South African’s Ladysmith at Goshen College Feb. 25;
General admission tickets available one hour before show

GOSHEN, Ind. — Reserved tickets are sold out for the event, but Ladysmith has given permission for an additional audience located above and behind them on the choral terrace, which adds a possible audience of 100.  Terrace seating will be general admission of $10 sold only at the door one hour (6:30 p.m.) ahead of the performance.

South Africa’s Ladysmith Black Mambazo spiraled to world fame after singing and dancing with Paul Simon through his landmark “Graceland” album in 1986.  But for the 12-man a cappella group, their defining moment came as they sang their way to freedom at South African President Mandela’s 1994 inauguration, marking the end of 40 years of apartheid.

Ladysmith, which is now the number one African group in record sales, will bring colorful harmonies, guttural gulps and songs of freedom to the Goshen College Music Center at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 25 as part of the college’s 2002-03 Performing Arts Series.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s music was born in the diamond mines of South Africa, where black laborers developed a form of competitive singing and dancing called isicathamiya to distract from their oppressive working conditions. Joseph Shabalala, the group’s founder, recruited brothers, cousins and friends from his Zulu tribe to sing the rousing harmonies he had dreamed about, and the group went on to win every competition they entered. A radio broadcast in 1970 led to their first record contract.

Ladysmith met American musician Paul Simon in a Johannesburg recording studio, and their discographic collaboration has been regarded by many as seminal to today’s explosive interest in World Music. In addition to presidential inaugurations, Ladysmith has performed at two Nobel Peace Prize ceremonies, for the Pope in Rome, Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace, the 1996 Summer Olympics, NBC television’s “Saturday Night Live” and with noted artists such as Michael Jackson, Dolly Parton, Stevie Wonder and Eric Clapton.  They have appeared in movie soundtracks and commercials, and have recorded over 40 albums including “Shaka Zulu” (1987), “Gift of the Tortoise” (1993) and “The Star and the Wise Man” (1998).

While Ladysmith’s successes have reached far beyond the country’s borders, they were also a crucial voice for change within South Africa. From their high-kicking dances to songs about apartheid, the group has retained their distinctively South African style despite racial roadblocks. “I always told the guys that the task before us was not greater than the power behind us,” said Shabalala of the apartheid years. Singing at Mandela’s inauguration was, for Ladysmith, a momentous culmination to their years of peaceful protest through music. 

Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s no longer sings “Homeless,” its famous plaint about dispossession that appeared on “Graceland” and that embodies the pain of over 40 years of apartheid. Their current repertoire of upbeat trills and stomps reflects changed political conditions.  But they still have challenges to deal with in the new South Africa; recently, Shabalala’s cousin was killed in a racially motivated incident. Yet when asked how Ladysmith will go on, Shabalala responded, “We will sing, this is what we do.”

Fourteen Shabalala, guitar, and Shongishilo Ndlovu, concertina, will open for the group.

https://www.goshen.edu/events/performingarts or to Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s site at http://www.mambazo.com/.

 

Future series concerts include:

• 7:30 p.m. March 11 – Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, Music Center Sauder Concert Hall

• 7:30 p.m. April 4 – Bach’s “St. John Passion,” Music Center Sauder Concert Hall

Goshen College is a national liberal arts college known for leadership in international education, service-learning and peace and justice issues in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program and exceptional educational value, GC serves about 1,000 students in both traditional and nontraditional programs. The college earned citations of excellence among U.S.News & World Report, Yahoo! and Barron’s Best Buys in Higher Education. For more information, visit www.goshen.edu.

– Jessica Yoder

Editors: For information, contact Jodi Hochstedler at jodih@goshen.edu or (574) 535-7572.