Athie lives his young life in Capetown
He sees the world in all its ups and downs
He may be not yet 12 years old
But he's seen the horror life can hold
His parents murdered while he slept
How does a child come to accept
Who could blame him if pure hatred filled his heart?
If he were always on his guard?
But Athie knows that violence breeds its own
That only love can break that cycle down
His aunt and uncle took him in
He has wise friends who stand by him.
We'll never lose hope that one day
We'll live in a world where children play
Without the fear of guns and bombs tearing their families apart
We know that there will come a time
When the bells of peace and justice chime
And we wil work towards that day with joy and hope in our hearts
In the ruins of a town outside Kabul
Fatima sits in her class at school
She's never known a time of peace
Her sister murdered by police
SHe remembers fire from the sky
She never knew the how or why
She was withdrawn and hardly spoke
Alert and watching for the final stroke
And when she saw the foreign tears
She ran and hid from them in fear
But oer time she came to them
Now she says "Mr Sam my friend".
You would except these children to be filled with anger
To trust no person friend or stranger
But they cling to friendships where they find th em
So to leave the violence behind them
And through it all their spirit shine
Whether in Peru or Palestine
New York or Belfast East Timor
Their lights shine through the night at war.