Mo'Olelo
“Mo'Olelo” is a powerful reflection on ownership, exploitation, independence, and the responsibility we carry toward future generations. Through the imagery of gardens, seeds, rivers, and changing seasons, the song examines what happens when people surrender control of their resources, opportunities, and destinies, allowing others to determine what grows and who benefits from the harvest.
The story explores the painful contradiction of possessing great wealth and potential while watching their rewards flow elsewhere. It questions the wisdom of abandoning our own gardens to depend on what strangers plant, reminding us that prosperity without control can leave entire communities dependent on decisions made beyond their reach.
Yet the song is not simply a warning about exploitation. It is also a call to rediscover inherited wisdom, reclaim the ability to shape our future, and recognize that meaningful change begins with the choices we make today. The grandmother's journey symbolizes the preservation of knowledge and the courage to begin again.
The final verses expand the message beyond personal gain. They encourage us to plant trees whose shade we may never enjoy, build opportunities for children we may never meet, and create a legacy measured not by immediate rewards but by the lives improved long after we are gone.
The song's message: True prosperity is not merely possessing resources or enjoying today's harvest. It is having the freedom and foresight to cultivate our own future while leaving something lasting for generations yet to come.
ZSORAYII, wearing a vibrant African patterned outfit and gold Africa armband, shares an illustrated history book with five smiling children in a lush, sunlit setting. Ancient African statues, historical books labeled “Our History,” “Our Land,” “Our People,” and “Our Future,” maps, and cultural artifacts surround them. Majestic waterfalls, mountains, and a golden sunset fill the background, celebrating African heritage, storytelling, cultural identity, and knowledge passed between generations. The title “MO’OLELO” appears beneath ZSORAYII’s name.
Velvet shadows cross the floor
Strange hands leave roses at your door
Dreamt beneath a painted sky
While quiet rivers wander dry
Hollow earth will hold its breath
Bloom from seeds strangers left
And when the crooked blossoms rise
They wear the dusk behind their eyes
Plant tomorrow, plant it deep
What we sow is ours to keep
E kanu i ka lā ʻapōpō, e paʻa mau
Pau ka ʻohi ʻana no haʻi
Haʻalele i ka ʻauwaha, nalowale ka māla
Noho ma lalo o ka hua a ka malihini
Plant tomorrow, plant it deep
What we sow is ours to keep
طلایمان را به خردهنوری دادیم
باران شب را هم اجاره کردیم
خورشید را از پوست باغ فشردیم
در حلبی زرین دوباره ریختیم
دیدیم رود کهربا میرود
از دری که ساختیم، بی ما میرود
نگهبانان خاموش، از کاه و استخوان
پاسدار تختی دزدیده، بیزبان
Plant tomorrow, plant it deep
What we sow is ours to keep
E kanu i ka lā ʻapōpō, e paʻa mau
Pau ka ʻohi ʻana no haʻi
Haʻalele i ka ʻauwaha, nalowale ka māla
Noho ma lalo o ka hua a ka malihini
Plant tomorrow, plant it deep
What we sow is ours to keep
Grandmother wore the summer's thread
With sleeping gardens in her head
She crossed the blue where shadows part
Tucked the spring beneath her heart
Unfold the earth the old ground knows
Which whispered root is meant to grow
Cut the tether, turn the key
Seasons move for those set free
Plant tomorrow, plant it deep
What we sow is ours to keep
E kanu i ka lā ʻapōpō, e paʻa mau
Pau ka ʻohi ʻana no haʻi
Haʻalele i ka ʻauwaha, nalowale ka māla
Noho ma lalo o ka hua a ka malihini
Plant tomorrow, plant it deep
What we sow is ours to keep
Istuta silmapiir üle oma päevade
Toida kätega, mitte kiitusega
Kasvata puud, kuhu me ei roni
Nende oksad mõõdavad aega
Lapsed puhkavad nende varjus
Kuulevad nimesid meie kätest
Iga leht tõuseb ja ütleb
„Nad ehitasid metsa meie päevaks“
Plant tomorrow, plant it deep
What we sow is ours to keep
E kanu i ka lā ʻapōpō, e paʻa mau
Pau ka ʻohi ʻana no haʻi
Haʻalele i ka ʻauwaha, nalowale ka māla
Noho ma lalo o ka hua a ka malihini
Plant tomorrow, plant it deep
What we sow is ours to keep