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Million Voices is a song by Haitian-American musician Wyclef Jean from the soundtrack of the 2004 film Hotel Rwanda.

Themes [link]

Wyclef Jean, born in Haiti, like many of the people in his home country as well as other Caribbean countries including many Latin American countries, are descendants of people brought from Africa to the Americas by slave traders from Europe. Many African-Americans and Caribbeans do not know their ancestral heritage, yet are curious about where they come from. They may never know but they still feel connected to Africa. This is why Wyclef Jean wrote Million Voices, a song that deals with the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, in which nearly a million people lost their lives.^[1]

Rwanda, an African nation that was once under the control of Germany, was later given to Belgium after the First World War, when Germany was forced to surrender its colonies. The Belgians went in, and separated the Rwandans into two pre-existing tribes. The Tutsis were supposedly more "white"-looking in appearance, taller and with thinner noses, and the Hutus darker, so claimed the Belgian rulers who placed the Tutsis in lower rungs of government (the upper rung continued to be occupied by Belgians) to rule over the country. After years of oppression, and once independence was given to Rwanda, the Hutus were given power, since they were the majority. In a genocide militiant Hutus took revenge on the Tutsis in 1994 after years of propaganda by the Hutus that paralleled the Nazis' hatred against the Jews.

The song then, subtly reflects the ignorance of the European leaders, and how the artificial hierarchy of races created by the Europeans has destroyed the society of African nations.

Synopsis [link]

The song criticizes ex-colonial powers for splitting Africa into so many countries and thus, making them very weak economically. An assumption is being made that the many tribes and nations that have been at war for thousands of years, would on their own have united. The lyrics "Why can't Africa be the United Kingdom of Africa", refers to the unnecessary division of the continent, which would be much stronger if it were unified.

Choir [link]

The song lends the voice of the children, backed by a chorus of cascading vocals. Wyclef Jean sums up his message that Africa has value due to all its work and toil, and that all the precious commodities don't justify its oppression. He argues that a people who were one from the beginning can still unite.

Translation [link]

The Kinyarwanda lyrics which are part of the song (and heard in the few parts of the film, like the ending) are as follows.

Ni ryari izuba rizagaruka hejuru yacu? Ni nde uzaricyeza?

[ni rjari zuba rizaɡaruka heʒuru jatʃu (ni)nduzarikjeza]

When will the sun return above us? Who will reveal it to us once again?

Awards and nominations [link]

In 2005 and 2006, "Million Voices" was nominated for two mainstream awards; the 2005 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for a Motion Picture, and the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Song Written in a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media.

References [link]