To begin, Meduulla is a Zimbabwean rapper, poet and artist. Notable songs by Meduulla include “Mish Muulla,” “Levelled up,” and “Aphrodite.” Being that Meduulla is a poet, she is well known for the poetry in her music, often covering the injustices she has had to deal with during her life. In her song, “Whose Land?” Maduulla addresses the recent land reform bill implemented by the Zimbabwean government in August of 2020.
Before delving into Maduulla, it is necessary to briefly touch on the subject matter of “Whose Land?” and why it is significant in the context of Zimbabwe. According to Al Jazeera, last August the Zimbabwean government introduced a program that would compensate foreign white farmers who lost their land due to Robert Mugabe’s previous land reform program in 2001 which gave back land to black farmers in Zimbabwe. Today, the government is kicking the black farmers who received this land under Mugabe’s program and giving it back to its previous foreign white owners. In addition to this compensation, the Zimbabwean government has agreed to pay $3.5 Billion in compensation to these foreign white farmers.
Meduulla, like many other black Zimbabweans, is outraged considering many black farmers are now displaced in their own country. During an interview in May of 2021, Meduulla stated that “‘Its’ a pertinent time to have such conversations, the time that I’m living in now feels as though the world is having a little bit of an awakening and questioning of things that were historically okay or just normalized.’” With the COVID 19 Pandemic, came a wave of protests around the globe by people of color, particularly black people, who felt voiceless. These movements address the injustices faced by people of color all around the world, and with “Whose Land?” Meduulla is making sure the voices of her people are heard too.
Works Cited:
“Zimbabwe: Whose Land?” Imperial War Museums, https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/zimbabwe-whose-land. Mhaka, Tafi. “Who Is to Blame for Zimbabwe’s Land Reform Disaster?” Conflict | Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera, 20 Sept. 2020, https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2020/9/20/who-is-to-blame-for-zimbabwes-land-reform-disaster.