Here's a riddle for you: what do four white American singers have in common with a bunch of Western European opportunists from the past few centuries and an increasing number of Chinese opportunists from this one? They've all tried to colonise Africa for their own benefit.
The 1982 synth-pop hit Africa, from the fourth album of the band Toto, has had an understandably rather mixed response over the years. Many people love it, while others detest its catchy tune and saccharine lyrics, "I bless the rain down in Africa", not to mention the problematic possible interpretations of: "Hurry boy, it's waiting there for you" in light of the post-colonial argument (same goes for: "It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you. There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do.")
Also, something's always bothered me about the rather strange enunciation of "Serengeti" (and the weird pacing of that line: "As sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti", as well as the fact that Kilimanjaro is actually about 320km from the Serengeti). I apologise in advance if you can never listen to the song with the same wild abandon again.
Nevertheless, the song has been hugely popular - despite the strange official video that riffs on every silly African stereotype there is, including tropical leaves, shields and lion trophies, all over the set, and most problematically an oily looking black hand throwing a flaming assegai. There are thousands of covers of the song on YouTube and there have been all sorts of samples popping up over the years.
WATCH | Toto's Africa music video..