Shaheera Asante

November 2004 - Vusi Mahlasela, Ali Farka Toure and Out of Africa

Welcome. Here's your chance to catch a wonderful South African singer on tour or get Malian blues on CD

• South Africa's rising star Vusi Mahlasela
• Ali Farka Toure
• Out of Africa & Into London
• Shaheera Asante's Recommended CDs

South Africa's rising star Vusi Mahlasela

Vusi Mahlasela is one of South Africa's most compelling musical creators, although virtually unknown in the west (I confess I had only heard of him recently). Over the past thirteen years he has produced an impressive six albums, all of which express the transformation and chronological progression of South Africa's political and social climate. I wondered how Vusi Mahlasela had earned the title of the 'Voice of South Africa'.

I caught up with him in London recently, where he is currently on a European tour with Ladysmith Black Mambazo (for UK tour dates check our gigs and events section.) He's also promoting his latest album  Vusi Mahlasela: The Collection , a trilogy of his first three albums.

In 1991 Vusi's first album When You Come Back celebrated the return of political exiles. 'In the early 90's, many important people had left our country, the mood was about focusing on returning back to South Africa - that album was the beginning of my musical and political voice'says Vusi.

During Apartheid, all of the radio stations were owned and controlled by white South Africans and access to the airwaves was virtually impossible. Vusi, like many other musicians at the time, got their message and music to the people through selling their cassettes at the political rallies.

'These rallies were very important to us as they were the only public places we could get our message across' he continues.

Besides being a musician, Vusi was also a Youth Leader and an active member of the ANC (African National Congress). He was arrested and put in solitary confinement for two weeks for protesting Apartheid and celebrating the 1976, June 16th Soweto uprising, which has now become Freedom Day.

In 1994, Vusi wrote and released his second album Wisdom of Forgiveness in the year of South Africa's first free elections.

'That album was very significant for me, because it was a time of hope for the future, our own future…and the first time to vote. South African people are very much forgiving…the message of forgiveness was important for us….. Forgiveness is for you the person who has been the victim, the forgiver is more powerful because forgiveness gives you a peaceful mind -  forget about the one who has inflicted your pain and suffering, they are the weaker one.'says Vusi.

In 1997, Silang Mabele ,Vusi's third album, literally translated as 'crush the corn', was his call to all South African's to now get down to work and rebuild a country shattered by years of Apartheid and political turmoil.

Now more than ten years after Apartheid, I asked Vusi what was the future of South Africa and its political message through music?

Vusi replies, 'For me I wonder what will be the future of protest music of post apartheid South Africa…democracy is winning but it's a very fragile thing, we have to go on and fight there are still injustices… the government stays but the leaders change all the time so we need to see more leaders who are like Shepard's like Mandela and Steven Beko.'

I suggest to him maybe its time also for women to play a more significant part in the leadership of South Africa.

'Oh yes!'He sounded very excited: '…women are playing an important part of our political life, there are more women now in politics in South Africa, I wrote a song called 'Miyela Afrika' meaning don't cry - it's on the Collections album, it's about women and recognising the contribution they have made to South Africa, her passion that we men don't understand - women feel the pain of everything, we must respect women for the pain of giving birth to us. When we refer to Mother Africa, we can't just talk about the Earth, we also have to respect the woman too.'

Ali Farka Toure

At last, for the first time in over a decade, music fans can get hold of the classic Red and Green' albums by the great Malian musician Ali Farka Toure. First released on vinyl in 1979 and 1988 (titled only with the artist's name and known by the colouring of their original sleeves), these albums have been digitally remastered from the original master tapes and presented as a two CD set.

In the sleeve notes Andy Kershaw (BBC Radio 3) tells the story of discovering the 'red' album in the bargain bin of a Paris record shop in 1986. When he played tracks on his then Radio 1 show it attracted an immediate following for the then-unknown Ali in the UK.

A few years later Kershaw went to Mali and made a classic radio documentary travelling along the Niger river with Ali Farka Toure - you can listen to it online in Radio 3's On Location archive . So if you haven't heard the mesmerising sound of Ali's West African blues now's your chance!

Out of Africa & Into London

Most club nights and special events are conceived with three ingredients: 1. A spark of creativity, 2. Seeing a gap in the musical landscape of a particular type of music and 3. Desire, vision and motivation to do something about it. (That's my own experience from starting a club called Chocolate Milk!)

Well, go-getter Yemisi Mokuolu is the brainchild behind Out of Africa , an African Cabaret and Variety show that programmes African traditional and contemporary African music and dance.

'At Out of Africa, we provide a platform for up-coming Urban African acts. We showcase rappers, MCs, DJs and vocalists performing the future music of a young modern African mindset', says Yemisi.

First launched in June 2004, it has grown so popular that it has moved to Ocean in Hackney and on November 12th 2004, headlining are African dance and drumming troupe Badejo Arts and performing live Weird MC , known as Africa's 1st lady of Afrobeat hip-hop who has been the pioneering force behind the Hip-Hop scene in Nigeria Also there will be DJ dance sets from Eric Soul and a special musical set from my favourite DJ Dudu Sarr .

For more information check out the Out of Africa homepage .

Don't miss checking out our our new-style gigs and events section where it's now easier to search for what's happening near you. And do let me know if you make it to Out of Africa or catch Vusi Mahlasela on tour (with the famous Ladysmith Black Mambazo of course) or discover any other good music we should know about - you can post your comments

Bye for now. 

Shaheera

Shaheera Asante's Recommended CDs

Vusi Mahalesea - The Collection

Ali Farka Toure - Red & Green

Check out my recommended CDs this month in the CD Reviews section or go to Music Search to look at our archive of recommended CDs.