Dialogue

Jason: Did you hear that World Cup theme song?

Mason:  I did see it. It’s pretty unavoidable, right, I mean, World Cup anthem, right?

Jason:  Yeah. I guess the guy who made it, he’s like a Somali-Canadian.

Mason:  Somali, huh? It’s good they’re getting some nice PR for the Somali culture after the whole pirates thing.

Jason:  Yeah, he actually has some stuff to say about that. I guess basically his stance is that Somali piracy is obviously really bad, but it’s more a symptom than a problem in and of itself. It’s brought on by other problems in Somalia, economically and socially.

Mason:  So he’s not just some pop star, he’s got like a social conscience.

Jason:  Yeah, he’s been compared to Bob Marley for being a sort of international poet troubadour kind of guy.

Mason:  That’s interesting. I mean, I hope he can use the millions and millions of dollars in royalty money from getting lots of exposure at the World Cup to further his righteous endeavors.

Jason:  Maybe this will help him get his message to the next level.
 
New words
 

theme song n.

Definition

song from a movie or TV show

Example

I've always loved the theme song for the Indiana Jones movies.

 

PR n.

Definition

public relations; press

Example

The company hired a new PR agent because they kept getting bad press.

 

stance n.

Definition

opinion; perspective; stand

Example

When I found out her stance on abortion, I was really surprised.

 

symptom n.

Definition

a sign of sickness or physical problem

Example

I know something is wrong with me, but I don't know what it is. If I tell you my symptoms, can you tell me the problem?

 

social conscience n.

Definition

concern about social issues, such as equality

Example

My father is so greedy, he doesn't have any social conscience at all.

troubadour n.

Definition

folk singer

Example

Bob Dylan is my favorite troubadour of all times.

 

royalties n.

Definition

money earned from something you created

Example

All the royalties from Paul McCartney's new album are being donated to charity.
Discussion

K’naan is a Somali-Canadian poet and singer who wrote the anthem for the 2010 World Cup. He is involved with politics and social issues in Africa. Jason explains that K’naan is not just a typical pop star. He is a singer with a social conscience. His songs have a message.

Mason only knows of K’naan because of the World Cup. He hopes that the fame and money that K’naan gained with his World Cup anthem will help him further the causes he cares about. Jason compares K’naan to Bob Marley, another singer who had an international reputation and wrote songs about justice.

Do you like music that has a message? Have you heard K’naan’s song “Wavin’ Flag”?

Grammar Point

Passive Voice

Jason says that K’naan has been compared to Bob Marley. This is an example of the passive voice.

We use the passive voice when we don’t know who performed an action, or when it isn’t important. It isn’t important to know who has compared K’naan to Bob Marley. It is only important to know that he has been compared to him by many people.

Passive voice is normally formed with be + a past participle, as in, “Chris was shot yesterday.” We can use the passive voice in any tense, by changing the tense of to be. For instance, Jason uses the passive voice with the present perfect tense.

Which is correct, “My jacket was been lost” or “My jacket was lost”?

Quiz

  1. K’naan’s background is __.

  2. People have compared K’naan to which other singer?

  3. Theme song is a synonym of __.

  4. Carl’s watch _ yesterday.

  5. Have you __ by a doctor yet?