka examines how women and men across the Global South have used culture, music, and community to challenge systems of oppression and imagine freer futures. Their ideas continue to shape movements for human rights, gender equality, and environmental justice today.

Listen now by clicking the play button or find us on your favorite podcast app or tune in every other Thursday at 7 a.m. on .

Episode 20, Global South Playlist

A note from Dr. Rabaka:��
This playlist is not just about music—it’s about memory, struggle, and solidarity. These songs carry with them centuries of colonization and resistance, displacement and survival, sorrow and celebration. Each track is a testament to the power of sound as a form of storytelling, protest, and collective dreaming.

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From Fela Kuti’s Afrobeat anthems that ignited Pan-African consciousness, to Mercedes Sosa’s folk hymns that gave voice to the oppressed in Latin America, to Fairuz’s enduring presence in the Arab world—these songs remind us that the Global South is not only a political category but also a cultural heartbeat.

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Some of these songs demand justice,��raising their voices against dictatorship, apartheid, imperialism, and inequality. Others celebrate culture,��drawing on ancestral rhythms, Indigenous languages, and diasporic traditions that colonial powers once tried to erase. Still others mourn loss—the loss of land, of lives, of freedoms—but always with an eye toward renewal and rebirth.

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Together, this playlist insists that the Global South cannot be reduced to a map, a statistic, or a deficit. It is, instead, a chorus of resistance, resilience, and radical imagination.��Each note and lyric pushes us to envision other ways of being, knowing, and living together—beyond domination, beyond dispossession, beyond despair.

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As you listen, let these songs be both companions and teachers.��Let them stir memory, ignite solidarity, and inspire action. Because the Global South is not somewhere else—it is everywhere people struggle for dignity, freedom, and a future of justice.

Africa

Fela Kuti – “Water No Get Enemy”
Afrobeat classic emphasizing resilience and universality.
Miriam Makeba – “Soweto Blues”
A song of sorrow and defiance against apartheid in South Africa.
Youssou N’Dour – “New Africa”
Calls for continental pride and Pan-African unity.
Thomas Mapfumo – “Corruption”
Zimbabwe’s “Lion of Chimurenga” critiques postcolonial exploitation.
Angelique Kidjo – “Afirika”
Beninese superstar reclaims Africa’s cultural strength.
Brenda Fassie – “Black President”
Tribute to Nelson Mandela, an anthem of South African liberation.

Caribbean & Latin America

Bob Marley & The Wailers – “Get Up, Stand Up”
Reggae’s global rallying cry for human rights.
Buena Vista Social Club – “Chan Chan”
Cuban son evoking resilience of Afro-Cuban traditions.
Mercedes Sosa – “Gracias a la Vida”
Argentina’s folk icon offering a life-affirming, poetic protest.
Silvio Rodríguez – “La Maza”
Nueva Trova classic challenging injustice and exploitation.
Rubén Blades – “Plástico”
Salsa’s sharp critique of consumerism and U.S. cultural domination.
Celia Cruz – “Quimbara”
Afro-Cuban pride and celebration through salsa.

Middle East & South Asia

Fairuz – “Bint el Shalabeya”
Lebanon’s beloved voice, symbolizing cultural endurance.
Marcel Khalife – “Ummi”
Palestinian ode to motherhood, memory, and homeland.
A. R. Rahman – “Vande Mataram”
Indian anthem reimagined as a modern liberation hymn.
M.I.A. – “Paper Planes”
British-Sri Lankan critique of global inequality and migration.

Diaspora & Transnational Voices

Manu Chao – “Clandestino”
Border-crossing anthem of migration, exile, and solidarity.
Caetano Veloso & Gilberto Gil – “Haiti”
Brazilian Tropicalia icons connecting racism, empire, and resistance.
Jorge Ben Jor – “Zumbi”
Honoring Afro-Brazilian maroon leader Zumbi dos Palmares.
Victor Jara – “El Derecho de Vivir en Paz”
Chilean martyr of Nueva Canción movement calling for peace.
Lila Downs – “La Cumbia del Mole”
Mexican celebration of Indigenous roots through music.
Tiken Jah Fakoly – “Plus Rien Ne M’étonne”
Ivorian reggae artist denouncing corruption and neo-colonialism.
Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 – “African Dreams”
Continuing Fela’s Afrobeat legacy into the 21st century.
Shakira – “Pies Descalzos, Sueños Blancos”
Colombian critique of modern hypocrisy and inequality.
Nina Simone – “To Be Young, Gifted and Black”
U.S. diaspora connection—an anthem linking Global South struggles to Black liberation.

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What did we miss on this playlist? Let us know: thecaaas@gmail.com

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