Peter Gabriel released "Biko" in 1980 in tribute to Steve Biko, a prominent anti-apartheid activist who was tragically killed by the South African government in 1977. But Michelle Appel, the assistant vice president and chief data officer at the University of Maryland, first discovered the song through Joan Baez's 1987 cover, which resonated deeply with her own journey as a young activist in the 80s.
Appel joins Stephanie Shonekan on this episode to discuss “Biko’s” haunting lyrics, weighty musical arrangement and the way the song captured the urgency and despair of the anti-apartheid movement. They also explore Baez’s stripped-down version of “Biko,” a more accessible listen that provides space to reflect.
Both renditions of “Biko” display the power of art’s intersection with activism. And decades later, the song still resonates with today’s Black Lives Matter movement – and so many other calls for justice.
“At the time, I thought, ‘My family came to the United States before the Revolutionary War, settled in Pennsylvania, were absolutely against slavery, so I'm cool. We're good.' I did not understand my privilege. I did not understand systemic racism. I did not understand any of those things. And I also didn't understand that what was happening in South Africa was happening in lots of other places that we just weren't calling it what it was.” - Michelle Appel
Cover Story with Stephanie Shonekan is produced by Katelynn McIlwain, Janet Saidi, Ryan Famuliner, Aaron Hay, Nat Kuhn, Mark Johnson and Stephanie Shonekan. This season was edited by Aaron Hay, Janet Saidi and Ryan Famuliner.
This podcast is a collaboration between KBIA and Vox Magazine, with funding from the University of Maryland College of Arts and Humanities, MU’s College of Arts & Science, and the Missouri School of Journalism.
You can follow the podcast and other special projects on Instagram @kbianews.
“Cover Story with Stephanie Shonekan” Season 1 was produced by Janet Saidi, Kristofor Husted, Fernando Narro, Rehman Tungekar, and Ryan Famuliner, with host and producer Stephanie Shonekan. Season 1 was edited by Rehman Tungekar and Ryan Famuliner.
“Cover Story with Stephanie Shonekan” Season 2 was produced by Janet Saidi, Ryan Famuliner, Aaron Hay, and Stephanie Shonekan. Season 2 was edited by Aaron Hay and Ryan Famuliner.
"Cover Story with Stephanie Shonekan" Season 3 was produced by Katelynn McIlwain, Janet Saidi, Ryan Famuliner, Aaron Hay and Nat Kuhn, with host and producer Stephanie Shonekan. Season 3 was edited by Aaron Hay and Ryan Famuliner.
