Grant wrote this in honor of South African leader Nelson Mandela. Mandela fought against apartheid, a policy that separated people by race, and was very oppressive to blacks. Mandela was a political prisoner for over 20 years before apartheid was abandoned. After he was released, Mandela became president of South Africa. According to Grant, this became the anthem of the apartheid movement.
"Jo'anna" is a reference to Johannesburg, the largest city in South Africa.
"The Archbishop who's a peaceful man" is a reference to Desmond Tutu, the first black South African Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town who received the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize for his fight against apartheid.
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