ABSTRACT
This chapter explores various readings and people's experiences of the song, in the hope of providing an insight into how it has worked as a political song, and in John Street's words, how it has engaged with the particular political moments and issues Peter Gabriel attempted to encapsulate. It explores the way in which 'Biko' by Peter Gabriel has worked as a protest song which successfully conveys not just a slogan but ideas about Biko's death. The chapter proposes an investigation of how people have been challenged to react to the death of Stephen Biko through the song. It focuses on the song itself, exploring the music, lyrics and context in an attempt to uncover its importance as a means of political expression. Gabriel offers words of encouragement to anti-apartheid activists and the oppressed in South Africa, which in turn act as an open warning to the apartheid state, that the eyes of the world are focused on South Africa.
