Mixed Reactions From South Africans as Ladysmith Black Mambazo Set to Collaborate with Jacob Zuma
Former President Jacob Zuma is dropping an album this year, and he plans to feature the legendary Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
Former President Jacob Zuma announced late last year that he had plans of dropping an album comprising his rendition of some of his favorite struggle songs.
Zuma is perhaps the most charismatic president South Africa has ever had. He has entertained the nation with his impromptu jiving and singing at various gatherings and rallies during his tenure. And so, while it did come as quite a surprise that he announced plans of releasing a whole album, it wasn't exactly what South Africans deemed as being out-of-this-world.
Most recently, however, it was announced that the Grammy-awarded group Ladysmith Black Mambazo would be collaborating with Zuma on his album and that they even offered up their studio to him. This has been seen as a large boost for the former president's plans to break into the music industry.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo is a part of the créme de la créme of South African music. They are a male choral group who sing in the traditional style known as isicathamiya. They have been nominated for 19 Grammys thus far, and have gone on to win five. They have worked with music giants Johnny Clegg, Michael Jackson, Paul Simon and more.
Homeless is perhaps one of their most well-renowned songs. Watch a performance they did of the song a few years back.
However, South Africans have expressed mixed reactions to this recent announcement. While Zuma has insisted that the album is for the preservation of the country's heritage, opposition parties such as the Democratic Alliance (DA) have challenged the deal struck between Zuma and the local Ethekwini Municipality, citing that taxpayers' money cannot be used to fund Zuma's musical escapades under the guise of cultural preservation.
South Africans took to Twitter to express how they feel about Ladysmith Black Mambazo's plans to collaborate with Zuma. Not everyone is impressed.