Monday, February 09, 2009

Vusi Mahlasela at the Ordway: Another kind of Church



I had the amazing privilege and pleasure of seeing this rocking South African perform last night in St. Paul. Yeah to the Ordway for bringing Vusi Mahlasela here. All day, I was referring to the event, and trying to describe how powerful it was when people got up from their "pews" to dance in the aisles. Realizing we weren't in church, I thought my mistake was actually quite appropriate, as the concert felt like being at a rocking service.

An additional note: In the opening of this song, recorded in Johannesburg, South Africa, at the Live 8 concert, Vusi reminds me so much of former Teens Rock the Mic poets, spitting poetic narratives quickly into the mic...In this case, Mr. Mahlasela speaks as witness - or in testimony- to the crimes committed during Apartheid...However bleak it may seem, it's truly a song of hope and healing.

Enjoy!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey! That's the son of the soil from Pretoria, Mamelodi Township - not far from Centurion. Well respected artist and I've four or five of his CDs. I have seen him perform live in Cape Town and Johannesburg.

You are blessed my child!!

Love,

Dumi


Dumisani Ntombela
Centurion, SA

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful voice! And such beautiful music. Thanks. Carolyn