Dispatch: Zimbabwe

All over the world, people are starving, dying, alone. I appreciate it when people do their best to do something about it.

Dispatch is a rock group (and one of my favorites at that) from the 90's. The lead singer, Chad Urmston (the guy with the crazy red hair), spent some time in Zimbabwe in 1994. He was so struck by the poverty and the lack of education that he decided to do something about it.

He wrote a song, called "Elias", about a gardener he met while he was there. He was very impressed by this man, and his family. (The man has two sons, Honest and Manuel.) He wrote a song about Elias when he returned. One of my favorite lines reflects how wise he felt this man was: "Could you answer all the questions in the world in just one word? I think you could." It's a song about friendship, love and respect.

Dispatch started a charity called the Elias Fund. It sends children in Zimbabwe to college. The first recipient? Elias's son, Honest.

In 2007 (3 years after the band dissolved so they could pursue other things), Dispatch announced they would be doing a concert at Madison Square Garden in NYC with all the proceeds going directly to charities in the USA and Africa. They opened up ticket sales to only the members of their "MySpace" account. They sold out Madison Square Garden within 30 minutes of the tickets becoming available. They added two more concert dates, both of which also sold out.

This video shows them singing the song "Elias" at one of the Madison Square Garden concert nights. They are joined by the African Children's Choir, all of whom are children from extreme poverty and many of whom have lost at least one parent to AIDS.

I love to watch this video, not only to see the beautiful children, but also to watch the band's faces and see how much they're thoroughly enjoying singing with these kids. The children's faces and their beautiful voices bring tears to my eyes every time. You can also see their passion reflected in the crowd. The pictures that flash in the background are of people from Zimbabwe.

I'll include the lyrics below the video. The first few lines are in Shona, the native tongue in Zimbabwe. Those lines essentially say:

If I could meet my Jesus, I would be very happy with Him.
We would be happy with Him
Are you strong?
I'm strong if you're strong.


Dai Jesu achoinekwa, ndaizofara naye.
Taizofara naye.
Kwaziwai. Kwaziwai.
Makasimba here.
Ndakasimba kana makasimbawo.

You raise your head, you beat the sun
But your boys they lie so close to you
Do you dare get up and wake the two?

Oh Elias, I see you there, at work in the daytime.
Do you think you could answer
All the questions in the world in just one word?
I think you could.

(CHORUS)__
'Cause If you die will I get word that you're gone?
Or will I hear it in passing conversation?
Or will I stop short and fall to the ground?
Distance is short when your hand carries what your eye found.

Hold my hand just one more time,
to see if you're really gonna meet me.
Hold my hand just one more time,
to see if you're really gonna meet me.
__

Honest and Manuel, well you know,
they're at school now.
Given the chance that their father's never seen
To see whats beyond Section 17.
And in ten years, when you look back at your boys,
well you know they've grown way taller
than the tallest sugar cane in the field.

(CHORUS)

I see your wife.
She stands stooped over by the fire outside.
And I see your boys.
And when they look up,
you know i think they got their mother's eyes.
'Cause she looks so proud.
She looks so happy.
She looks so proud.
She looks so happy.

(CHORUS)