El-Mansiette, The forgotten
Translated to English by Sofian Zerelli
Edited by Znous
Synopsis
“El-Mansiette” / “the forgotten ones” recites the epic stories of Tunisian female field workers and their industrious labor and exploitation in Tunisian rural agricultural areas as well as their tragic death caused by transporting them on the back of pick-up vehicles, not designed for human transportation.
Lyrics:
She woke up at dawn, bleeding for the few pennies
Her husband is a jerk living like a parasite, a virus
Together with the other women she climbed on the back of a pick-up truck
And covered her head, eaten by cold and lots of bane
They sang as they gathered around the tea-pot to warm up their hands
Before the arrival of the boss and his watchdog
Which marked the beginning of a long day of hard work under harsh and humiliating conditions
A day during which a thousand woman die for the prosperity of one man
The sun rose to its zenith, it was time for a lunch-break
A stone-hard loaf of bread, yoghurt and tea
The mongers came and took away all the fruits of their hard work and left yet more empty crates to be filled
All that had been harvested was taken and gluttoned away
The watchdog barked the end of the lunch-break. the women gathered again
He barked and wouldn’t stop until he sucks away the last drop of their energy
The sun started setting down and the pick-up truck reappeared on the horizon
The watchdog appeared and started counting the daily fortune and praising god for his generosity
(Breakdown)
Nooo!!!!
The road is covered in your blood
Your blood tastes bitter
It’s a curse upon the earth and its people
The state and the population
Your blood, your blood, your blood
Your blood is on our hands
