Ladysmith Black Mambazo

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Big hitters Van Morrison, Seth Lakeman and Ladysmith Black Mambazo are – here’s our guide to the roots extravaganza

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Music: Cambridge Folk Festival

Ladysmith Black Mambazo Cambridge Folk Festival 2014, Thursday, July 31, to Sunday, August 3, at Cherry Hinton Hall. SOLD OUT. For more information visit cambridgefolkfestival.co.uk.

Albert Mazibuko is the only original member left in legendary South African group Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Gearing up for Cambridge Folk Festival, the singer talks to ELLA WALKER about playing in the rain and performing for Nelson Mandela

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lbert Mazibuko isn’t entirely sure whether he’s been to Cambridge Folk Festival before.

You can’t really blame him; the 66-year-old has been touring the globe with South Africa’s greatest musical export, ladysmith black Mambazo, since 1969. that’s 45 years of festival and concert performances, and Cherry Hinton is nice, but let’s be honest, for a guy who’s travelled with Nelson Mandela (more of which later), it’s not exactly worthy of a spot in his all-time highlights.

“We have been to a lot of festivals in UK,” Albert admits.

“My favourite one, lot of small tents, people camping there, it was a lot of mud! Haha, well I loved that one. It remind me of when I was growing up, it would rain, so we played in the rain.” that sounds a lot like Glastonbury . . . I press on, what about Cambridge?

“We will have a good time,” he laughs.

Aside from being the only original member left in the legendary choral group, founded and led by his cousin Joseph Shabalala, Albert is also quite possibly one of the nicest men I have ever interviewed. born Mdletshe Albert Mazibuko in 1948 in the town of ladysmith in South Africa, three hours west of Durban and three hours east of Johannesburg, he was the eldest of six brothers and dropped out of school aged 8 to work on his father’s farm. Years of manual labour followed, including a stint at an asbestos factory, before he signed up to his cousin’s fledgling a cappella group. they took their name from their hometown ladysmith, with black referring to oxen, the strongest of their farm animals; and Mambazo, the Zulu word for a chopping axe, to symbolise the group’s capacity

to “chop down” any singing rival foolish enough to take them on. In the end though, they became so good they landed themselves a record deal in 1970 and got banned from singing competitively; they were too in demand as bona fide artists. their popularity was as much down to talent, charm and modesty as their commitment to preserving South Africa’s musical heritage, drawing largely on traditional isicathamiya music (pronounced “iscot-a-Me-Ya”), that came out of the dire conditions to which black South African miners were historically subjected. After six days apart from their families dealing with terrible housing and pay, the miners would sing through the night until the early hours of Sunday mornings. the results have meant that not only have ladysmith black Mambazo become South African heroes, they’ve also consistently attracted the

Editor: Paul Kirkley Writer: Ella Walker Email: ella.walker@cambridge-news.co.uk

attention of people like Paul Simon (yes, of Simon & Garfunkel) who featured them on his muchloved Graceland album. then there have been collaborations with Stevie Wonder, Josh Groban and Dolly Parton (seriously, Dolly, you can’t get cooler than that).

Albert, humble, sweet and softly spoken, has seen the group develop and change, as old members moved on and new ones filtered in. “You know, the different members have been tremendous all these years because when we start, the music, you want it to encourage people to work together and be strong and then where the time goes is, we have to put our music [out there] to encourage people not to fight one another but fight the system that was bad for everyone in South Africa,” he says thoughtfully.

“When the freedom was achieved in South Africa, we started to sing

about the celebration. Now we are celebrating what has been achieved by the people in South Africa and we are still encouraging people that working together, it’s the best thing in the world.”

It’s that which Albert is most proud of, not just the music, soaring and heartfelt and passionate as it is, but also what the group represents as a whole.

“I think [audiences] will take some very important lessons from that; if people come together and work together and support one another, good things can come out of that.”

Of course, one of the greatest things to have ever happened to the group was when they were invited to accompany Nelson Mandela and Frederik Willem de Klerk, who brokered the end of apartheid, to Norway in 1993 to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. “that was the highest of the highlights for me because when we were there witnessing these two leaders they were accepting the peace for our country,” Albert recalls.

“We were asked to perform at the ceremony and also at the celebration but to be in the ceremony was the greatest honour for us.

“Mandela requested us to sing there and even the song that we should sing, so he chose two songs and then we have to combine these two songs to make the length of four minutes, the time that we were given, and after we were finished those two songs, we stood up, he say ‘Power, black Mambazo’.

“It was a great feeling, I will

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never forget that because it was a wonderful thing.”

After that, what can there possibly be left to achieve?

“I still like to work with young people,” he muses seriously. “Just to encourage them, tell them there’s nothing gonna come easy in life but you got to dedicate yourself and then you commit yourself and then you do what you believe in, and then you do it. By doing that you can achieve anything.”

The group are a case in point, just this year they won their fourth Grammy Award for Best World Music Album with Live: Singing For Peace Around The World, and neither the group, nor Albert, shows any signs of taking a rest.

“I’d be an old man that maybe wouldn’t be able to walk now, because being in the group for me it keeps me fit, keeps me young and I just picture myself maybe now sitting home on the pension, playing with my grandchildren, and then my voice, it could be a hoarse one,” he says, thinking about life outside of the group, and switching into a scratchy yell. “‘Heyy, don’t do that!’

Haha, but being in music it keeps me young so I feel, I see the other members in their 20s, I look young too!” n Ladysmith Black Mambazo will return to Cambridge on Saturday, October 4, for INALA – a Zulu ballet, at Cambridge Corn Exchange.

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