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South Africa is a
country of songs, and those who can belt out great tunes are adored by
millions. We saw a demonstration of this during the Divas Concert at
the Performing Arts Centre for the Free State (PACOFS) in Bloemfontein,
South Africa, on October 8.

PACOFS is a massive, luxuriously fitted and
well maintained art infrastructure that sparked off debate among
Nigerian journalists present about the dearth of similar venues in our
country. Within the complex, the Sand du Plessis Theatre was packed the
people of all ages, a large percentage of whom were in their 20s, the
kind of demographic that would only turn up for a gig in Nigeria if the
programme is chock-full of hip-hop acts. Yet, here were young people
going wild for real musicians, and singing along at the top of their
voices to old favourites like ‘Paradise Road’, ‘Leave Me Alone’ and
‘Too Late For Mama’. The privileging of songs was hardly surprising,
perhaps, for the nation that gave us Miriam Makeba, Yvonne Chaka Chaka
and Brenda Fassie.

A rising stars of
South African music, is the Afro-Soul singer, Lira. A headliner for the
Divas Concert, she also featured in the Main Jazz programme of the
annual Mangaung African Cultural Festival (MACUFE), held on October 9
inthe Loch Logan Rose Garden. Making our way to the open-air jazz
festival, the size and beauty of the venue, incorporating a scenic
lake, told their own story of the sheer scale of the musical jamboree.
A thick, queue of people waiting to get in, seemed never ending, and
recalled scenes of great British summer festivals like Glastonbury.
Concert-goers had brought their own coolers of food and drinks; many
also brought their own deck chairs to sit in the crowd space that
stretched on and on in from the stage. At Mr Price, a popular store
chain in South Africa, the fastest selling items are these chairs, as
they are in constant demand for the Braais that bring people in
Madiba’s country together over roasted meat and drinks. The chairs also
come in handy for festivals like MACUFE; and the coolers, we would
later discover, doubled as seats too.

Again, one
wondered: can a mammoth crowd of this size come out in Nigeria for
anything other than a Gospel concert? A stadium-sized audience was
already enjoying the performances as we looked around. There are a
number of hospitality packages that bring people across South Africa to
Bloemfontein for MACUFE. We had come on the Premier Classe train from
Johannesburg to Bloemfontein, which entitled us to VIP tickets to the
Main Jazz Festival. A short walk across a bridge over the lake, led
from the main festival grounds to the VIP Village, where, in the large,
air-conditioned Premier Classe tent, we could watch the performances on
a large screen. Over a continuous flow of food and drinks, we watched
Lira on the screen; and considered whether the lilac-toned separates
she wore were too casual for this high profile gig.

Jonathan Butler

MACUFE is a truly
international festival, and of particular interest this year was the
scheduled appearance of ‘Africa’s Golden Voice’, the great Malian
singer, Salif Keita. This edition also promised the return home of
South Africa’s son for whom America has been home for many decades,
Jonathan Butler. The beginning of his set got several of us to venture
out of the Village for the immediate festival experience side-stage,
alongside the crowds. Playing in the same set was American Jazz
saxophonist, Gerald Albright. Introducing one track, Albright said, “I
borrowed it from a friend who’s no longer with us but left a great
legacy of music. He travelled the world by one name, and it’s Luther.”
The crowd roared and many rose for ‘So Amazing’ – and sang Luther
Vandross’ lyrics to Albright’s instrumental rendition. Things got
better with the next track, ‘My My My’, originally sung by Johnny Gill.
“You know the words to it, let me hear you sing it” – encouraged the
jazzman, and the crowd obliged.

With a fine head of
short, grey hair, Jonathan Butler is a far cry from the youthful singer
with the flat-topped haircut who scored an international hit with
‘Lies’ over two decades ago. The guitar remains a constant feature, and
the gospel-infused soulfulness of his voice has lost none of its power.
“It’s good to be back home. So many memories here, this town,” he told
the audience. The following day, October 10, was Butler’s 49th
birthday, so he sang them a medley including ‘Take Good Care of Me’,
because – by his explanation – he wanted them to remember what old age
may cause him to forget. The singer-songwriter’s backing vocalist was
his daughter, Jody, who partnered him on a duet onstage, ‘Be Here With
You’.

“Jody Butler’s not
bad, wha’you think?” he asked the audience. The emotional high of the
concert thus far, came when Jody asked the MACUFE thousands to help
sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to her dad.

Tsepo Tshola

Expectations were
high for Salif Keita’s appearance, but there were memorable
performances meanwhile, including one by Ringo Madlingozi. After
another short dash for refreshments and discussions in the Village, and
we were back side-stage for a rousing performance by the much loved
Tsepo Tshola, a kind of ‘musical father of the nation’. A great moment
it was on ‘Ho Lokile’, when it seemed the whole country was singing in
unison with Tshola.

As an ecstatic
dancer nearby explained, the song’s title means ‘We Are Fine’. She also
gave some insight into the appeal of the man responsible for many
“beautiful, traditional” songs: “He is like the father of Soul in South
Africa. Every single South African knows who Tsepo Tshola is.” It is
also a public image shaped by suffering and human fallibility. “He used
to be a drug addict. While he was singing all these beautiful,
traditional songs, he was hooked on cocaine. Then he came out and said,
‘I’m hooked on cocaine. I’m going into rehab.” The admission further
endeared Tshola to South Africans, especially as it was seen as a show
of solidarity with Hugh Masekela and the late Brenda Fassie, who had
fought public battles with addiction.

Salif Keita

We relaxed in the
Village during other performances, while we awaited Salif Keita. When
as if by magic he appeared on the screens close to midnight, a whole
band of us headed across the bridge to be closer to the famed ‘soaring
voice’. But it was not to be. Crowd concerns had led security men to
shut the gates between the VIP Village and the concert. We could not
get through. On many screens around the Loch Logan Rose Garden, Salif
Keita played on. Like Moses and the promised land; so near and yet so
far. Downtrodden, we headed back to the Village, where in what seemed
like the town square, scores of fans gathered to watch the performance
on a giant screen. Keita wore a slim-fitting white shirt and trousers
with matching cap. His two backing vocalists, complete with elegant
headscarves, were the best presented back-up singers all day. The beat
over which Keita’s voice rang out, was a mellifluous blend in which
traditional Malian instruments, chief among them the Kora, stood out.

Many were soon
getting jiggy with it as the magic of Keita’s sound spread through the
gathering. How must it have been in the concert across the lake? One
could only wonder. It was poignant that, among a group of trendy young
women who danced energetically to Keita music nearby, was an albino,
like the musician himself. Keita’s latest album, ‘La Difference’ calls
for compassion on the plight of albinos, who are killed in many parts
of Africa for ritual purposes.

When the irresistible, ‘Africa’ from Keita’s 1995 album, ‘Folon’
came on, there were jubilatory scenes in the MACUFE village, as most
danced with abandon, singing to Africa. Not just concert attendees or
VIPs but waitresses and bouncers, danced and sang along. The track
ended, only for Salif Keita and band to strike it up again, perhaps at
the behest of the crowd across the lake. Cue even more joyous dancing.

The musician’s 45-minute set came to an end and he exited the stage
with his band. But they must have been calling for more and Keita,
astonishingly, came back out and sang ‘Africa’ for a third and last
time. The disappointment of earlier was nearly forgotten as we left the
venue. We could not see Salif Keita up close as we had wished, but a
memorable experience was had all the same.