South African singer Busi Mhlongo‘s long struggle with cancer continues. I just got an email message from journalist Bongani Madondo (who has written about Mhlongo’s cancer before): “I am not sure, she will ever perform live again– and that is an understatement.”
In the video, above, you can see her performing live with the late Jabu Khanyile of Stimela (Bayete–thanks Andrea) who died of cancer in 2006.
Cameroon’s football captain Samuel Eto’o scores for his club Internazionale Milano against Livorno in Italy’s Serie A.
The Ethiopian director Haile Gerima made one of last century’s most recognizable African films, “Sankofa,” about the transatlantic slave trade. Now he has a new film, “Teza,” which revolves around themes of exile and dictatorship in Ethiopia. His eleventh film, “Teza” has won wide praise and lots of awards at festivals. But has not played on general release since it was first shown publicly last year. Now it will start a week-long run in Manhattan from tomorrow night.
The New York Times has a decent profile of Gerima, who lives in DC, in the paper’s Arts section. (Above is the trailer for “Teza” and here is a link to a recent CNN “Inside Africa” profile). Go and support the film if you’re in New York City. I am going to try and see it.
Hugh Masekela, the giant trumpet player (he had a Billboard no.1 hit in 1968. People forget that), has a new show, “Songs of Migration,” that just played in Johannesburg (a decent review of the show over at the South African cultural blog Mahala.). It is a revival of the music made and sung by migrants who were either forced or moved out of necessity to work on Johannesburg’s gold mines. As The New York Times reports Masekela’s show acknowledges the varied origins of songs, including that brought by white immigrants to the Rand–”Sarie Marais” (in Afrikaans) and ““My Yiddishe Mama,” among others–but the bulk of the music is in the languages of the mass of cheap black labor that made white South Africa rich.
He also performs his original composition, “Stimela” (The Coal Train), as part of the show. (The video above is from a live performance of “Stimela” at a festival in London in 1986. No one can imitate a train like Masekela).
He needs to be bring that show to New York City.
I confess: I bought John Legend’s debut album, “Get Lifted” when it first came out. And I like his song “Ordinary People.” Until I recently heard this Spanish-language cover of “Ordinary People” (recorded in 2005) by Stones Throw Records artist, Aloe Blacc. That’s how you sing a ballad.
Apparently the video for Pepsi’s “Oh Africa” commercial is the first 2010 World Cup commercial to go viral. (I’ve blogged about it here before.) So much for Coke thinking its official World Cup sponsor status and numerous videos it is shooting with its designated star, K’Naan, would guarantee it domination among football fans.
Footnote: I can’t confirm this, but a source tells me that Coke is spending something like $1 billion on their World Cup advertising campaign, that their contract with K’naan allows them unlimited use of the song for a defined period of time (that’s why the remixes), that versions of the song are being recorded with pop stars from every region of the world, and that they are tying the marketing blitz to–irony of irony–clean water campaigns.
From my mate Dan Moshenberg:
Adam Hochschild (in “Mother Jones” magazine), who does know something about the Congo, takes us there, and indicts pretty much everyone. Especially foreign multinationals, Western consumers. Many of us. Remember, the civil war is a war of plunder, not ideologies. Particularly interesting is Hochschild’s analysis of blood diamond legislation, which is pretty grim.
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Hag kasher vesame`ah, mashallah.
