It’s 1985, and guitarist and activist Little Steven Van Zandt forms a supergroup to protest
apartheid in South Africa. That country’s system of white minority rule and institutionalized
racial segregation was in place for nearly 50 years. Despite world-wide condemnation,
embargos, and diplomatic isolation, the South African regime held firm. Van Zandt believed this
stubbornness led to apathy among the world community.
ase in point, a long-standing entertainment embargo against the luxury resort Sun City began
to show cracks. Major artists like Frank Sinatra, Rod Stewart, and Elton John broke ranks and
performed there. Van Zandt cited Sun City as a symbol of the oppression and denial of basic
rights to the country’s black majority.
In writing his protest song, Van Zandt drew parallels between South Africa’s apartheid and
America’s own engrained, systemic racism. Producers worried that the song would draw
backlash, and be unfavorably compared to USA For Africa’s “We Are the World.” Van Zandt
countered that his song, “is about change, not charity; freedom, not famine.” He gathered
dozens of artists who agreed, and came together as Artists United Against Apartheid.
Jazz legends Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Ray Barretto, and Gil-Scott Heron joined with (among
others) Miles Davis, Bruce Springsteen, Afrika Bambaata, and Run-DMC. The resulting single
and album a modest success in the United States, but found a strong international audience. It
debuted at the United Nations and raised over a million dollars for anti-apartheid organizations.
Most importantly, said Van Zandt, it raised awareness of apartheid injustice.
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