28 Established 1961 Lifestyle Music & Movies Thursday, March 8, 2018 S African Afro-Jazz musician Thandiswa Mazwai enthralls Kuwait audience By Chidi Emmanuel winning albums with Bongo Maffin, she ventured onto a solo career. Her debut album, Zabalaza (2004) reached double platinum status, t was a memorable evening on Tuesday as award-winning South winning numerous awards including Kora For Best African Female African Afro-Jazz musician Thandiswa Mazwai mesmerized her Artist and Four South African Music Awards. The album was also Iaudience with her voice and captivating songs. Speaking to Kuwait Nominated for BBC Radio 3 Planet Awards. Her critically acclaimed Times, Thandiswa shared her transition through the years and her second album ‘Ibokwe’ (2009) reached gold status within weeks of experience in the music industry. “My impression of music is formed release and her live DVD ‘Dance of the forgotten Free’ (2010) won Photo shows S African Afro-Jazz musician around memories - and every memory, good and bad, has a sound,” South African Music Awards for Best Female Artist and Best Live DVD Thandiswa Mazwai performing on stage. she said, adding that her inspiration comes from life, as well as its chal- in 2011. lenges and beauty. “I am also inspired by my love for Africa,” the cele- The Guardian recently referred to her as “South Africa’s finest brated artist said. female contemporary singer.” Thandiswa’s influence in the post-millen- In her first trip to Middle East, the celebrated artist thanked nial South African sound can be heard far and wide. The new groups Kuwaitis and expats for their show of support. In the region which has idolize and emulate Mazwai. She is the only artist in African music been engulfed by violence, she preached peace, tolerance and forgive- globally and she effortlessly channels the legends such as Mariam ness. “As South Africans, one thing we have shown the world is our Makeba, Busi Mhlongo, Fela and Hugh Masekela, whilst bridging the ability to forgive,” Thandiswa added. music and generational gap between millennials and Gen X’s across the Born on 31 March 1976 (the year of the Soweto Uprising) in Eastern continent. Cape, Thandiswa grew up almost entirely in Soweto, Johannesburg, Thandiswa released her third solo studio album titled ‘Belede’ (2016) amidst the heavy apartheid township violence of the 1980s. Her par- - a collection of reinterpretations of legendary South African Jazz and ents (Belede and Thami Mazwai) were journalists and anti-apartheid protest anthems from the 1950s and 1960s ‘golden era’. Thandiswa’s activists, and she recollects that her home was filled with books, arti- selection is inspired by the music she listened to whilst growing up. The cles and thick with political discussions. It was the political atmosphere title ‘Belede’ is named after and dedicated to Thankiswa’s late mother-a that nurtured her perspective as a musician. Thandiswa studied English major influence in her music and political stance. literature and International Relations in Wits University. In his remarks, South African Ambassador in Kuwait M P Bona She became widely recognized as the voice of South Africa’s con- praised Kuwait government for promoting peace in the region and scious youth - their compositions consistently combining dance floor bridging the cultural divide. He said that the event was organized in favorites with thought-provoking lyrics. Thandiswa is one of the most partnership with Kuwait’s National Council for Culture, Arts and influential South African musicians. She began her career in 1998 with Letters (NCCAL). The event was held at the Abdulhussain Abdulredah Bongo Maffin, one of the pioneering bands of Kwaito. After six award- Theatre in Salmiya. UB40’s Ali Campbell doesn’t want to reconcile with his brothers B40’s Ali Campbell has no interest in reconciling with his brothers try record ‘Getting Over the Storm’ in 2013. Ali fumed: “Astro had to come after he was forced the leave the original line-up of the band. In back to the fold after the ‘dark side’, as I call them, made a country record. U2008, the 59-year-old singer was left with no choice but to quit the That was just ridiculous, it was a slap in the face to me and my fans, and it reggae group he founded back in 1979 after a disagreement with his sib- was a deliberate thing they did. They only sold about 5,000 copies of the ling Robin Campbell and his other bandmates over the practices of their record, it was just a disaster ... I think they’re dreadful and are destroying management which he considered to be against their socialist ideals. The the legacy of the band and still are whenever they play ... What’s killing me band went on to split into two factions with the third Campbell brother is that there are a lot of people out there that don’t care what’s happened Duncan replacing Ali on vocals in one line-up and expensive legal battles internally and don’t care about us airing our dirty laundry in public, the followed over who could use the iconic name. Ali is now reclaiming the worse thing is that people think that Duncan is me! Duncan is a folk legacy of his group, and his version, titled UB40 featuring Ali Campbell, singer, that’s his style. For Duncan to be singing my hits it’s bloody embar- Astro and Mickey, is set to land the highest entry in the UK album chart rassing, they are better UB40 tribute band singers out there.” Ali thinks this week with their new LP ‘A Real Labor of Love’. Although he is pleased the legal rows over the name UB40 is a farce anyway because it comes to be back as UB40, Ali isn’t ready to forgive or forget his siblings for their from the government paperwork Unemployment Benefit, Form 40 which treatment of him. Speaking exclusively to BANG Showbiz, he said: “I don’t was required to be filled out by jobless individuals to claim a benefit back really want to speak to them. With UB40 we were all brothers as far as I in the 1970s and 1980s in Britain at the same time that the late Margaret was concerned. When I found out stuff that was going on with the man- Thatcher became Prime Minister. The vocalist said: “All I’ve been doing is agement I went to the band thinking they would support me and they did- defending myself, at great cost to me and to those guys, now I think n’t ... The band backed the management over me, to this day I’m still bewil- they’ve just run out of steam and run out of money to try and stop me dered by it. They let me go when I was the singer and I wrote all the tunes. from using the name. The fact is UB40, the name, isn’t owned by me or I started the band and it was always my band and it continues to be ... It’s anyone, it stands for ‘Unemployment Benefit, registration form 40, it’s been going on for 10 years. They were taking me to court to stop me from owned by the government, or Margaret Thatcher! “But look, we’ve differ- using the name of my band that I started in 1979 ... I just ignore them and entiated ourselves now. We’ve been on the road together for four years hope they go away.” And the ‘Red Red Wine’ hitmaker believes Robin and and we’re building the UB40 brand again.” UB40’s ‘A Real Labor of Love’ Duncan’s group is tarnishing the legacy of UB40 with their poor live is out now. — Bang Showbiz UB40 featuring Ali Campbell, Astro and Mickey shows and by turning their back on their reggae roots and releasing coun-.