Written by Gabby Marcellini
The Walton Arts Center was packed. From the very front row to the last row of the balcony, almost all of the 1,200 seats were filled with an anxious body, ready to see, to hear, to experience Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
On Saturday, Feb. 20, 10 Harding students along with Dr. Mark and Tish Elrod drove to Fayetteville, Ark., to attend the Ladysmith Black Mambazo concert at 8 p.m.
Most have only heard of Ladysmith Black Mambazo from the name drop in “Mean Girls.” It is a world-renowned a cappella musical group comprised of nine men, seven of whom are related. This group has a strong focus on Christian principles and has produced a few religious albums.
Joseph Shabalala founded Ladysmith Black Mambazo more than 45 years ago after having a dream about a group with perfect musical harmony. Shabalala worked with his relatives and close friends, entering them in and winning so many competitions that they were asked to stop participating in the events and come perform at them. With over 20 CDs out and three Grammys won, Ladysmith Black Mambazo is not your everyday family band.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo gets its name from Professor Shabalala’s hometown, Ladysmith, South Africa. The Black comes from the strongest ox in the land, and “mambazo” is the Zulu word for ax, because they believed they could “chop down” the competition.
The style that Ladysmith primarily performs is called isicathamiya (is-cot-a-me-ya), which is a traditional Zulu style of music that is accompanied by tight, quick choreography. It literally means, “tip toe guys,” and originated from workers who would dance lightly so as not to disturb the guards at the mine camps.
I cannot recount to you the first four minutes of the show because I was not there. This was due to public parking lots, alleys, street sides, and even parking for residential areas being filled beyond capacity in every direction around the Walton Arts Center. I can, however, tell you of the perfect blend that welcomed us as we entered the dimly-lit hall.
Everyone sat attentive, captivated by the unique fusion of South African voices. The bewitchment never lost its hold. Forty-five fleeting minutes later, the lead singer, Shabalala, announced the intermission much to everyone’s surprise.
“Outside is a man who came all the way from South Africa with many things for you,” he said. “He is in the lobby, and he has T-shirts, DVDs, and CDs that he brought just for you.”
Needless to say, the merchandise table was surrounded by mobs of people, all anxious to buy the shirt with the South African flag on the front and Zulu phrases on the back, or the CD that won them the 2009 Best Traditional World Music Album Grammy, which was proudly displayed.
The second half of the show was just as lively and fun-filled as the first. Each song lasted anywhere from five to ten minutes, and was sung in either Zulu or English. Many of the members led the songs, including Shabalala’s youngest son, Thamsanqa. The last few minutes of each song would go into a repetitive chant, and the men of Ladysmith Black Mambazo would break into spontaneous yet somehow coordinated choreography. High kicks, foot-stomping rhythms and jumps were all combined. Sometimes the whole group took part. Other times it was one man or two asymmetrically positioned performers would break out into simultaneous steps.
For the first song after intermission they taught the audience some basic words, rhythms and vocal parts, and we were able to sing along with the group. Near the end of that song, they called up audience members to come and dance with them. Young and old alike took the stage to shake what their mamas gave them … or failed to give them.
One of the final songs they sang was “Homeless,” a song Paul Simon and Shabalala composed for Simon’s record, “Graceland.” Anti-apartheid advocate Paul Simon crossed a very definite social boundary when he sought out and asked Ladysmith Black Mambazo to record an album with him, but in doing so, Ladysmith gained worldwide popularity and broke free from their African confinement.
Shabalala closed the evening with inspiring words. Their dream and their purpose, he said, was to share a part of their beautiful country and to spread peace, love and harmony throughout the world. After one well-deserved standing ovation, the group returned and sang one last song before saying their final goodbyes.
With their high energy performance and beautiful sound, this heartwarming group will bring a smile to anyone, even if you only understand 10 words the whole night. It was the perfect fusion of peace, love, and harmony.
