The Empowerment Initiative Online Newsletter

Ladysmith Black Mambazo “lit up” The Center for the Humanities and Arts
By Renarda A. Williams

It was a pure pleasure to see the five-time-Grammy-winning Ladysmith Black Mambazo perform Jan. 28, 2020 at the Center for the Humanities and Arts on the campus of the University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College in North Little Rock … especially in light of the passing of the group’s founder, Joseph Shabalala, only two weeks later.

Shabalala’s legacy is being carried on by four of his sons, who are current Ladysmith members and who — along with five other group members — performed at the Jan. 28 concert, bringing such songs as “Long Walk to Freedom” and “Hello My Baby.” This group sings a traditional music called isicathamiya (Is-Cot-A-Me-Ya), traditional music of the Zulu people. The men were true to the tradition Shabalala perfected — a "version of isicathamiya ... built on plush, bass-heavy harmonies, call-and-response drive and dramatic contrasts of soft and loud passages, along with choreography that included tiptoeing moves and head-high kicks,” wrote Jon Pareles, chief pop music critic for The New York Times, in an obituary story on Shabalala.

Accentuated by tongue clicks, the harmony mentioned is so smooth and butter-soft, the men's sound is like one voice, simultaneously divided into different parts. Who can forget Ladysmith's “Mbube Wimoweh” introduction to the 1988 film Coming to America?

I am an African American native of Louisiana and lover of New Orleans’ infectious jazz funerals and Second Line parades, both of which are marked by marching brass bands and dancing in the streets. Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s music is a capella, but their singing and dancing is no less energetic. I was so moved me that I had to resist running onstage to join the brothers.

Shabala, who passed Feb. 11, formed Ladysmith Black Mambazo under the name Ezimnyama in 1960. A farm boy, he was preparing to move to the city, Durban, to pursue his dream of leading a group of singers. In fact, it was a series of dreams Shabalala had that led to the group’s creation and development, according to the group’s entry on Wikipedia. He used the town’s name, Ladysmith, to honor the hometown of his family. The word Black was used for the oxen, the strongest animal on his family’s farm. The word Mambazo is Zulu for chopping ax, a symbol for his group to chop down anything that would try to stop them from being successful. Thus began the six-decade career of Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

During its infancy, the group won so many local South African isicathamiya singing contests, it was eventually banned from competing. In the 1970s, Ladysmith picked up steam, in 1973 releasing the first of what now numbers more than 50 albums and building its success before Paul Simon, singer-songwriter and 16-time Grammy winner, asked the men to sing on his celebrated 1986 album Graceland.

In addition to working with Simon, Ladysmith Black Mambazo has recorded with Stevie Wonder, Dolly Parton and others. The group carries a message of peace, love and harmony as it travels the world year after year. In addition to its five Grammy Awards, it has distinguished itself with a total of 17 nominations.

Seeing the group brought back memories of an my introduction to Ladysmith back in the 1980s, when I watched Ladysmith's videos and performances on the BET and PBS networks. I saw the group perform with Simon who, after visiting South Africa, asked them to add their talent to Graceland. I fell in love with Ladysmith Black Mambazo and its work … especially the landmark hit “Homeless” from Graceland.

After the performance at Pulaski Tech, I had a chance to briefly chat with two of three group members who greeted guests and autographed copies of their CDs. I asked how they believed their music related to all in attendance, especially African Americans. “Our music relates to everyone,” one member replied. "It is a universal language! Everybody enjoys it! As for African Americans, we [Africans and African Americans] are the same .... We have the same rhythm ... We dance to the same music.”

Ladysmith's North Little Rock visit was part of a U.S. tour that, it had been reported, was canceled after Shabalala’s passing. But the group disputed that on its Facebook page. “This is the last thing Joseph would want his group to do,” according to a post on the page. "It is with our friends and fans that we gain our strength and fill our hearts with love. It is being with our friend and fans that we can live with this terrible pain in our lives. We are not canceling our concert tours. We will continue to celebrate the life of our father, Joseph Shabalala, as we have done since he retired in 2014.”