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Ladysmith Black Mambazo shares joy of music
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The Advocate, Ladysmith Black Mambazo shares joy of music >>
There is a phrase in the Zulu language: Singing makes the suffering person rejoice.
Long before Albert Mazibuko joined Ladysmith Black Mambazo, the ground-breaking, Grammy-winning vocal group from South Africa, he knew the transcendent power of music. As a child in apartheid-era Ladysmith, a town between Johannesburg and Durban, Mazibuko learned that a song can help its singer rise above his suffering.
“I saw my mother, my father and then the other people, when the things are tough, they were always singing,” Mazibuko remembered. “And then I learned how to sing. By singing I get strength to face whatever challenge I’m facing. I have a way to bear the pain and deal with those things that I cannot change.”
As a child, Mazibuko dreamed of being a professional musician.
“Because when you are in music, you are able to create your own world, where you live happily.”
By his 9th year, Mazibuko was leading his own group. Some years later, in 1960, he saw his cousin Joseph Shabalala, founder and musical director of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, perform for the first time.
“It was Christmastime in Ladysmith,” Mazibuko said. “When I saw his group, they sounded so beautiful. So I told my guys, ‘I’m going to stop singing with you now and, when I grow up, I’m going to join Joseph in Durban.’ ”
Mazibuko snuck into Durban in 1964, but Shabalala was out of town. He tried to join his cousin again in 1967 but members of the group complained that there was no room for another singer. Finally, in 1969, Shabalala came to Ladysmith.
“He just rode up in our place,” Mazibuko said. “I can never forget. It was mid-morning on Sunday. He said, ‘I’m here to ask you to sing with me. My grandmother told me in my dream that you are going to help me achieve the dream that I have about the music.’
“Joseph explained everything,” Mazibuko recalled. “I believed in him because, when I was growing up, he was the person who does tremendous things in the area. He conducted music. He was the best dancer. He was the best fighter. And he came to be famous with ladies. All those things.
“So when he explained what kind of music he was looking for and what he wanted to achieve, I said, ‘I’m going to dedicate all my life to this. I’m not going to question anything that you are teaching. I want to learn all what you have.”
Of course, Shabalala, Mazibuko and Ladysmith Black Mambazo have achieved much since.
“Music is a great gift, and to make a living through music, it’s amazing. I wake up every morning and, when I think about this, I say, ‘Am I still dreaming?’ I’m always amazed.”
Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s profile got an international boost in 1986 when American singer-songwriter Paul Simon collaborated with the group for his landmark Graceland album.
“We had everything that we needed to accomplish our career in music,” Mazibuko said. “But there was always this wall that needed someone who can just break it.”
In the group’s homeland, apartheid restricted the places where Ladysmith Black Mambazo could appear and the audiences that could see the group perform.
“Every time we performed, this white family, they came and watched the show,” Mazibuko said. “They were in trouble all the time when they were coming there. The police, they stopped them. ‘Why you are going there? You are not allowed there.’ But the family said, ‘No, we can risk our lives.’ These people were so brave.
“But when Paul Simon embraced us, and we worked together, everyone was so free. We are pleased that God gave that opportunity.”
Mazibuko doesn’t know exactly how many albums Ladysmith Black Mambazo has recorded, but he estimates it’s more than 50. Despite that high number, making new music is always exciting.
“Every album has its own feeling,” he said.
The group’s latest album, released in the United States last month, pays tribute to Shaka Zulu, the first king of the Zulu nation.
“My father was always talking about Shaka Zulu,” Mazibuko said. “Shaka’s life, it is a story that makes us strong. Shaka was a person who never complained about his background. He achieved what he wanted to achieve. He believed that whatever you do, you have to do it perfectly and you have to be the best.
“So this keeps us going when we are facing a challenge. You say, ‘I have to conquer this.’ Because Shaka believed in heroism. You have to be a hero to survive and accomplish everything. The message in the album is about that. We sing songs about politics, about love, relationships, about everything. So it’s all about encouragement and inspiration.”
Mazibuko is especially excited about Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s latest tour.
“Because we have a new member in Mambazo,” he said. “We want to get new people in the group, especially young people. Because we are not going to be around forever. We need some people who are going to carry on with this.” 02/08/08 >> go there
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