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Writer's pictureMoses Wasamu

Even the atheists believe that ‘Nerea’ is misleading


The all-boys band Sauti Sol. Their latest single 'Nerea; has elicited strong reactions from Kenyans, some in support of the message some against (https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1440&bih=787&q=sauti+sol&oq=sauti+sol&gs_l=img.12..0l10.2807.5128.0.6866.9.8.0.0.0.0.1416.1416.7-1.1.0.msedr...0...1ac.1.64.img..8.1.1416.9YXgSovkgY8#imgrc=r9rUBLSbajmkfM%253A%3BM4xT1Vl0sGGITM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.hekaheka.com%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252F2015%252F04%252FSAUTI-SOL_6560.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.hekaheka.com%252Fsauti-sol-before-the-fame-money%252F%3B427%3B640)

The all-boys band Sauti Sol. Their latest single ‘Nerea; has elicited strong reactions from Kenyans, some in support of the message some against (www.hekaheka.com)

The recently released song, ‘Nerea’, by the all boys group Sauti Sol has elicited varied reactions from Kenyans of all walks of life. In a week, the song had over 200,000 views on YouTube. That was phenomenal. I came across an interesting statement by Harrison Mumia, the self-declared President of Atheists in Kenya. He said, “The song by Sauti Soul, NEREA, is misleading. It is against abortion. I find nothing wrong with abortion. For me, the woman decides. It also suggests when you get a child, he can only be successful like Obama. Really? He could be a thug! And be shot. Finally, the song purports that god is the giver of children. Children do not come from god. We know how children come about, don’t we?” For once, I agree with the atheists that the song is misleading. But my reasons for agreeing with them differ from their reasons. Harrison does not agree with the song because it discourages abortion and encourages women who are pregnant and are tempted to abort their pregnancies nit to do so. Harrison believes that whether or not to abort is a decision for the woman and the man has no part in that decision. In’ Nerea’, the singer, who is male, urges his girlfriend, Nerea, not to abort. He tells her that God has a plan for every child and that the child might turn out to be a great man – perhaps a latter day Mandela or Obama. Harrison disagrees with this because he says that it is not true that every child turns out great. He says the child may turn out to be a thug and end up being shot by cops. For me, that is just as hypothetical as the message of the song. I disagree with the atheist when he says that he does not believe in God. The fact that one does not understand God does not mean that God is not real. I don’t understand how a black cow, eats green grass to produce white milk, yet I still take that milk believing that it is good for my health. And indeed I have seen it working. Harrison contends that children do not come from God. Of course we know that children are a product of a sexual contact between two people. That is very clear. But where did the first life start? That is the essence of the whole idea of saying that God is the giver of children, or that he is the author of life. Back to my first thought about the song ‘Nerea’. I must admit that as a piece of art, the song is a masterpiece. The instrumentation is are great and the vocals are just right. However, my gripe with the song is the fact that the artists start their story in the middle, not at the beginning. They leave out the part that in the beginning there was a man and a woman. Most fundamentally, they do not tell us what kind of a relationship these two had, whether they were married or not. And this is why I agree with the atheists that the song is misleading. It has the potential to mislead the young and adoring fans of Sauti Sol into getting into sexual relationships when they are not ready for the same. I am a believer that sex should only take place between people who are in a marriage commitment. Anything short of that leads to pain and regrets. In the song, the man is pleading with Nerea not to abort. I guess there is some distress here. I read many of the comments that followed the Nerea video and I guessed that many of those who made the comments were young people, perhaps in the twenties or thirties. In this age of HIV and AIDS, not warning the young generation that if they get into careless sexual relationships may lead to pre-mature death, is very misleading. I heard Sauti Sol saying on a TV interview that they are only messengers and they ought not to be crucified because of the message they carry. That is true. But they should also remember that they wield a lot of influence over millions of Kenya. The more power and authority one has, the more responsibility is expected of them. They should also not forget that to whom much is given, much is expected. How they use their influence matters a lot.

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