On Friday 5th December, Jam Events were involved in a tribute concert for the Great Nelson Mandela at Melrose Arch. It was a fitting evening for the beloved man, filled with beautiful music and fun, an embodiment of what it was he wanted for this country. For a while, the people performing, the people organising and the people listening were all united in a common goal; to have fun and remember the Man whose long walk led us to freedom.
The inimitable Richard Cock lead this walk with a programme that celebrated the life of Madiba, with a variety of songs, embracing every aspect of a life well lived. The evening started with the National Anthem, the words carefully chosen by Madiba’s anthem committee in 1994 to promote patriotism, to unite us as his Rainbow Nation. Watching thousands of people stand and sing this number always gives me hope, that we can overcome the challenges this country face and move into a future as a united nation, and not as people who identify themselves by tribal heritage and skin colour. Ask anyone who they are and they will answer by ethnicity and heritage first. I am a white English speaking South African, or I am an Indian Hindu South African. Perhaps to live Mandela’s dream, we all just need to be South African.
Performing on stage with the Johannesburg Festival Orchestra was Lindiwe Bungane. This woman is the most amazing talent, she performed numbers by Brenda Fassie, Mafikizola, Whitney Houstan and Cindi Lauper, and with every rendition, she brought the house down. Singing “I will always love you” for Madiba left hardly a dry eye in the house. We all miss the great man and the guidance he gave us. The responsibility he invoked in a nation to be the very best you could.
Supporting Lindiwe, were the Mzansi Youth Choir. This choir is undoubtedly the best performing youth choir in the country, with their astonishing vocals, show stopping choreography and dynamic, proudly South African, outfits. Their version of Baba Yetu, the Lord’s Prayer in Swahili, was so hauntingly beautiful. For those of you South Africans’ who have yet to see this choir in action, find an opportunity to see them. And for those of you in the Western Cape, they’ll be at the KKNK in April.
Of course there were some curve balls, Eskom announced Stage 3 Load shedding, and although the centre was not affected, getting to the venue was an epic in itself, with Friday afternoon traffic compounded by traffic lights out everywhere – and I mean everywhere. Mother Nature threw in a storm of note, with gusting winds and threatening clouds. The stage was a comedy of errors as we chased flying music around the stage, and musicians had to stop playing at times to grab hold of their music stands. But the rain held off, the audience arrived in their thousands, and the celebration was thoroughly enjoyed by all. I do hope we do this again next year, and every year on this anniversary, to celebrate the man, our Madiba, and the gift he gave each and every South African.
Sam