Celebrating Madiba

This week marks one year since freedom fighter, statesman and global inspiration Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela passed away. A number of memorial events are taking place in Johannesburg and Pretoria over the next two weeks in commemoration.

I attended a tribute concert last night in Melrose Arch.


The concert was presented by Classic FM and held in the open plaza at Melrose Arch. Melrose Arch is an upscale shopping precinct / residential space / office space located in northern Johannesburg. It also houses a ton of restaurants. I always forget about Melrose Arch. I went there for lunch with my relocation consultant exactly two years ago when I was apartment hunting and this was the first time I had been back. But it is a great space and I will have to make it a point to frequent it again.

The concert featured the Johannesburg Festival Orhcestra conducted by Richard Cock, the Mzanzi Youth Choir under the direction of Ralf Schmitt and the program featured soloist Lindiwe Bungane.

I wouldn't call the concert program strictly a tribute to Mandela as it was billed. Yes there were South African songs that were easily attributable to Nelson Mandela and the freedom movement. But there were also alot of popular (mostly American) standards and compositions.

The Choir w solist Lindiwe Bungane in red & conductor Richard Cock

There was some attempt to relate some of the songs to Nelson Mandela and South Africa. South Africa is the rainbow nation: "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." Nelson Mandela loved blues and jazz:  "St. Louis Blues."  Mandela had a special place in his heart for children: "Greatest Love of All."

And no attempt on some other songs. Like "A Whole New World" and the Andrew Lloyd Weber "Concert Celebration" medley. That was okay. The music was great and the orchestra excellent. And finally, there were a fair amount of Christmas songs. I'd describe the program as pretty eclectic actually.

True Colors

The concert was free with a reservation but it was also a benefit for the Hospice Wits program. Representatives were on hand to collect donations and sell battery-operated candles and buttons. The candles came in handy during a rendition of the Phil Collins / Cyndi Lauper ballad "True Colors" when we were encouraged to light and lift them them during the chorus. Pretty. (They also came in handy after the concert when our crew returned home to a Morningside blackened by Eskom load-shedding.)

The Christmas songs though were the best part in my estimation. They all featured either audience participation or an "Africanization" of the lyrics. Many times both. The "12 Days of Christmas" had a lourie in a yellowwood tree instead of a partridge in a pair tree, five nguni cows instead of those gold rings, etc. For the rendition of "Sleigh Ride", the audience clapped the "whip." A one horse open sleigh in "Jingle Bells?" This is Joburg - Oh what fun it is to ride in a taxi in Gauteng!

All in all it was a joyous celebration appropriate for the seasons - both for the holiday and an important remembrance.