After relocating to Hamburg in 2003, Nneka has been working closely with the hip hop beatmaker DJ Farhot. As a young singer she first gained public attention in 2004 while performing as an opening act for dancehall reggae star Sean Paul at Hamburg Stadtpark. After much acclaim, Nneka released her debut EP The Uncomfortable Truth with the music label Yo Mama's Recording Company after which she performed on her first tour with Patrice, playing shows in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
She finished recording her first album in the autumn of 2005. Entitled Victim of Truth. Garnering rave reviews from the media, the UK's Sunday Times later declared it “the year’s most criminally overlooked album”, comparing it favourably to 'The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill'.
In February 2008, she released her second album, No Longer at Ease. The title of the album is taken from a novel of the same name by Chinua Achebe and reflects the lyrical content of the record. Most of the songs are political, talking about the plight of the Niger Delta and the corruption in Nneka’s homeland. “No Longer at Ease” combines the political and the personal in “a winning mix of soul, hip-hop an reggae”. The lead single from it, "Heartbeat", became her first song to break into the German Top 50.
In November 2009, Nneka staged her first concert tour of the United States where she performed shows in New York City, Vienna (Washington DC), Boston, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Furthermore she was a special guest on The Roots Jam session. Her first US release Concrete Jungle was set for 2 February 2010.
Nneka recorded her last album Soul Is Heavy in Nigeria. She also co-founded a charity foundation called the "ROPE foundation" with Genda, Ahmed Nyei from Sierra Leone. She has worked extensively in charity and arts with the foundation in Sierra Leone. Nneka has also worked with Reebok and her track "Shinning" topped global charts in 2013.
Viva Africa
Nneka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I wake up to the morning, when love comes my way,
In my dreams, I am praying, love won't pass me by,
I am running breathlessly, I am gasping for air,
But I still believe.
Viva, viva, viva, viva Africa! (2x)
Welcome to Africa
Freedom (3x)
Viva, viva, viva, viva Africa!
Life is a game, we play and we lose
God is a referee and we are His tools
At times we play fair, to achieve our goals
Bear in mind that defeat is not weakness but a blessing to learn
Knowledge to earn o, Africa!
Viva, viva, viva, viva Africa! (2x)
Welcome to Africa
Viva, viva, viva, viva Africa!
Freedom (3x)
Viva, viva, viva, viva Africa!
Struggle, struggle (2x)
It don reach time, we suppose to unite
Oyibo, black, eknow know fight
Na high time, we suppose to unite
Black, yellow, eknow know fight
Eya, this is only for ....
In want commot the wahala in the world
Welcome to Africa
Viva, viva, viva, viva Africa! (2x)
Welcome to Africa
Viva, viva, viva, viva Africa!
Freedom (3x)
Viva, viva, viva, viva Africa!
In the opening verses of Nneka's song Viva Africa, she expresses the difficulties of everyday life and the struggle that comes with it. Despite the challenges, she still holds on to hope and the belief that love will come her way. The chorus of the song then bursts into a celebration of Africa, with Nneka chanting "Viva Africa" repeatedly, exclaiming her love and pride for the continent. The song celebrates the beauty and strength of Africa, as well as the call for unity and the fight for freedom. Through its upbeat and uplifting melody, Viva Africa is a tribute to the resilience of African people, their culture, and their determination to overcome obstacles and fight for a better future.
The song has had a notable impact and has been used in multiple instances to highlight the African spirit of resilience and unity. Nneka performed the song at the opening ceremony of the 2010 World Cup in Johannesburg, South Africa, which marked the first time the quadrennial tournament was held on the African continent. The song has also been used in various African-themed movies and documentaries.
Line by Line Meaning
Everyday is a struggle, every night in my bed,
Each day is filled with obstacles and every night I lay awake thinking about them.
I wake up to the morning, when love comes my way,
I face each new day with the hope that I will find love and happiness.
In my dreams, I am praying, love won't pass me by,
Even in my dreams, I am hoping to find love and not miss the chance.
I am running breathlessly, I am gasping for air,
I am working so hard and straining myself to overcome these struggles.
But I still believe.
Despite everything, I still have faith and hope.
Viva, viva, viva, viva Africa! (2x)
Long live Africa!
Welcome to Africa
Welcome to this great continent of Africa.
Freedom (3x)
We are celebrating the freedom and independence that we have achieved.
Life is a game, we play and we lose
Life can be seen as a game where we take risks, but sometimes we can fail.
God is a referee and we are His tools
God is watching over us and we are instruments in His hands.
At times we play fair, to achieve our goals
Sometimes we need to be honest and ethical to reach our objectives.
Bear in mind that defeat is not weakness but a blessing to learn
Losing can teach us valuable lessons and make us stronger.
Knowledge to earn o, Africa!
We can gain knowledge and wisdom from our failures and experiences.
Struggle, struggle (2x)
We are acknowledging the difficulties we face every day.
It don reach time, we suppose to unite
It’s time to come together and unite.
Oyibo, black, eknow know fight
Regardless of skin color or ethnicity, we should not fight among ourselves.
Na high time, we suppose to unite
It’s long overdue for us to come together and work as one.
Black, yellow, eknow know fight
We should not fight or discriminate against each other based on race or skin color.
Eya, this is only for ....
This message is for everyone.
In want commot the wahala in the world
We want to solve the problems in the world.
Contributed by Reagan O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Javier Herrera
Esta canción de fondo mientras Del Bosque recita los 23 jugadores es maravilloso!
Marcos Robledo Garcia
muchisima razon.. que pinta shakira "representando" a africa?? esta cancion era PERFECTA
koltdourden1
informe robinson me hizo conocer a esta cantante, ahora no paro de escucharla. Q gran sensacion cuando del bosque nombra a los judadores con la musica de fondo
Leo Hidalgo
koltdourden1 sabes!!!
Greenb
esta cancion me trae muy buenos recuerdos :D
mike snow
cuantos recuerdos, este video me saca una sonrisa siempre!
Juan Ignacio Molina
pta escucho esta canción y me dan ganas de llorar de sólo recordar el viaje, el mundial VIVA AFRICA
kyng George
Strong verse " Life is a game we win or we loose, God is our referee and we are his tools." ~ Nneka~ that is a nice way to look at life tho.
yoshiN
Viva la seleccion y el informe robinson que me izo llorar de nuevo! jajaja buena cancion :)
SaintMod
Everyday is a struggle, every night in my bed, I wake up to the morning, when love comes my way, In my dreams, I am praying, love won't pass me by, I am running breathlessly, I am gasping for air, But I still believe. Viva, viva, viva, viva Serbia & Africa!