Vusi Mahlasela
By: Sam Robbins 2A
Vusi Mahlasela is a
South African musician who changed South African music. He grew up in the
Mamelodi Township, just outside of Pretoria, South Africa. His grandmother
operated a Shebeen behind their home. Because of Apartheid black South African
music was hard to come by and was banned from being played on the radio. As a
child Vusi and his neighborhood friends formed a little band of their own and
started making music of their own. Vusi built his first guitar from fishing
line and a cooking oil can and taught himself how to play. In 1976, Vusi’s
political education began as he witnessed the devastating massacre of more than
200 black South Africans in the Soweto Uprising. Vusi began to write songs of
justice, of freedom, of revolution, of love, of peace and of life. Vusi was
arrested for the “crime” of writing songs of freedom and human dignity, he was
held in solitary confinement and harassed by the police repeatedly. Many of his
friends fled the country. Through this
struggle, his songwriting became not only prolific but also healing for himself
and for his listeners. He became known as The Voice. At the fall of Apartheid,
Vusi was signed to Shifty Records/BMG records and recorded an album. The song
When You Come Back and its altruistic message rang loud in cars, at parties,
and in the homes of both blacks and whites.
It became an anthem. In 1994,
Vusi performed this song at Nelson Mandela’s presidential inauguration. He has
traveled the globe. He was in the 2002 documentary Amandla! A Revolution in
Four Part Harmony that chronicles the strength of music during the struggle
against Apartheid. Shortly after the film, fellow South African Dave Matthews
signed Vusi to his label, ATO Records, and released “The Voice,” a collection
of songs from Vusi’s South African releases. His albums have received mass
critical acclaim and celebrated musicians have taken note of his powerful voice
and message. Vusi has shared the stage with Dave Matthews Band, Sting, Josh
Groban, Paul Simon, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Hugh Masekela, Angelique Kidjo,
Bela Fleck, Ray LaMontagne, Amos Lee and many more. He’s also performed at two TED conferences,
the Skoll World Forum, The Elders annual meeting, Nelson Mandela’s 90th Birthday,
Mandela Day and more. But perhaps his
biggest gig was in 2010 when he helped ring in the World Cup in South Africa,
at Orlando Stadium in Soweto; “When You Come Back” also served as the theme
song for ITV’s World Cup coverage in the UK. Vusi received an honorary
doctorate degree from the prestigious Rhodes University in Grahamstown, SA. South
Africa’s President Jacob Zuma awarded Vusi with the National Order of Ikhamanga
recognizing him for “drawing attention to the injustices that isolated South
Africa from the global community during the Apartheid years.” The SAMA Awards
(South African Music Awards) chose to honor Vusi with a Lifetime Achievement
award to recognize his accomplishments both at home and abroad. He has many
albums and songs. You can get them on itunes and you can listen to him perform
on youtube.
"Vusi
Mahlasela." Vusi Mahlasela RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2013.
<http://vusimahlasela.com/>.
"SOUTH AFRICAN
MUSIC." SOUTH AFRICAN MUSIC. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2013.
<http://www.music.org.za/artist.asp?id=102>.
This man is proof that music can change the world. I didn't know that South African music was banned from radio stations at one point in time. His passion and effort in spreading his ideas is so strong. Art is a great, nonviolent way to get a message across, especially during apartheid for justice. His music was able to speak and relate to many. It also brought citizens together, even those from different parts of the world. His songs were able to be the voice of many who went unheard.
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job of summarizing the information in sequential order. The information was also relevant to the topic. Your writing was entertaining, too. One thing you can improve on is using his last name instead of the first when writing. It's more common.
Do you know if he was in any major anti-apartheid organizations?
I enjoyed reading your blog. It was very informative. I was surprised to learn black South African music was BANNED to be played on the radio!!! I also found it interesting that Vusi taught himself how to play the guitar, not to mention he taught himself on a guitar he made out of fishing wire. That's what I call #TheStruggle .It was inspiring to read about Vusi writing music for freedom and liberty. It is a shame he got arrested for expressing his feeling through music. The South African government stooped lower than low on that one.
ReplyDeleteafter reading this blog I will definitely be looking into Vusi and his music. I liked the videos you included. I would suggest compacting the info in your blog, it was a bit lengthy.
Ayauna F.
A2
Does Vusi still write music? Are South Africa's laws about freedom of press still as strict as they were when Vusi was arrested for his song?
ReplyDeleteAyauna F.
A2
I really loved reading this blog. It shows that music really does have a big influence on the world and that it can change the world. I never knew that South African music was banned from the radio. But I love the drive he had to make a change with his music. He did in a way that no one would get hurt or be offended. Vusi is a highly talented artist, I can't imagine how difficult it must have been to teach yourself how to play the guitar. The fact he made it from fishing line and a can is mind blowing.
ReplyDeleteYou did a good job finding the music that was made. It gives the opportunity to listen to what type of music that was played back then. Also giving a lot of detail to Vusi's background really made the blog stronger. One thing to work on is making his accomplishments more generalized, it was kind of in a list form.
Is it now legal to play South African music on the radio?