Þegar Afríkuríkið Simbabve hlaut sjálfstæði 18. apríl 1980, söng Bob Marley og hljómsveitin The Wailers á Rufaro-leikvanginum í höfuðborginni Harare. Í áhorfendaskaranum voru Karl Bretaprins, Indira Gandhi, forsætisráðherra Indlands og fleiri fyrirmenni.

Marley söng nýtt lag, Zimbabwe, sem út kom á plötunni Survival, sem jamaíski listamaðurinn samdi til heiðurs Robert Mugabe, forsætisráðherra landsins. Mugabe, sem lést í dag 95 ára gamall, stjórnaði landinu með harðri hendi áratugum saman.

En um 1980 var Mugabe hetja margra Afríkumanna, þegar lönd þar í álfu brutust undan oki nýlenduvaldsins. Áður en landið fékk sjálfstæði frá Bretum, hét Simbabve Ródesía og var síðar stjórnað af hvítum minnihluta sem sjálfstætt land, þar sem hallaði mjög á réttindi svartra. Mugabe barðist með marxísk-lenínískum hersveitum gegn þessari stjórn í hinu svokallaða kjarrstríði (Bush War).

Hér eru tónleikar Marley á sjálfstæðishátíðinni 1980:

Svona er textinn við lag Marley:

Zimbabwe

Every man gotta right to decide his own destiny,
And in this judgement there is no partiality.
So arm in arms, with arms, we’ll fight this little struggle,
‘Cause that’s the only way we can overcome our little trouble.

Brother, you’re right, you’re right,
You’re right, you’re right, you’re so right!
We gon’ fight (we gon’ fight), we’ll have to fight (we gon’ fight),
We gonna fight (we gon’ fight), fight for our rights!

Natty Dread it in-a (Zimbabwe);
Set it up in (Zimbabwe);
Mash it up-a in-a Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe);
Africans a-liberate (Zimbabwe), yeah.

No more internal power struggle;
We come together to overcome the little trouble.
Soon we’ll find out who is the real revolutionary,
‘Cause I don’t want my people to be contrary.

And, brother, you’re right, you’re right,
You’re right, you’re right, you’re so right!
We’ll ‘ave to fight (we gon’ fight), we gonna fight (we gon’ fight)
We’ll ‘ave to fight (we gon’ fight), fighting for our rights!

Mash it up in-a (Zimbabwe);
Natty trash it in-a (Zimbabwe);
Africans a-liberate Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe);
I’n’I a-liberate Zimbabwe.

(Brother, you’re right,) you’re right,
You’re right, you’re right, you’re so right!
We gon’ fight (we gon’ fight), we’ll ‘ave to fight (we gon’ fight),
We gonna fight (we gon’ fight), fighting for our rights!

To divide and rule could only tear us apart;
In everyman chest, mm – there beats a heart.
So soon we’ll find out who is the real revolutionaries;
And I don’t want my people to be tricked by mercenaries.

Brother, you’re right, you’re right,
You’re right, you’re right, you’re so right!
We’ll ‘ave to fight (we gon’ fight), we gonna fight (we gon’ fight),
We’ll ‘ave to fight (we gon’ fight), fighting for our rights!

Natty trash it in-a Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe);
Mash it up in-a Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe);
Set it up in-a Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe);
Africans a-liberate Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe);
Africans a-liberate Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe);
Natty dub it in-a Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe).

Set it up in-a Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe);
Africans a-liberate Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe);
Every man got a right to decide his own destiny.