Is the freedom fighter in “House of Exile” Nelson Mandela? Throughout his career, Dube was highly critical of the Apartheid regime and segregation based on race/religion. Apartheid officially began in South Africa in 1948 and ended in 1994. Simply put, it was a policy of segregation that brutally oppressed black people. Apartheid was a brutal political and social system in South Africa which not only segregated blacks from whites but also gave more rights to the latter. The song was released in the early 1990s – while apartheid was still ongoing in South Africa. It is one of the many tracks of Dube that deal with the issue of Apartheid and the fight for freedom. Is this song about apartheid in South Africa?Ībsolutely. He wants a nation where everybody (regardless of their race, background or color) “will be equal in the eyes of the law”. However, he was forced to abandon all these things to become a freedom fighter because his main goal in life is to see nothing but the freedom of his nation. Prior to going into exile, the fighter had so many things he cherished, including a home and the “love of a girl”. Apparently he would continue to remain in the jungles fighting until his nation is free at last. And what’s this reason? The immense love he has for his nation. He wants his people to know that the sole reason why he is still in exile.
