Voulez-vous chanter avec moi? / Would you like to sing along with me ?

Translation from the French into the English

Music: Garrett List

Text: Jacques Delcuvellerie

While the little house carrying Jacob whith it moves away into the distance, strange sounds are heard from behind the wall which opens up. One by one appear a trumpet player, Colette Bagimont who traces a path with the red Rwandan earth, and three creatures with hyena heads. Colette Bagimont hands over a mike to Bee Bee Bee who interviews each of the hyenas.

I.

Mr Cekomsa

Please sit down / Dear Madam Bee Bee Bee / My name is Mr Cekomsa / And I am your friend / Too many questions! Too many / worries! Oh dear what grief! / But be reassured, as for Rwanda, / we are not responsible! Eh?

Since the end of the colony / It´s anarchy down there / The Africans / Don´t see anything besides their / ethnic group / Yes, that´s how it is / Corruption and dictatorship, / massacre and whitchcraft / The moment our backs were / turned / They were back to square one - / oh!

We can´t do anything about it, / that´s how it is / Dear Madam Bee Bee Bee / Would you like to sing with me? / Tralalalala!

Bee Bee Bee

I know the song well / I say no and no again / Let me go my way / I want to go further

II.

Mr Quai d´Orsay

I have my lair in the Quai / d´Orsay / And I am annoyed / That some would like to put / France / among the accused / Nonetheless, I ask the question / (Reply yes or no!) / Wasn´t Rwanda invaded? Well!

Isn´t it rue that Rwanda / It is Africans who killed Africans /Yes, damn it! / We tried our best to separate / these madmen! / But down there genocide, it´s not / like here – Ooh!

France attempted the impossible / for democracy / She spent millions / On bullets and guns / Defending the French against / barbarism / For all this spilled blood put the / blame on the United States - / Ho! Ho!

Don´t play at being leftist / Enough of simplistic ideas! / Would you like to sing with me? / Tralalalala!

Bee Bee Bee

I know your speeches too well / Because once upon a time I / believed them / There is blood on your hands / Put your white gloves on again

III.

Mr Compradore

Allow me to greet / The most beautiful of my / colleagues / Senegalese journalist / I understand how you feel

You would like to know who is / responsible for this terrible / tragedy? / But here is the problem: / everybody was a killer!

You, Whites, you cut off / Peoples and ethnic groups / And created absurd frontiers / Drew up your colonies / There´s your heritage / Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa / all killed each other in beautiful / Rwanda – Ah! / There was no genocide / it´s far more complicated / I think the Tutsi have / brainwashed you / Don´t forget that the Hutu are / the majority / They all resisted dictatorship - / Hey!

Long live Marianne! Long live the / Elysee! / Long live the “Pre Carré”! / Would you like to sing with me? / Tralalalala!

Bee Bee Bee

Your paper speaks of Africa / But where does the money come / from? / Let me go away / I wish to go further.

The Three Hyenas

You´re heading straight towards / suicide / Don´t be stupid! / We are not going to tear each / other apart / Because of the Rwandans! / How can you help them / If you are all alone? / Sing! Sing with us! / Or go break your neck! Heck!