From "Survival", Bob Marley's most political LP at a time of increased political turbulence in Africa: in Angola and Mozambique fighting intensified, and in Zimbabwe the struggle was finally coming to a head.

On the "Survival" tour Bob Marley and The Wailers consciously opened their US dates at the legendary Apollo in Harlem. Bob felt that he hadn't been marketed sufficiently to black people; reggae, viewed condescendingly by many American blacks, appeared to be seen as a threat to r'n'b; getting on black radio was near impossible. After the Apollo shows, however, longstanding residents of Harlem claimed that the area had not buzzed like that since Marcus Garvey's time there. This was the desired effect: Bob was telling black people to wake up.

Africa, Unite
'Cause we're moving right out of Babylon
And we're going to our father's land

How good and how pleasant it would be
Before God and man, yeah
To see the unification of all Africans, yeah
As it's been said already let it be done, yeah
We are the children of the Rastaman
We are the children of the Higher Man

So Africa, Unite 'cause the children wanna
come home
Africa, Unite 'cause we're moving right
out of Babylon
And we're grooving to our father's land

How good and how pleasant it would be
Before God and Man
To see the unification of all Rastaman, yeah

As it's been said already let it be done
I tell you who we are under the sun
We are the children of the Rastaman
We are the children of the Higher Man

So, Africa, Unite, Africa, Unite
Unite for the benefit of your people
Unite for it's later than you think
Unite for the benefit of your children
Unite for it's later than you think

Africa awaits its creators, Africa awaiting
its creators
Africa, you're my forefather cornerstone
Unite for the Africans abroad, unite for
the Africans a yard
Africa, Unite