A song by White wanderlust for Africa has become a literal monument to the longevity of internet memes thanks to artist Max Siedentopf, who recently traveled deep into the Namib Desert to erect “Toto Forever”, a sound installation of soft-rock from the 1982 group. staple food, “Africa”. The schmaltzy-turned-über-meme tune reached its logical conclusion, trolling its namesake continent IRL with its nostalgic lyrics.

“I have listened to the song over 400 times now and I still can’t say what makes it so long lasting,” the Namibian-German artist told artnet News. “It just hits the right nerves.”

Internet would certainly agree. Although it premiered almost 35 years ago and has already achieved the quadruple platinum record, the song now has 440 million views on YouTube and various Twitter robots. “[The song] is still very much present in pop culture today, “Siedentopf told Hyperallergic via email,” even entire pages of reddit are dedicated to the song. I was very intrigued by this and wanted to pay the song the ultimate tribute. “

I bless the rains in Africa

– africa by toto bot (@africabytotobot) January 16, 2019

For Siedentopf, the coastal Namib Desert seemed like the perfect location for his setup, which consists of six speakers attached to a blue MP3 player placed atop white rectangular blocks set in the sand. Theoretically, the oldest desert in the world will shelter Totos’ “Africa” for eternity; the artist’s installation is powered by a solar battery.

“Most parts of the facility were chosen to be as durable as possible,” he told the BBC, “but I’m sure the harsh desert environment will eventually devour the facility.”

Details of the artist’s sound installation, which includes six stereos and an MP3 player

The artist, who works as a creative director at international communications agency KesselsKramer, is not the first person to pay tribute to the 1982 jammer. The band Weezer released a cover of the song in 2018 with a video featuring star “Weird Al” Yankovic; it was the band’s first single to reach the top Billboard’s The ranking of alternative songs for over a decade. Even rapper Pitbull took over Toto’s tune, helping with its iteration for the film. Aquamanthe soundtrack of.

All that love for a decades-old anthem that the late Jeff Porcaro, his co-writer and Toto drummer, once described as “a white boy … trying to write a song about Africa, but like he didn’t. he has never been there, he can only relate what he saw on television or what he remembers in the past.

Detailed view of “Toto Forever”

Only diehard fans who roam the 31,274 square miles of sand of the Namib Desert will find the Siedentopf facility hidden among the dunes. On his website, the artist has included an unnecessary “treasure” map, which surrounds the entire desert as a possible location for “Toto Forever”.

Although the artist has received no reaction from the government, he tells Hyperallergic that a few locals have shared their comments with him. “Some love it, others think it’s the worst sound installation ever,” he said.

“Toto Forever” among the dunes