Hearing Whoopi Goldberg call the late Miriam Makeba “a great chick, an awesome broad” will go down as one of my favourite moments from the Ubuntu series that wrapped up Carnegie Hall last night with a tribute to the iconic South African singer. Goldberg, who starred in the anti-apartheid movie Sarafina alongside Makeba, relayed, in an intro to last night’s show, how “every one and their mother” walked around New York trying to learn how to do the click from The Click Song when the hit came out in the ’60s. Goldberg credits Makeba for opening her eyes to South Africa, and Africa as a whole, calling her a remarkable woman. In that same vein,…
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A South African Music Takeover in NYC
With the Chicago Marathon done and dusted, my attention turns back to focus on the wonderful Ubuntu series that has taken over New York City, most specifically, Carnegie Hall. The opening night reception was lovely – it was already going to be an incredible evening with just the lineup alone, but to sit inside the hallowed space of Carnegie Hall and listen to Vusi “The Voice” Mahlasela and Hugh Masekela bring their songs to an American stage, with special guests, was beyond what I’d hoped it would be. Backed by a supremely talented band – Mongezi Ntaka on guitar, Bakithi Kumalo on bass, Ian Herman on drums and Francis Fuster…
