The times we live in are those we only read in novels and saw in sci-fi movies. So many deaths in the diaspora and plenty of xenophobia and hate crimes. All this makes one question the true meaning of humanity.
I didn’t sleep Saturday night and lay awake on my couch flipping through news station after news station like a zombie hoping to land on some comforting news. Like a caged animal, this lockdown/quarantine has brought out the worst and sometimes best in us. Those in abusive relationships can’t hide and some countries have set up helplines and safe houses for those brave enough to report. Like one in a cage, you can’t leave your home because the world needs you to protect yourself from others or others from you. Hard to explain what that means to my 3-year-old daughter.
Sunday morning came with a broadcast YouTube link from gospel star, Petronellah Sengwayo and six minutes later I was sober and in tears. Murapi, (translated to mean The Healer) is a song she wrote and sang just for me. This healing I feel the world needs is not just from COVID-19 but from the hurt that has been exposed by this sudden stopping of the earth’s spin. A frozen moment that has exposed our nakedness and inability to love.
A haunting traditional piano opens the soul to a warm voice begging God to heal. Murapi ndirapei (Healer please heal me). This masterpiece ends with a crescendo of hope just like the peak of a Batman movie when the hero stands on the peak of a tower and smiles down at Gotham city as the children come out to play again.
Please play this on full blast and hug someone (virtually) right now.
We need each other and humanity needs healing.
This article also appeared in Hallelujahmag.com where I am a contributor http://hallelujahmag.com/2020/04/19/murapi-by-petronellah-sengwayo-is-what-we-need-to-hear-in-this-time-of-hurting/
