– English Lyrics

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

Thanks very much for staying with us.

Time now for Eye on Africa with me,

Georgia Calvin Smith. Tonight, the

people of Morocco are suffering and its

youth are shouting in the streets.

Dozens of top voices from across society

back an open letter to the king calling

for change and that Gen Z protesters

driving weeks of protest demanding

economic reform are heard. Also,

campaigns are in full swing in Cameroon.

Seventime President Paul Beer has been

almost invisible since the start of his

bid for an eighth run in the polls on

the 12th. Despite his absence, he

remains a front runner. and Kenyan

exporters war worried about the fading

of the flower export market to Europe

meet in Nairobi to thresh out how best

to make the Kesa regional common market

cultivate fresh blossoms for the

horiculture sector. We hear from our

correspondent in the city.

But first, Moroccan academics, artists,

human rights activists, and other

influential public figures are amongst

the 60 people who signed an open letter

sent to King Muhammad V 6 on Wednesday,

calling for reforms in response to the

youthled protests that have been

flourishing in the country since

beginning late September. The movement

called Gen Z212

is born of an online collective

demanding better schools and healthcare,

but also calling out institutional

corruption and demanding that Prime

Minister Aziz Ahanous quit.

>> We are here simply to ask for better

education to also ask for better um

health for everyone in Morocco. And as a

Moroccan citizen, I am saying that I am

fully ready to fight for my country. We

came out for the people, not only for

the young, for everyone. Young people

must be able to benefit from a good

education.

Older people must be able to find good

hospitals. We're not against the country

or against the construction of stadiums

or opera houses. But just as we want to

be proud of these kinds of achievements,

we also want to be proud of our

hospitals and our universities.

Now, rallies were suspended this week

ahead of a huge demonstr demonstration

strategically planned for Thursday, the

day before the king's annual speech. But

for a look at the overall landscape, I'm

now joined from New York by Moroccan

journalist Ida Alami. Um Ida, thanks so

much for making the time to speak to me.

Now, first of all, what do you think is

driving this this current um incarnation

of of discontent 14 years ago? So, the

Arab Spring protest led to changes in

the Moroccan constitution. Do you see

any links between what happened in 2011

and the unrest we're seeing today?

I mean in 2011 um the the protests were

organized at first by uh politically

savvy organizations. What the difference

we're seeing today is that this is a

grassroot movement that started online

but young people who are fed up

economically. In 2011 the demands were

at first predominately uh political but

now it's it's people are are are

unemployed. They want better healthcare,

better education, and uh they seem to be

really well organized. When you look at

Discord, they're they have all these

channels per cities and they organized

really well to know when they're going

to protest and so on and they're really

determined and they seems like they have

very little to lose.

>> So, we saw this this open letter sent by

um you know, big voices from across

Morocco society on Wednesday. Um, do you

think that's likely to make any

difference? What do you what's your take

overall on the government's strategy

when it comes to responding to these

demonstrations?

>> I think I mean to answer your first

question about the the letter um I think

it's important that it exists. I spoke

to several protesters last week who had

been arrested and and they told me that

it was important for them to feel

support not just through words but also

feel that they weren't on their own on

the streets and taking all the heat from

um the authorities and the crackdown. Um

I think it's hard to know um if the

regime is going to answer in any way um

to these demands. Uh we've seen over the

years that they don't react well to

pressure. um they don't really like to

be asked to do things and and they like

to do things on their own terms. But for

sure um I read the letter today and it

lays out some very basic and reasonable

demands. Um and I don't see why uh they

wouldn't be listened to. Uh but more

more generally, you know, one of the

things I thought was super interesting

about um that you raised earlier was

your concern that

the authorities have a very specific

intention of dividing and conquering.

Have you seen any evidence of that in

the response since these latest protests

began in September?

>> Absolutely. So, we saw at first a bit of

an absurd response where they would just

jail absolutely everyone. These were the

first days of the protests. Uh, some

folks were arrested just for merely

speaking to the media on the on a

sidewalk and then there were more

clashes, violent clashes. We've seen the

death of three people. Um, so the

escalation was really extreme and then

there was a deescalation. And I'm seeing

what I've seen the regime do countless

time, which is co-opt, deflate, and

undermine. And now they're inviting

young people to come speak on TV. More

unions are are joining the movement. And

and I'm I mean, traditionally, I've

always seen the regime completely uh

take over these these movements. and I

and I'm waiting to see what they're

going to do this time or actually listen

to the demands of the streets because

these waves of protests keep on coming

and and they'll never go away unless uh

they're real answers to the demands and

uh these are big problems that will not

be resolved with small solutions.

>> So in this kind of complicated

landscape, what for you are the real

elements to watch going forward?

>> I think we need to see the king's going

to speak on Friday. There's a lot of

speculation about what he's going to

say. I personally um I'm not expecting

um a big acknowledgement of what the

youth of what the youth is demanding.

There's probably going to be some kind

of um siding with their demand and

agreeing with them. We've seen that in

several of uh his speeches where he kind

of agrees with everything they say. But

it'll be interesting to see if actually

there's going to be any um big gesture

that's done. and one of them would be uh

to dismiss the current prime minister.

>> Thank you so much, Ida Alami there

helping us break down some of the

dynamics behind the weeks of protests

that we've seen in Morocco led by Gen Z

protesters. Quick look at some news in

brief now. Medics in the besieged Sudin

city of Darur say that at least 20

people have been killed over 24 hours in

drone and artillery strikes on one of

the last functioning hospitals. The RSF

paramilitary, which has been at war with

the army since 2023, has been trying to

seize El Fascia from their rivals. It's

the last state capital to hold out

against the RSF, and activists trying to

help civilians stuck there conditions in

the city are so bad that it's become an

open air morg. The conflict has created

the world's worst humanitarian disaster.

Also, rights groups Amnesty

Internationals calling on the Tanzanian

government to disclose the fate and

whereabouts of a missing former

ambassador who became a critic of

President Samir Saluhu Hassan's

administration. Humphrey Piple had been

Tanzania's ambassador to Cuba since

2013, but he resigned in July after

accusing his government of human rights

abuses on Monday. His brother posted a

video accusing police of having

violently abducted the diplomat.

President Su Husan's faced increasing

accusation of repression ahead of the

October 29th general election.

Eight employees of the international NGO

safety organization, the INSO, have been

arrested in Bikina Fasu on charges of

espionage and treason. Four foreign and

four local staff are accused of

collecting sensitive information. The

Netherlands-based outfit denies this.

Fina Faso also accuses INSO of having

kept up operations after the government

ordered its suspension back in July.

Now to Cameroon where c where campaigns

are in full swing ahead of elections due

to happen on the 12th. Seventime

President Paul Be has been almost

invisible since the start of his bid for

an eighth term. But despite this, he

remains the front runner. Our

correspondent sent us this report from

the campaign trail.

>> He is the opposition candidate who has

been drawing crowds since the start of

the campaigns ahead of the presidential

polls.

>> 76year-old Isachiro Bakari who served

the Paul regime for more than 20 years

now presents himself as the most serious

opponent.

A combative speech that seems to

convince young voters like this one.

>> We want change. Please help us. We know

they'll try to rig the polls, but we're

going to watch closely. We're tired of

this. 43 years and nothing to show.

>> Like Issa Chiro, Beloba has been an ally

of the ruling party for more than 30

years. Here he is at a meeting in

Gandere in the Adamawa region. For the

UNP candidate, the turnout will be

decisive.

[Music]

>> Incumbent Paul made an appearance in

Marua in the far north region where he

urged his supporters to vote for him to

carry on with the ruling party's legacy.

92-year-old Paul Mia presented himself

as a man for the top job he has occupied

for the past 42 years.

[Applause]

[Music]

Over 8 million Cameroonian voters are

expected to go to the polls on October

12th to elect one candidate who will be

presidents for the next seven years.

Well, Kenya is currently heading up the

Komusa economic block for Easter and

Southern Africa. There are 21 states in

the common market, all invested in a

gathering currently underway in Nairobi,

focusing on keeping exports flowing to

the EU. Over the past two years, East

African exports of horicultural and

agricultural products to Europe have

dropped by half, and this is

particularly worrying to the conference

hosts. Uh Bastian Renery breaks it all

down for us.

It's not the first time that the Kenyan

industry is affected by a new EU

regulations. But in the past, Kenyan

farmers have adapted successfully. So

the flower industry believe that they

will succeed one more time with the help

of this commissa forum. Kenyan Minister

of Trade said that the goal of the forum

is not only to help Kenyans but also to

develop exports for other members. He

also said that the goal is to develop a

domestic market between Comsaar members.

He said that if we are able to trade

together to work together then we will

develop together.

>> In many farms uh the use of pesticides

have been reduced by over 40%. And for

us that is major. So that is an example.

If you look at the use of water, we are

collecting water every drop in the farm.

They need to give us confidence that

indeed we have made many major strides

and we are on the way to being closer to

where they expect us to be and in the

coming uh 10 years we believe that we

should be the very best.

>> The flower industry is a key sector here

in Kenya. Kenyan flowers, especially

roses, are shipped daily to the EU. They

represent more than 40% of the flowers

sold within the European Union and it

contributes more than three billion

euros to the Kenyan economy every year.

But recently, these exports have dropped

sharply because of stricter EU

regulations on pesticides. The Kisa

Summit will address this issue.

>> Bastion, Reni there for us. And before

we leave, a quick update on the

happenings in football for the

continent. Liverpool star Muhammad Salah

scored twice to help Egypt beat Djibouti

3-0 in Kazablanca on Wednesday and

qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

Meanwhile, Kate Verdie will have to wait

for its showdown with Esatini on next

Monday before getting a chance to secure

a first ever World Cup spot after it

drew 33 with Libya on Wednesday. Well,

that's it for the show, an eye on

Africa. Do join us again if you can.

Till then, take care.

[Music]

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
protest /ˈprəʊ.test/ B1	verb - express strong disapproval noun - an expression of objection
demand /dɪˈmænd/ B1	verb - ask for something forcefully noun - a forceful request
campaign /kæmˈpeɪn/ B2	noun - an organized course of action verb - work in an organized way
market /ˈmɑː.kɪt/ A2	noun - a place or system where goods are bought and sold
reform /rɪˈfɔːm/ B2	noun - the improvement or amendment of something verb - make changes to improve something
letter /ˈlet.ər/ A1	noun - a written message
movement /ˈmuːv.mənt/ B1	noun - a group of people working together
regime /reɪˈʒiːm/ C1	noun - a system of government
president /ˈprez.ɪ.dənt/ A2	noun - the elected head of a country
election /ɪˈlek.ʃən/ B1	noun - the process of choosing someone by voting
export /ɪkˈspɔːt/ B1	verb - send goods to another country noun - goods sent to another country
regulation /ˌreg.jəˈleɪ.ʃən/ C1	noun - an official rule
government /ˈɡʌv.ən.mənt/ B1	noun - the group of people who run a country
hospital /ˈhɒs.pɪ.təl/ A2	noun - a place where sick people are cared for
university /ˌjuː.nɪˈvɜː.sə.ti/ A2	noun - a place of higher education
critic /ˈkrɪt.ɪk/ B2	noun - a person who gives opinions on something
arrest /əˈrest/ B1	verb - seize and take into custody noun - the act of seizing someone
rally /ˈræl.i/ B2	noun - a large gathering for a cause verb - bring people together for support
speech /spiːtʃ/ A2	noun - a formal talk given to an audience
poll /pəʊl/ B2	noun - an election or survey