7 SECONDS

“The African race is a rubber ball. The harder you dash it to the ground, the higher it will rise.” - African Proverb

Today was a lazy day. It’s nice to have lazy days once in a while. Sleeping in, having a leisurely breakfast, then enjoying the morning by taking a walk in the garden, smelling the late summer roses, the flowering ginger, the four-o’clocks, the jasmine and the carnations. Revelling in the colour of the orange zinnias, the yellow and brown marigolds, the scarlet salvias, the pink cosmos. Looking at the green growing things and listening to music playing on the radio and happy to be alive, and being grateful for such pleasures. We said we’d go out shopping, but we ended up staying in, relaxing, taking it easy and having a wonderful lazy day…

Tonight, a hit song from 1994, composed by Youssou N’Dour, Neneh Cherry, Cameron McVey and Jonathan Sharp. It was released as a single by Youssou N'Dour and Neneh Cherry, the song and remained on the charts for nearly half a year. It reached the top three in many countries, including the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Australia, Russia and Poland. The single stayed at the top spot for 16 consecutive weeks on the French Singles Chart, which was the record of the most weeks at the top at the time. Its title “7 Seconds” refers to the critical time after a baby’s birth, essential for its survival and it packs a strong anti-racism message.