Mzwakhe Mbuli (born 1 August 1959) is a South African poet, Mbaqanga singer and former Deacon at Apostolic Faith Mission Church in Naledi

Soweto Soweto () is a township of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng, South Africa, bordering the city's mining belt in the south. Its name is an English syllabic abbreviation for ''South Western Townships''. Formerly a s ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. Known as "The People's Poet, Tall Man, Mbulism, The Voice Of Reason", he is the father of Mzwakhe Mbuli Junior, also known as Robot_Boii.

Early life

He was born in

Sophiatown Sophiatown , also known as Sof'town or Kofifi, is a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. Sophiatown was a black cultural hub that was destroyed under apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "apart ...

, and shortly moved after his family was forced to move to Soweto when the government bulldozed his home town.

Career

His works include a book of poems, ''Before Dawn'' (1989), and albums ''Change Is Pain'' (1986), ''Unbroken Spirit'' (1989), ''Resistance Is Defence'' (1992), and ''Africa'' (1993). His poems are mainly in English but draw on his native Zulu as well as traditional praise poetry and rap. His best-known poem is "Change Is Pain," a protest piece about oppression and revolution, which was initially banned until growing pressure forced South Africa to allow more freedom of speech. His first performance group was called Khuvhangano. Throughout the 1980s, Mbuli was repeatedly detained by the authorities and denied a passport to travel while playing a leading role in the cultural activities of the United Democratic Front.South African Music
/ref> His international career began in 1990 in

Berlin, Germany Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constituent ...

when he shared the stage with

Youssou N'dour Youssou N'Dour (, wo, Yuusu Nduur; also known as Youssou Madjiguène Ndour; born 1 October 1959) is a Senegalese singer, songwriter, musician, composer, occasional actor, businessman, and politician. In 2004, ''Rolling Stone'' magazine describe ...

Miriam Makeba Zenzile Miriam Makeba (4 March 1932 – 9 November 2008), nicknamed Mama Africa, was a South African singer, songwriter, actress, and civil rights activist. Associated with musical genres including African popular music, Afropop, jazz, a ...

and

Thomas Mapfumo Thomas Tafirenyika Mapfumo (born July 3, 1945) is a musician nicknamed "The Lion of Zimbabwe" and "Mukanya" (the praise name of his clan in the Shona language) for his immense popularity and for the political influence he wields through his mu ...

. An imposing figure, standing well over tall, he performed at the funeral of

Chris Hani Chris Hani (28 June 1942 – 10 April 1993), born Martin Thembisile Hani , was the leader of the South African Communist Party and chief of staff of uMkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC). He was a fierce ...

, the assassinated head of the

South African Communist Party The South African Communist Party (SACP) is a communist party in South Africa. It was founded in 1921 as the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA), tactically dissolved itself in 1950 in the face of being declared illegal by the governing Na ...

, and at the presidential inauguration

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist who served as the President of South Africa, first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1 ...

in 1994. In 1996 Mbuli was invited to London to co-host, with British poet and activist

Benjamin Zephaniah Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Zephaniah (born 15 April 1958)Gregory, Andy (2002), ''International Who's Who in Popular Music 2002'', Europa, p. 562. . is a British writer and dub poet. He was included in ''The Times'' list of Britain's top 50 post-wa ...

, the Two Nations Concert at the

Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no governm ...

to honor President

on his visit to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. Later in the year, he returned to the UK to join

Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and activist. He rose to fame as the original lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, he launched ...

, Youssour N'dour and other prominent African artists to record the fundraising Aids Album. In 1990, he was profiled in the documentary film '' Songololo: Voices of Change''.Phil Johnson, "Songololo: the sound of freedom". ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', November 3, 1990. Mbuli was convicted in March 1999 for armed robbery and possession of a hand grenade – crimes he has consistently denied committing; he and his supporters have always insisted he was framed by the government for speaking out against corruption. He was held at the Leeuwkop Maximum Security Prison, until his release in November 2003. His most recent release is ''Mbulism''.

Discography

Studio albums

* ''Change Is Pain'' (1986) Shifty (Rounder - USA) * ''Unbroken Spirit'' (1988) Shifty Records * ''

Resistance Is Defence ''Resistance Is Defence'' is an album by the South African musician Mzwakhe Mbuli. It was released in 1992. Some of its songs were banned from South African radio. Mbuli supported the album, his first to be released internationally, with a global ...

'' (1992) Stern's Earthworks * ''Afrika'' (1993) CCP/EMI South Africa * ''Izigi (1994) CCP/EMI, South Africa * ''KwaZulu-Natal'' (1996) CCP / EMI South Africa * ''Umzwakhe Ubongu Ujehovah'' (1997) CCP/EMI South Africa * ''Mbulism'' (2004) CCP/EMI South Africa

Singles

Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African anti-apartheid activist who served as the first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country's first black head of state and the ...

" (with Zahara) (2013)

Notes

References

* ''Afropop! An Illustrated Guide to Contemporary African Music'' by Sean Barlow & Banning Eyre. (Book Sales August 1995) ,

External links

Free Mzwakhe Mbuli

Mzwakhe Mbuli
- plus sound clip {{DEFAULTSORT:Mbuli, Mzwakhe South African musicians South African poets Living people 1959 births