Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

Nelsen Mandela’s favorite poem by Scotsman William Ernest Henley

Music: Under African Skies, Paul Simon and Miriam Makeba, Graceland Concert South Africa–Bajo los cielos de Africa.

Joseph’s face was black as night 
The pale yellow moon shone in his eyes 
His path was marked 
By the stars in the southern hemisphere 
And he walked his days 
Under african skies 
This is the story of how we begin to remember 
This is the powerful pulsing of love in the vein 
After the dream of falling and calling your name out 
These are the roots of rhythm 
And the roots of rhythm remain 

In early memory 
Mission music 
Was ringing ’round my nursery door 
I said take this child, lord 
From tucson arizona 
Give her the wings to fly through harmony 
And she won’t bother you no more 

This is the story of how we begin to remember 
This is the powerful pulsing of love in the vein 
After the dream of falling and calling your name out 
These are the roots of rhythm 
And the roots of rhythm remain 

Joseph’s face was black as night 
And the pale yellow moon shone in his eyes 
His path was marked 
By the stars in the southern hemisphere 
And he walked the length of his days 
Under african skies

[Nelsen Mandela image and hand print courtesy of Bloomzer and BolderNet]

~Posted by Horiwood.Com, Hollywood California USA. 12.13.09~

In  3 weeks I’ll be in Tanzania. I can’t even describe how excited I am!! Maybe you would have a better understanding of my excitement if I had actually put some information in my “About” section.. So, here’s a quick bio:

My dad is from Tanzania and he met my mom when he was studying in Sweden. I was born in Lund but we moved to Tanzania when I was one year old. After living there for almost two years my mom and I moved back to Sweden and since then I’ve been there only three times, and the last time was 13 years ago!!! So I am not only going to an exotic and beautiful country.. I’m going home, or what used to be my home for a couple of years. I’m going back to my roots and I haven’t been there in 13 years. That’s a lot. So yeah, I’m excited, I’m amped and I’m a little bit nervous…..

I think I’m gonna have to turn to my piano for some therapy when I’m back home in January…

Enjoy the weekend and check out the YouTube clip I posted of Miriam Makeba singing “Pata Pata”. This was my favourite song as a child, I would sing it everywhere… even at the dinner table (bad manners, I know). But it makes me happy, so thank you Miriam Makeba and may you rest in peace.

w/ <3

Questa volta, lo voglio prorpio dire, Rai Tre ci ha proposto un’ottima tv.

Lo dico volentieri dopo che più volte mi sono scagliato contro la faziosità di questa rete, dopo che più volte mi son chiesto se sia giusto pagare un canone per finanziare una rete di partito, dopo che più volte ho posto, a proposito di raccomandazioni ed intrallazzi, la domanda, rimasta senza risposta: “c’è qualcuno che lavora per Rai Tre che non ha la tessera del Partito?”

Lo dico riferendomi a “Dall’inferno alla bellezza”, lo speciale di “”Che tempo che fa” con Roberto Saviano, andato in onda in prima serata mercoledì 11 Novembre.

Bravi, complimenti.

E’ stato un programma grande e coraggioso con un uomo grande e coraggioso che è riuscito a raccontare sette storie terribili dei nostri giorni in modo determinato, certamente di parte, ma finalmente anche in tono pacato. Bellissime, tra l’altro, anche la scenografia e le immagini.

La prima storia tocca uno dei temi a me più cari: la lotta per l’emancipazione della donna nei paesi arabi (e non solo in quelli). Saviano narra di due simboli di questa lotta: Neda e Taraneh due donne uccise solo per aver partecipato, a Teheran, alle manifestazioni di protesta contro la rielezione di Ahmadinejad.
Neda muore sulla strada, colpita a morte da un colpo di fucile. Taraneh ha una sorte peggiore: viene sequestrata, più volte stuprata uccisa e infine carbonizzata per cancellare le tracce delle violenze subite. Entrambe erano troppo belle.

Poi si passa a Ken Saro-Wiwa, un scrittore nigeriano che viene ucciso – per impiccagione – proprio nel giorno in cui il Paese festaggia la nazionale di calcio che ha vinto la Coppa d’Africa. Ken era noto per le sue posizioni contro la Shell. Quest’ultima sarà rinviata a giudizio ma riuscirà ad evitarlo pagando la somma 15 milioni di dollari. Affermerà, comunque, di non aver colpe.

E siamo allo scempio edilizio di Castel Volturno. Sono 800mila metri quadri di villaggio sul mare abusivo, costruiti dai fratelli Coppola. Il Volturno venne sventrato per 2,5 Km per estrarne la sabbia necessaria per il cemento delle costruzioni. L’intera zona cambia volto e la storia si conclude con l’abbattimento delle torri-ecomostro – voluto dagli stessi Coppola, per procedere ad un’ulteriore speculazione edilizia sul territorio.

Saviano racconta quindi del coraggio che le comunità africane campana e calabrese hanno avuto nel rivoltarsi contro la camorra e la ‘ndrangheta. Sono le due più grandi grandi manifestazioni di rivolta recenti, nella storia d’Italia, contro la malavita organizzata. E merito di questi stranieri che fanno lavori che gli italiani non vogliono più fare e che difendono diritti che gli italiani non vogliono più difendere.

Racconta poi del disco “Pata pata” di Miriam Makeba. Possedere questo disco, in Sudafrica, poteva voler dire rischiare anni di carcere per banda armata. Un disco apparentemente innocuo. Miriam Makeba muore proprio lì, a Castel Volturno, per un malore, quando tenne un concerto in solidarietà nei confronti delle vittime di camorra. Roberto Saviano scriverà una lettera ai parenti di Miriam scusandosi per la morte dell’artista lontano dalla sua terra; gli risponderanno: “E’ morta in Africa”.

E’ la volta di Varlam Tichonovič Šalamov, scrittore russo condannato a 20 anni di gulag, in Siberia, per le sue pubblicazioni. Scriverà un libro su questa terribile prigionia e sulla lotta, per resitere al gelo ed ai lavoro forzati.

L’ultima parte è dedicata ad Anna Politkovskaja , la giornalista russa conosciuta per il suo impegno sul fronte dei diritti umani, per i suoi reportage dalla Cecenia e per la sua opposizione a Vladimir Putin. Anna Politkovskaja venne assassinata nell’ascensore del suo palazzo, mentre stava rincasando.

Finisce qui.

Chi volesse vedere o rivedere il programma lo trova ancora qui, sul sito di RAI Tre. Ne val la pena.

Foto: dal video RAI Tre

I don’t really listen to a lot of music from these last few years. I think the cut-off year is about 2005. After that, I stopped having a major interest in whatever was hot or new, save for a few sugar-coated pop ballads and Lupe Fiasco’s awesome album The Cool.

I mostly listen to Five Iron Frenzy, and if not them, then a variety of artists that I’m not even going to try to list, because I’ll name a few, then remember who I forgot and come back to add them in. It will be a never-ending cycle because I’m ridiculously anal about such things.

I’m bringing up my musical taste because I have rediscovered two of my loves from past years.

Somehow, the desire to listen to Miriam Makeba, or Mama Africa as some call her,  awoke this past week. I relived simple yet happy memories from my childhood as the notes from “I Still Long for You” and “We Speak Peace” played vividly.

I haven’t grabbed a copy of that epic CD, as I don’t know where I could get it from. Maybe E-bay. But it’s from 1991, and sadly she was not very well-known. I know the cassette tape is still at home, but I’d prefer to have the CD.

It’s sad to know that she won’t make music or perform any more. She died around this time last year. A tragic loss for the music world.

I also got the urged to listen to Ms. Rachael Yamagata. I remember finding out about her in the 9th grade, with the song “Worn Me Down.” I love her raspy, smokey voice and her simple but true lyrics. Kind of depressing that she’s not bigger in the music world…

But it’s awesome that I’ve heard of these lovely ladies and their music.

E’ difficile cercare di spiegare con quale accuratezza, con quale meticolosità e con quale saggezza Saviano trovi le parole giuste per non essere retorico, per non essere banale e per non essere descritto come una persona da compatire per le scelte che ha fatto. Saviano racconta, non giudica è riuscire in questo intento non è facile perché la linea che divide queste due parole è sottilissima quasi inesistente. Ritorna da Fazio a “Che tempo che fa” dopo la puntata speciale del 25 Marzo ripetuta anche il giorno dopo, forse perché aveva smosso qualcosa, cosa, non si sa ancora.

Dall’Inferno alla Bellezza è così che si intitola la seconda puntata speciale dello scrittore napoletano. Si è visto un Saviano che sembrava sguazzare in queste oscenità. Chi semplicemente può riportare più fedelmente possibile tali atrocità? Risposta facile, a chi la vita il 13 ottobre 2006 è stata tolta mettendolo sotto scorta, come se fosse stata messa in un freezer a congelare sperando in un ipotetico giorno di poterla riprenderla scongelandola.

E’ possibile che ancora oggi, l’Uomo, nella sua accezione più ampia, debba passare necessariamente attraverso l’inferno per raggiungere la bellezza? L’autore di Gomorra tenta di farci capire questo, passando dalla vita di autori, giornalisti e addirittura cantanti che hanno negato la loro vita vivendo nell’inferno, per tentare di dare quella bellezza che sembra così lontana.

Saviano riporta la storia di Ken Saro- Wiva autore nigeriano, impiccato a Lagos per la sua dura opposizione alle compagnie petrolifere che stavano uccidendo la sua terra lasciandola all’inquinamento e alla povertà. Continua con la cantante Miriam Makeba, detta Mama Africa esiliata per 30 anni dal suo paese, il Sud Africa, per aver cantato una canzone “Pata Pata” che parlava di una ragazza che voleva solo ballare con spensieratezza, morì a Castel Volturno il 9 Novembre 2008 dopo un concerto per ricordare sei fratelli africani uccisi dalla camorra e per solidarietà a Saviano. Si parla ancora di Anna Politkovkaja uccisa perché andava controcorrente al suo governo affermando la semplice e pura verità sulla crudele guerra in Cecenia. Infine c’è Varlan Tichonovic Salamov questo intervento mi ha colpito moltissimo e quindi ho deciso di chiudere con questo scrittore, anche se non è stato l’ultimo contributo della trasmissione, questo autore dice Saviano (che non riesce ad immedesimarsi in lui, perché leggendo con quale sapienza l’autore russo racconta la sua vita nei campi di lavoro forzato, lui si trova già li, non c’è bisogna di immaginare, si vede, si sente e si tocca perfettamente tutto) ci narra come dai gulag siberiani è riuscito a dare voce alla sua anima, che nonostante le condizioni pietose dove era costretto a lavorare non sono riusciti nell’intento di svenderla. Ed una frase manifesta tutto ciò, riferendosi a quell’ anima che un soldato russo pretendeva a tutti i costi da Salamov:  “Stavo per morire, per qualcosa che non credevo neanche di avere, ma che nel momento in cui mi hanno chiesto, ho capito essere la cosa più preziosa che avessi”.

Ecco l’intervento di Roberto Saviano nella puntata speciale di “Che tempo che fa” del 11/11/2009 sullo scrittore russo Varlan Tinochovic Salamov. L’inizio è al minuto 3:10

Seconda parte Varlan Tinochovic Salamov

Terza e ultima parte Varlan Tinochovic Salamov, l’intervento finisce al minuto 6:10

Grazie Roberto Saviano.

Tonight Roberto Saviano reminds us that Anna Politkovskaja was a courageous journalist, but also a normal woman, earning her life, shopping for groceries. She wanted to lead a normal life, and she tried to do that until her last day.

Che tempo che fa torna in prima serata, mercoledì 11 novembre 2009, dalle h. 21.10 alle h. 23.30, su Rai Tre, con il primo speciale di questa settima edizione del programma: Dall’inferno alla bellezza di e con Roberto Saviano. Due ore con il trentenne scrittore napoletano, autore del best-seller Gomorra, tradotto in 50 paesi, caso letterario in tutto il mondo: con tre milioni e mezzo di copie diffuse dall’Australia all’Islanda, dalla Cina all’Arabia Saudita, ha ricevuto decine di premi in Italia e all’estero e da Gomorra è stato tratto uno spettacolo teatrale, insignito con gli Olimpici del Teatro 2008 e un film per la regia di Matteo Garrone, candidato per l’Italia agli Oscar, candidato ai Golden Globes, Gran Premio della Giuria al Festival di Cannes e miglior film all’ European Film Awards 2008 oltre che Hessische Filmpreis alla Fiera del Libro di Francoforte come miglior adattamento cinematografico di un’opera letteraria.
Dello Speciale Dall’inferno alla bellezza , dice Roberto Saviano: Il titolo della serata vuole dire una cosa semplice, vuole ricordare che da un lato esistono la libertà e la bellezza necessarie per chi scrive e per chi vive, dall’altro esiste il loro contrario, la loro negazione: l’inferno che sembra continuamente prevalere. E’ possibile che ancora oggi, l’Uomo, nella sua accezione più ampia, debba passare necessariamente attraverso l’inferno per raggiungere la bellezza?
Al centro dello Speciale, ancora una volta, la forza della parola non nascosta né perduta, la parola scritta o detta che dà la possibilità di esistere e che vive attraverso le storie: Ken Saro-Wiva, autore nigeriano, impiccato a Lagos per la sua tenace opposizione alle compagnie petrolifere che spogliano di risorse e ricchezze la sua terra, lasciando solo povertà ed inquinamento; Anna Politkovskaja, uccisa perché non c’era altro modo per fermare la sua implacabile testimonianza sulla crudele guerra in Cecenia; Varlam T.Salamov che dai gulag siberiani è riuscito a fare arrivare i suoi scritti non svendendo l’anima né la dignità; Miriam Makeba, Mama Africa, la voce che ha cantato la libertà di un continente, morta a Castel Volturno dopo un concerto per ricordare sei fratelli africani uccisi dalla camorra.Tutto questo è  Dall’inferno alla bellezza: ma – come scriveva Albert Camus – l’inferno ha un tempo solo, la vita un giorno ricomincia.
Dal 13 ottobre 2006, Roberto Saviano vive sotto scorta: l’11 novembre saranno esattamente 3 anni e 29  giorni di vita negata, 1125 giorni, 27.000 ore di vita blindata.

Not a great shot, but my first glimpse of the Lance Corporal when he got off the bus at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, so a happy moment.

And here’s another happy moment, seemingly irrelevant, except that this is how you feel when your kid returns from a combat zone.  Well, no, I’ll rephrase..Actually, yes, this is how you feel, plus I’ll expand on that:  When your kid’s in the military, you tend to spend a lot of time reminiscing in a very corny way about when they were little, and you end up with nursery rhymes stuck in your head and trying to remember their assistant preschool teacher’s name because she’s the one who taught the kids about centrifugal force using two soda bottles to illustrate…ANYway, here’s a sweet little South African nursery rhyme that I remember from my mom’s old record collection.  My childhood, my kid’s childhood, my kid coming home.  See?  Corny.  But who doesn’t like Miriam Makeba?

# # #

Twentynine Palms: Returning Marine, 2009, Dolly Salazar
Kodak 400 CN

Três versões que me arrepiam de maneiras diferentes. Três tributos à chuva e ao amor.

Primeiro as senhoras. A grande, muito, muito grande Miriam Makeba.

É a vez de Jorge Ben Jor.

Sérgio Mendes e Brasil 66′ a encerrar.

This is the eulogy that wasn’t said….

the ritual that wasn’t offered (then)

Because I didn’t even know,

At the time.

I was in Nairobi…….

With borrowed time en irregular access to the internet,

but now I know, en I miss you, (does that make a/ny difference?)

Even though I never met you,

Your music changed my life,

Your words cut deep.

You are a beautiful soul.

And this eulogy is for (the) mama (of) afrika,

Miriam makeba.

in honour of your songs of freedom.

mayibuye!

thie eulogy is for (the) child of sorrows,

Michael Jackson.

A (divine) trinity of paradigm shift/er/s.

Wapinduzi.

Thank you for your gifts.

A 33ª Mostra Internacional de Cinema de São Paulo começou com uma sessão só para convidados do filme “À Procura de Eric”, de Ken Loach, que tem o controverso ex-jogador francês Eric Cantona (fez fama com a camisa 7 vermelha do Manchester United) como ator, no papel dele mesmo. Mas não é documentário, não é um filme só sobre futebol, que entra como pano de fundo no drama do carteiro Eric, separado da mulher, que cria 2 adolescentes. Foi aplaudido na sessão de abertura. A Mostra traz, entre centenas de filmes, algumas películas que já mencionei aqui no Fut Pop Clube. A obra de Emir Kusturica sobre Maradona e os documentários O Poder do Soul/Soul Power e  A Todo Volume (It Might Get Loud) – com os heróis da guitarra Jimmy Page, The Edge e Jack White.

À PROCURA DE ERIC (Looking for Eric):

Sexta, dia 23, às 16h40, no Unibanco Arteplex 2; sábado, 24, às 23h50, no Cinema da Vila;

domingo, 25, às 15h50, no Cine Bombril 1;

terça, 27, às 19h  no Cinemark Cidade Jardim;

e 1º de novembro, um domingo, às 21h30, no Espaço Unibanco Pompeia 2.

MARADONA de Emir Kusturica (Estreia em circuito 20/11). Classificação: 14 anos.

Sexta, dia 23, 21h30, no Cine Bombril 1;

sábado, 24, às 12h, Reserva Cultural 1;

domingo, 25, às 22h, no Cinemark do Eldorado;

na outra sexta, 30, às 19h, no Cinemark Cidade Jardim;

e 4 de novembro, uma quarta, às 16h10, no Unibanco Arteplex 1.

“O PODER DO SOUL (Soul Power)”, de Jeffrey Levy-Hinte. Classificação: 14 anos.

Sexta, 23, 21h30, Cinemark do shopping Cidade Jardim;

domingo, 25, 16h10, Unibanco Arteplex 1;

terça, 27, às 18h, Unibanco Arteplex 3;

quarta, 28, 13h30, no CineSesc;

sexta,dia 30, 22h, Unibanco Arteplex 4;

e  sábado, dia 31, às 21h50, no Espaço Unibanco Pompeia 2.

“A TODO VOLUME (It Might Get Loud)”. De Davis Guggenheim. Classificação: 12 anos. A Sony Pictures anuncia o lançamento para 6 de novembro. Antes, passa na Mostra:

na sexta, dia 23, às 23h30, no Unibanco Arteplex 5;

sábado, 24, 18h10, Reserva Cultural 1;
domingo, 25, às 20h30, Cinemateca/Sala Petrobras;

terça, 27, 0h00, no cine Bombril 1;

quarta, 28, às 21h30, no HSBC Belas Artes 2

quinta, 29, 21h, HSBC Belas Artes 2

e sexta, 30, às 18h40, no Unibanco Arteplex 1

Miriam Makeba during a concert

Dear all, today we will be talking about a great true African legend: Miriam Makeba! Well… where should I start? Zenzile Miriam Makeba, affectionately named Mama Africa was a singer who truly showed that music had no boundaries, and that music could be used as a platform to launch a revolution; above all, if you are passionate and excel in something, you can always do great things! Miriam Makeba started as a singer in South Africa, and was even married to the great South African trumpetist Hugh Masekela at one point. This woman sang about her love for her country, her people, and the struggle of her people. Like she said herself: “I was never politically involved. People always think that I’m political or that I sing politics, but I’m not. I just speak the truth. When I say we’re oppressed, I’m not lying. I’m glad I’ve been vindicated, in a way. I could have been in parliament, but I’m not a politician, I’m a singer. I love to sing, that’s what makes me happy” Miriam was a true warrior dedicated to the liberation of African people.

Miriam Makeba on the cover of her album Pata Pata

Miriam Makeba was never allowed the right to return home for 30 years by the apartheid government (from 1960-1990). She was not able to go to her mother’s funeral. Her song Welela is about a child yearning for her mother. In 1961, she sang at President Kennedy’s birthday, as she puts it: “I was the only foreign artist among the big giants of America paying tribute to him.” She spoke at the United Nations in New York, where she said: “I ask all the leaders of the world: would you act differently, would you keep silent and do nothing if you were in our place, would you not resist if you were allowed no right in your own country because the color of your skin was different from the color of the rulers?” Her records were subsequently banned in South Africa. She used her fame to let the world know about the suffering of Black South Africans. Her most popular songs include Pata Pata, the Click Song, and her beautiful rendition of Malaika! She later sang about the Soweto uprising (1976) in her title “Soweto Blues” written for her by Hugh Masekela.

When Miriam married the Black Panther leader Stokely Carmichael, her shows were canceled in the USA, as the FBI was after him. She picked up her bags with her husband and went to Guinea, where president Sekou Toure allowed them in. She even had a Guinean passport and was a United Nations ambassador for Guinea!

True African Beauty

She was finally allowed to return to South Africa after Nelson Mandela got out of jail. He actually asked her to come back… So 30 years later, this great woman of power return to her country after losing her mother, and only daughter Bongi Makeba. I have attached this beautiful documentary. Please watch and celebrate a strong African Woman… a legend, a woman who loved her people so much that she sang about it, and spoke about it at the United Nations. In later years, she has also been an FAO ambassador (to fight hunger), United Nations Goodwill ambassador, and opened a girls’ school in South Africa for orphans, girls who have been raped, etc…

In a way, even though Miriam Makeba lost her only child, she was a mother to all of us, and fought for all South African, and African children. Thank you Beautiful Mama Africa. God loves you! We have to continue your legacy of strong African women, and legends!

Makeba: My Story

Check out Wikipedia page on Miriam Makeba, and add more if you have more information on Miriam’s life (We, Africans, have to put our people on these pages, nobody will do it for us!). Check out Miriam Makeba’s website www.miriammakeba.co.za, and the article by the Guardian: Miriam Makeba. Don’t forget to check out her books: Makeba: The Miriam Makeba Story, Makeba: My Story, and Myriam Makeba une Voix pour l\’Afrique.

Vanavond begint ons cultureel seizoen in de culturele centra. Vorige week al gaan kijken naar ‘Koken met Elvis’ van het HHT, vanavond richting Cultureel Centrum Hasselt voor ‘Under African Skies’.

Na zes jaar uitverkochte Zuid-Afrikaanse zalen kwam deze hitshow vorig seizoen eindelijk naar Europa. Tachtig uitverkochte voorstellingen, een uitzinnig publiek en een ongekende cd-verkoop waren het gevolg.
Tijdens deze reprise komt deze show uit het bonte Zuid-Afrika waarin artiesten, band en publiek gezamenlijk de zaal op zijn kop zetten nu ook naar Hasselt. Met hoogtepunten van muziek en dans uit Zuid-Afrika, met de hits van Hugh Masekela, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Paul Simon, Miriam Makeba en vele anderen. Met meezingers als ‘The lion sleeps tonight’ en ‘Pata pata’.
Een absolute feel good show waarbij de ongelooflijke muzikaliteit en energie van het podium afspatten.

UPDATE

De gemiddelde leeftijd van de bezoekers lag vanavond aan de hoge kant. Niet dat er iets mis mee was, maar het gaf wel al een indicatie in welke richting het optreden vanavond zou evolueren. Dat optreden was globaal gezien verre van slecht overigens. In deel 1 werd er tussen de geschiedenislessen over de Afrikaanse muziek door aardig gemusiceerd door de diverse zangers en zangeressen. Deel 2 vond ik persoonlijk iets beter, ondanks het feit dat men wat al te gretig uit ‘Graceland’ van Paul Simon plukte. De dingen die tussendoor op de bühne gebeurden zorgden voor meer amusement bij ons dan het louter muzikale luik. Als bis volgde o.a. ‘One Love’ van Bob Marley, waarna de bezoekers moe (voor de oudere garde zelfs ‘doof’) maar voldaan huiswaarts konden keren. Zelf kan ik in mijn agenda noteren dat dit niet écht mijn ding is, maar dat was vanavond niet onoverkomelijk.

Another list. Just felt the urge I suppose. In no particular order, here are some African musicians whose stuff I can’t get enough of (in no particular order). Not exhaustive, not exclusive, not definitive. Just for a laugh.

• Miriam Makeba (1932-2008) – South African – Mama Africa, lived much of her working life in enforced exile from apartheid era SA. Was, for many, one of the voices of protest outside. Her voice has soul, soul, sweet soul. Somehow evokes a whole generation and era. Nuff said.
• Ayub Ogada (?- )- Kenyan – was given his epic En Mana Kuoyo some time before we moved to Uganda by bro-in-law Jez – but it is now firmly embedded in my mind as the soundtrack of Kampala evenings. Mellow and yet completely compelling, this is trad Luo music given a western mix. Just wonderful. You’ll recognise some of it if you’ve seen the film The Constant Gardener.
• Vusi Mahlasela (1965- ) – South African – has a unique and extraordinary voice and is wonderful guitarist in South African folk style. His voice just has it all – pierces the heart and captures the agony, fury, life, hope, joy and reality of Africa. Just listen to Song for Thandi, or the raw Africa is Dying; or more positive, Everytime. Also, check out his cover (with Josh Groban) of Weeping, and of U2’s Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own.
• Johnny Clegg (1953- ) – South African & Zimbabwean (originally English, born in Rochdale bizarrely enough, but moved to Africa as a child) – he is known as the White Zulu, and formed the first racially mixed South African band in the late 70s. Often sings in Zulu, English and even French. Some great stuff – esp the popular Asimbonanga, and one of my favourites The Crossing.
• Youssou N’Dour (1959- ) – Senegalese – draws on all kinds of different musical heritages, but clearly rooted in trad Senegal folk music (called mbalax). Hugely popular globally, and justly so… He played key abolitionist Olaudah Equiano in the 2006 film Amazing Grace. Sometimes, his voice sometimes evokes Imam’s call to prayer, piercing and resounding above the band. Many will know his duet with Neneh Cherry, 7 Seconds – but check out Chimes of Freedom or the joy of Set and you’re transported to an African minibus taxi.
• Abdullah Ibrahim (1935- ) – South African – a jazz pianist, originally called Adolph Johannes Brand. Does big band stuff, and close-up stuff, all in all, a great and unique sound. As a random pick, I just love his District Six, evoking apartheid’s infamous clearing of Cape Town’s most vibrant community (see previous post) or the exuberance of African Marketplace.

Honourable Mentions: Soweto String Quartet (aka SSQ – exactly what it says on the tin, a string quartet formed by 3 brothers and a mate from Soweto – doing classical-pop-african crossover stuff) and Oumou Sangare (from Mali).

I’ve had the joy of seeing 4 out of these 8 acts live – true joy. But all of these folks have stuff on SPOTIFY (which you must use if you don’t already) – so check them out.

In exploring the infinite realms of the Internet, we can explore far-reaching corners of the globe.  I feel that the best way to remotely explore a culture is through its music, and people often discourse about world music through the languages of folk, mass, and art discourse.  One example I found particularly interesting the songs of the Xhosa people of South Africa.  What makes this language and music distinctive is its use of click consonants, made by pressing the tongue against the roof of the mouth and forcefully bringing it down, making a popping noise.  This creates a unique style of song when it is placed in lyrics.

Miriam Makeba’s “Click Song,” 1979

Miriam Makeba (1932-2008), known as Mama Afrika, was the most prominent Xhosa singer, and her music is often discussed in folk discourse.  Her music is indigenous to a certain area (South Africa) and a small group of people (the Xhosa people).  Her music can be viewed as a counter-hegemonic strategy, often referred to in folk discourses.  In fact, she won a Grammy in 1966 for “Best Folk Recording” for her album with Harry Belafonte discussing Apartheid conditions in her country. Until the 1990s, South Africa struggled under the Apartheid system, where minority whites held power over the majority black ethnic groups, and treated them as second-class citizens.  Her music was a way of preserving her culture and speaking out against the government – not in the form of politically charged lyrics, but in a way of exposing to the world the depth of Xhosa culture and by educating the world, exposing them also to the indignities of apartheid.  When we wonder, “Why are people listening to this music at this time in this place?” we often discuss this in a folk context – the songs are traditional songs dating back hundreds of years, and the songs are unique to a small subset and often sang and heard to oppose current power structure.

But what about mass and art discourses?  Because world music is often local to a certain small group, the folk discourse often prevails.  However, some musicians introduce world music culture into the mainstream, where they are treated with mass/popular culture discourses instead.  For example, The Beatles introduced Sanskrit phrases and sounds after a stint of meditation at an ashram in India; the song “Across the Universe” repeats “Jai guru deva om” (roughly translated as “Victory to God divine”) and George Harrison introduced sitar music in “Norwegian Wood.”  In cases like these, some of the meaning of the world music is lost in popular culture – the inherent history and meaning of folk music is often overlooked by the masses, and when world music becomes mainstream, it is almost seen as a novelty instead of a cultural treasure.

The Beatles, “Across the Universe”

By that same token, some people view world and cultural music as an art form, something that listeners will be better off for hearing simply because of what it is.  When we think of music outside the US, some sort of “world music,” we often think of African or Asian music, the Eastern styles that sound so foreign to our Western ears.  But shifting the paradigm can allow for a different discourse.  In China, for example, musical history dates back thousands of years, and the study of music from Confucian times, like the “Solitary Orchid” piece played on the instrument called guqin, often takes the form of art discourse when viewed historically and academically.  Just as we look at European classical music as having some inborn aesthetic value that makes it worthwhile to hear, in China, ancient music is revered and though of in the same way.  We often adopt a Eurocentric model of art discourse and “high culture,” but shifting viewpoints can reveal a different organization of thought.

When listening to the music of the world, we are inherently engaging in the forms of art, mass, and folk discourse. Often the folk viewpoint prevails, but the inclusion of ethnic music into popular culture and the study of historical world music in art culture are ever-present.

Robbie Berg

Jieshi Diao Youlan (Solitary Orchid), performed on a guqin

All together now with the Huxtables; image courtesy of brixpicks.com

So, The Root is covering The Cosby Show and its cultural influence to celebrate the NBC series’ 25th anniversary, in a manner similar to how they reflected on Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing. Now, once again aware of the problematics of my identity with regard to fandom, I will admit that growing up a white girl in the rural suburbs of Houston, I totes wanted to be in the Huxtable family. I would have been fine being one of Rudy’s friends (I was probably closest to the shy, chubby white boy). Specifically though, I aspired to be like Clair. Admittedly a glib comparison, but maybe young women and girls of many different racial and ethnic identities have ascribed a similar aspirational status to our first lady.

Many folks have rightly critiqued the show for its idyllic, comforting, and unrealistic depiction of the charmed Huxtable clan against the racially charged climate informed the social dimensions of AIDS, drug addiction, incarceration, wage gaps, single-family incomes, education, and other major issues that many believe were ignored, if not outright caused, by the Reagan administration. And these are, for the most part, valid critiques. Indeed, Kanye West spoke and continues to speak for many people when he says “I ain’t one of the Cosbys, I didn’t go to Hillman” in “Can’t Tell Me Nothin’.” I’d even go so far as to point out that this was true for many prime time families by the end 0f the 1980s: there’s not a college degree between the Connors, the Bundys, and the Simpsons. Assuredly, the classed dimensions of racial inequality were in Bill Cosby’s mind, even going so far as to originally conceptualize Clair as being a plumber of Dominican descent and later, pairing up again with Phylicia Rashād on Cosby, making their characters decidedly more working class. 

And I don’t think we can talk about The Cosby Show’s influence without mentioning how no other show with an African American principle cast has since followed its legacy. Fledgling networks like FOX and, later, the WB and UPN, would incorporate a wide range of prime time programming featuring African Americans, though often met with middling to low ratings, short life cycles, and diminished corporate interests in representational politics as networks began to flourish.  

And of course, we can’t discuss The Cosby Show without mentioning Dr. Cosby’s troubling history with partiarchy and sometimes limited view of what is considered respectable mediated representations from/of African Americans. That said, while I empathize with Lisa Bonet’s reported run-ins with Cosby, I’ll hedge that Angel Heart does look fucking terrible.

That said, The Cosby Show was a considerable cultural milestone and a damn entertaining sitcom that did an admirable job widening the scope and depth of representation for African Americans on prime time network television. And they were really funny.

I’d also like to add, echoing Erin Evans’s piece on the show’s theme song, that The Cosby Show broadened the scope and depth of African Americans’ contribution to music. Jazz, blues, rock and roll, hip hop, gospel, classical, Afrocuban, Broadway. It’s all there. “Kiss Me” was discursive and malleable, changing arrangements, historical moments, and generic arrangements from season to season.

Sometimes these contributions were peripheral, much like many of the paintings that hung on the home’s walls — Vanessa’s Michael Jackson poster most immediately comes to mind.

In the Huxtable home, Ellis Wilson's "Funeral Procession" co-existed with posters of Michael Jackson; image courtesy of stylecourt.blogspot.com

Sometimes these contributions dialoged with other musical forms associated with traditionally coded “white” culture (my mother would always giggle when opera tenor Placido Domingo sang to Clair; I’m always reminded of my mother in episodes involving Rudy’s teacher, played by Broadway’s salty Elaine Stritch, now recognizeable to many as Mother Donaghy on 30 Rock).

And sometimes music’s shifting racial dynamics back-and-forthed within one body, a point I’d argue is evident in Olivia’s Village coffeehouse performance of Carl Perkins’ “Blue Suede Shoes.” This is a noteworthy song selection, as punk legend Legs McNeil argues in Don Letts’s documentary Punk: Attitude that it is one of rock’s most political songs and an influence to punk’s stripped-down, anti-hippie, confrontation style, as it’s a song about personal freedom (to single in on McNeil’s comment, start the clip at 7:33). That said, I’d like for none of to step on Olivia’s face. Thanks.

Let’s close with Olivia, and extend this discussion of musical moments to focus on the ladies, both within the Huxtable family and within music culture writ large. In addition to Olivia’s performance, let’s remember Vanessa’s struggle with the clarinet, enforcing that not all black people are inherently musical. Let’s remember Clair singing with Stevie Wonder. Let’s remember Lena Horne and Miriam Makeba. Let’s remember Rudy jubilant lip-synced performance of Margie Hendricks’s part in Ray Charles’s version of “Night Time Is the Right Time” for her grandparents anniversary. And let’s not forget: don’t step on their blue suede shoes.

Bonnie Raitt

It occurred to me, while compiling this exhaustive survey of the Warner Bros./Reprise Loss Leaders series, that we might be giving short shrift to the label’s female artists.  Probably not, but this is a good excuse to listen to some more tracks from this great promotional series.

I know we’ve mentioned Bonnie Raitt and Maria Muldaur – but we should start with them anyway because they’re the two ladies that the Loss Leaders went to the most often.  Part of our Loss Leaders All-Star team, Muldaur appeared nine times in the series and Raitt eight.  Another Reprise artist (with six appearances in the series) is Joni Mitchell, the Canadian darling of the hippie set and writer of the song “Woodstock,” most famously covered by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.

Emmylou Harris, with five appearances in the Loss Leaders series, is another perennial.  Harris was actually discovered by then-Flying Burrito Brother (and ex-Byrd) Chris Hillman, who was so taken with her voice that he considered asking Harris to join the Burritos.  But he recommended her instead to fellow Burrito Gram Parsons, who was seeking a backing vocalist for his first solo album.  Working with Parsons, Emmylou learned a lot about country music and its deep tradition and history.  When Parsons suddenly died in 1973, Emmylou was left without a mentor (and possibly a lover – nobody knows for sure).  She began recording for Reprise in 1975 and went on to become a top country-rock performer.  Here she is represented by “Ooh Las Vegas,” written by Gram Parsons.

Warners in the 1970s got a lot of mileage out of some of its girls, and no one was bigger than Stevie Nicks.  When Nicks and her then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham joined the floundering blues band Fleetwood Mac (which already included Christine McVie) in 1975, the label wasn’t quite sure what it had on its hands.   In fact, a full-page ad in Rolling Stone picturing the new lineup actually switched the names under Nicks’ and Buckingham’s photos – but everyone figured it out when Fleetwood Mac hit No. 1 and spawned three Top 20 singles in 1976.   The followup, 1977’s Rumours, was one of the best-selling rock albums of all time but oddly enough, Fleetwood Mac hit No. 1 on the Billboard pop singles charts only once – with Stevie’s “Dreams.”

The rest of our all-girl lineup includes Fanny, the all-girl rock group, Mavis Staples waaaay out of her element on a disco song, Bonnie Bramlett from her first solo album on the Capricorn label, folksinger Miriam Makeba, punk rockers Pearl Harbor (yeah, that’s a girl) and the Explosions, and the GTOs.  The GTOs (for Girls Together Often) were some groupies that Frank Zappa gathered into the studio and produced a record for in the late 1960s – God knows why.

And we’ve included here a small bonus: Peter, Paul and the late Mary Travers performing a children’s song, “Going To The Zoo,” from 1969.  It’s preceded by Joni Mitchell telling one of her favorite stories from a live concert in Carnegie Hall.

MP3: “Runaway” by Bonnie Raitt (from Limo, 1977)

MP3: “Chelsea Morning” by Joni Mitchell (from Schlagers!, 1970)

MP3: “Don’t You Feel My Leg (Don’t You Make Me High)” by Maria Muldaur (from All Singing, All Talking, All Dancing, 1973)

MP3: “Tonight I Feel Like Dancing” by Mavis Staples (from A La Carte, 1979)

MP3: “You Got It (Release It)” by Pearl Harbor & the Explosions (from Troublemakers, 1980)

MP3: “Borrowed Time” by Fanny (from Burbank, 1972)

MP3: “You Send Me” by Bonnie Bramlett (from The People’s Record, 1976)

MP3: “The Original GTOs” by the GTOs (from The Big Ball, 1970) Editor’s note: Yes, they are apparently … kissing.

MP3: “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac (from Limo, 1977)

MP3: “Ooh Las Vegas” by Emmylou Harris (from Supergroup, 1976)

MP3: “For What It’s Worth” by Miriam Makeba (from Schlagers!, 1970)

MP3: “Spoony’s Wonderful Adventure” by Joni Mitchell/”Going To The Zoo” by Peter, Paul & Mary (from The 1969 Warner-Reprise Record Show, 1969)

Inside the WB/Reprise Loss Leaders at Dustbury.com

30 Days Out’s series on the WB/Reprise Loss Leaders

Die eerste opnamekunstenaar wat ‘n Grammy-toekenning ontvang het.

Suid-Afrika se eerste Mama Africa, soos sy aan miljoene mense regoor die wêreld bekend staan, is die eerste opnamekunstenaar uit Afrika aan wie ‘n Grammy toegeken is, en die eerste met ‘n wêreldwye Top Tien-treffer vir haar oorspronklike weergawe van Pata Pata in 1967.

Makeba se eerste solo-opvoering was vir die Britse Koninklikes op hul besoek aan Suid-Afrika in 1947. Sy is ook later uitgenooi om by president Kennedy se verjaardagviering op te tree, op dieselfde aand dat Marilyn Monroe haar bekende verjaardagbetuiging gesing het.

Makeba het al die Algemene Vergadering van die Verenigde Nasies toegespreek en saam met Paul Simon, Dizzy Gillespie en Nina Simone getoer.

I just came back from Paris where the walls of the city were plastered with posters announcing a 3 day ‘hommage à Miriam Makeba’ at the prestigious Cirque D’Hiver, near the Republique.  Tribute to South Africa’s most important music ambassador will be given by Angelique Kidjo, Asa, Ayo, Sayon Bamba, Dobet Gnahoré and many others on Friday September 25th -Sunday September 27th 2009.

and here’s ‘Sawubona’, the inflight magazine of South African Airways with Makeba on the cover. Finally, a well deserved tribute in her country of birth after so many years in exile  and although Miriam is not longer amongst the living her music lives on to inspire new generations …welcome back!

there are so many Makeba favourites it is hard to pick one…but ‘Emavungwini’ from 1969 and this live-version of ‘Reza’, written by Brazilian musician Edu Lobo are certainly amongst my favourites.  Miriam Makeba was a singer who sang in many languages;  Xhosa,  Swahili, Portuguese, English… She became famous after her departure from South Africa when she moved to the United States where her biggest hits were produced.

Miriam Makeba -Emavungwini

Miriam Makeba -Reza

Miriam Makeba was the last vocal star to come out of the great era of the 1950’s and in some ways was also the most significant. Recorded on the eve of her departure for the United States, ‘Uile Ngoan’ a Batho’ is a musical re-statement of Miriam Makeba’s ‘Farewell to Africa’ and constitutes a tacit acknowledgement that perhaps many years of exile lay in store.

Miriam Makeba & the Skylarks -uile ngoan’a batho

After a stint as a featured vocalist with The Manhattan Brothers, Miriam formed the Skylarks, her own female close harmony vocal group, then in 1959 toured as the show’s female lead with the theatre production ‘King Kong’ alongside Hugh Masekela, her future husband. Immediately after this triumph at the height of her fame, Miriam left South Africa to become the first international star from the African continent and an early protagonist in the fight against apartheid.

Makeba then travelled to London where she met Harry Belafonte, who assisted her in gaining entry to and fame in the United States. She released many of her most famous hits there including “Pata Pata”, “The Click Song” (“Qongqothwane” in Xhosa), and “Malaika”. In 1966, Makeba received the Grammy Award for Best Folk Recording together with Harry Belafonte for ’An Evening With Belafonte/Makeba’.

Her marriage to Stokely Carmichael (of the Black Panthers) in 1968 caused controversy in the United States, and her record deals and tours were cancelled. As a result of this, the couple moved to Guinea where Miriam formed the group ‘ Quintette Guineen’ with whom she toured and recorded. One of the best ways to experience the singer is through her live-recordings. This album is certainly one of her better live-recordings and it was recorded at the Palais du Peuple de Conakry (Guinea). Her strong politic views shine through on this superb album that was released on the label Editions Syliphone Conakry (SLP 022)

Miriam Makeba  -U.Shaka

Miriam Makeba -Malcolm X

Miriam Makeba  -kadeya deya

On 9 November 2008, she became ill while taking part in a concert organized to support writer Roberto Saviano in his stand against the Camorra, a mafia-like organisation local to the Region of Campania. The concert was being held in Castel Volturno, near Caserta, Italy. Makeba suffered a heart attack after singing her hit song “Pata Pata”, and was taken to the “Pineta Grande” clinic where doctors were unable to revive her.

Miriam Makeba -Mbube (1959)

just like ‘Pata Pata’ the song ‘Mbube’ is one of the seminal performances of South African musical history. Traditionally the song is about the celebration of the killing of a lion that was later reworked as ‘Wimoweh’ by The Weavers in 1952 and then, taking the melody of the final falsetto, as ‘The Lion sleeps tonight’ by The Tokens in 1961. Both these charted as number one hits in the US and inspired in turn countless reworkings by scores of other artists. It is surely no exaggeration to claim that ‘Mbube’ is now the world’s best known African-originated melody.

Solomon Linda’s Original Evening Birds -Mbube (1939)

The original version was also enormously popular and sold particularly well in the townships where there was a high concentration of African-owned gramophones but was not really representative of the typical urban performance style of the day. ‘Mbumbe’ was derived from a style of acapella singing which developed among migrant, working class Zulus resident in male hostels. A system of inter-hostel acapella group competitions had precipitated the combination of various indigenous sources with an Afro-American close harmony style that had first been introduced in South Africa in the 1890’s. Solomon Linda, a migrant himself who worked for Gallo Records as a record packer, then pioneered several critical innovations; group uniforms, highly polished but softly executed dance routines and a new variation of four part harmony where a high, usually falsetto lead was set against multiple bass voices.

http://www.miriammakeba.co.za/

see this video with rare footage of Miriam Makeba

La voix de l’Afrique Miriam Makeba s’est éteinte – kewego

Excerpts from the original liner notes of ‘From Marabi To Disco’ Gallo SA 1994

Makeba foi o símbolo artístico dos direitos humanos por seu ativismo pró-africa por quatro décadas, conhecida como “Mama Afrika”, foi – até sua morte ano passado no palco durante um show na Itália – um dos referenciais durante o Apartheid no final de 80’. Mas sua história começou ainda na década de 50, quando com pouco mais de 20 anos, decidiu ir morar nos Estados Unidos para viver como cantora, já que em sua terra natal – Joanesburgo, maior cidade da África do Sul – ela não recebia dinheiro o suficiente para se manter. Embora vendesse muitos discos os royalties não chegavam em suas mãos.

Em 1960 foi proibida de regressar a seu país por participar do documentário Anti-Apartheid Come Back, Afrika. Três anos depois discursou perante o comitê das Nações Unidas contra o governo sul-africano e sua política contra os negros, de nada adiantou e foi banida definitivamente do território e não mais considerada “cidadã sul-africana”. Logo depois se casou com o líder do movimento Black Power e foi morar em Guiné para continuar sua luta, ganhou prêmios por seus serviços pela paz e sua carreira se desenvolvia pela mundo, porém, ainda era uma estrangeira em sua terra natal e por isso, impossibilitada de voltar.

Quarenta anos depois do início da luta ela finalmente pode voltar para sue país à convite do então presidente Nelson Mandela, onde foi recebida no aeroporto por ele e uma multidão que a ovacionou. Em toda sua carreira vendeu muitos discos pelo mundo por juntar o blues americano com diferentes ritmos africanos. No vídeo acima, um dos seus maiores sucessos: Pata Pata foi lançado em 1977 e varreu o mundo em regravações. Até hoje é considerada um dos grandes expoentes da World Music e um dos melhores vocais femininos pelo timbre exótico e técnica demonstrada. Em novembro do ano passado sofreu um ataque cardíaco em cima do placo, na Itália, e morreu no dia seguinte no hospital.

Lately I’ve been quite obsessed with anything Bantu-related or Sub-Saharan African. I don’t know why but this new-found interest has been so present in my mind for quite some time. How curious.

As a Brazilian, it is quite likely that I am partly descendant of an African people, unbeknownst to my family for political or racistic reasons. Still, given the way African people were brought to Brazil, it is quite probable they came from a Bantu nation somewhere in Angola or Mozambique or the regions nearby.

Due to the heavy European influence, getting information from South Africa happens to be much easier than the other countries. I have become quite a fan of Miriam Makeba, a South-African singer of the Xhosa ethnic group who is actually known in Brazil for her connections and contributions with local artists. Here’s my all time favorite song interpreted by her:

The sound quality is rather poor, but it’s possible to hear it using headphones.

Another sing who’s captured my attention was the relatively famous Cesaria Évora, aka the Barefoot Diva, a Cape Verdean. She sings in her country’s creole, which is a mixture of Portuguese with diverse African languages. After studying about it, I can quite understand the lyrics too. Enjoy:

I’ve got to go back to work now – I’ve got new destinations to spare money for.