Vusi Mahlasela lends success to community work

1 September 2002

Vusi Sidney Mahlasela Ka Zwane is that rare combination: a hugely talented singer and songwriter with a freshly-signed international recording deal to boast of, yet someone who remains firmly committed to his home community of Mamelodi.

"My community is what gives me the foundation to create my music and living here (in Mamelodi) is something I feel strongly about," Mahlasela has always said. Mahlasela still lives in the Pretoria township with his two children, seven-year-old Modiegei and 19-year-old Colin who is deaf.

It's because of his belief in remaining in Mamelodi, and firmly rooted in his community, that the 37-year-old has thrown his weight behind many community initiatives, including working with Rand Water throughout 2001. The relationship saw Mahlasela performing at many Rand Water functions, including several concerts to raise awareness around water issues. Additionally, Rand Water contributed to the costs of producing Mahlasela's Miyela Afrika music video, which also had water preservation as its theme.

Miyela Afrika is the title of just one of Mahlasela's critically acclaimed albums - a catalogue of releases that has earned the singer and songwriter several awards including many South African Music Awards, among them the 1998 Best Male Solo Performance award and the 1998 Best African Pop Performance award for Silang Mabele. Other albums include When You Come Back (1992), Wisdom Of Forgiveness (1994) and the just released and self-produced Jungle Of Questions.

Mahlasela's gift for a song and distinctive urban folk, African rooted sound has earned the artist an international recording deal with a top American label that will see his music reach out to a global audience. That label is ATO Records, owned by former South African and American superstar, Dave Matthews (of the Dave Matthews Band) with whom Mahlasela collaborated on the DMB's 2001 album, Everyday.

Known as "The Voice", Mahlasela has always been an individual with a deep sense of community in spite of never knowing his father and losing his mother at a young age. It was the artists' grandmother, Ida, who raised Mahlasela, and as a youngster in Mamelodi he was exposed to the likes of Miriam Makeba, Hugh Masakela and the 'Malombo Men' Philip Tabane and Julian Bahula. American Soul, R&B and of course Jazz, as well as the music of Chilean protest poet Victor Jara, were also early influences that have played a role in Mahlasela's creative work.

Early on Mahlasela developed an interest in poetry, and also taught himself to play guitar on a converted paraffin tin. At high school, Mahlasela became politically conscious and later joined the Congress Of South African Writers, all the while becoming active at ANC organised rallies, where he would often recite poetry, sing and perform with the guitar that Nobel Prize winning writer Nadine Gordimer had given him. Eventually he came to the attention of producer and Shifty Records founder Lloyd Ross, who recorded Mahlasela's debut album in 1992 and it's been an unstoppable creative outpouring since then.

Aside from Rand Water, Mahlasela has spread his community work to other areas. He is a board member of the South African National Epilepsy League (SANEL) (Mahlasela has suffered from the illness) and since 1996, has been involved in the anti-rape campaign People Against Human Abuse and has helped set up rape crisis centre in Mamelodi. In 1999 and 2000 Mahlasela performed at Cape Town's Baxter Theatre with SSQ and Louis Mhlanga in aid of the Childline Charity. HIV/Aids is also a pressing issue for Mahlasela and in 1999 he took part in several performances for Positive Art, raising money for children living with HIV/Aids in Mamelodi.

Mahlasela's commitment to moving African music centrestage is the reason why he joined, in 1997, the Alternative Toukula (Alternative Colours) movement with Manu Dibango, Salif Keita and Ben Gonzolo to promote African music globally. Meanwhile, the Mahlasela Music Development Foundation, which was founded as non-profit organisation in 2000, and launched in 2001, is headquartered at the Spoornet State Theatre in Pretoria, and runs a number of training courses and schools outreach projects in the Tshwane area.

Now an accomplished guitarist, percussionist, composer, arranger, ban leader and performer, perhaps most remarkably Mahlasela sings his songs in six South African languages, and enjoys an ever-growing following of fans from all walks of life.