JOHANNESBURG — South African songstress Zahara has released a song in tribute to Nelson Mandela.
City Press
The song was first heard on MetroFM on Sunday during Wilson B Nkosi’s show and immediately created a lot of interest.
The ballad, titled Nelson Mandela, evokes strong emotions, spurred on by the relentless guitar accompaniment Zahara is known for her soaring and strong vocals.
She sings: “Nelson Mandela/Tata Madiba/ Father of the Nation/ Qawe la maqawe/ Akekho o fana naye/ (Hero of heroes/There’s none like him).” Zahara pays tributes to Mandela’s sacrifices, his conviction and the racial reconciliation and nation building that he has stood for. In the song, she calls Mandela a man of peace and a pillar of strength.
The song comes at a time when Mandela is critically ill, but stable at the Medi-Clinic Heart Hospital in Pretoria.
In an affidavit filed in the Mthatha High Court, the family described his health as “perilous”.
Said Zahara: “I’m very excited and emotional at the same time. I trust that South Africans and the world will receive it (the song) and appreciated it. Above all else, I’m doing this in honour of Tata Mandela.”
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She has boasting rights no money can buy. Zahara is the last known artist to stage a private performance for Mandela in his Qunu retirement home.
In a video clip on You-Tube, Zahara can be seen strumming her guitar and belting her hits Thekwana and Loliwe for the former president.
The former is a tribute track to heroes of the struggle such as Mandela. At the end, a frail looking Mandela is seen clapping his hands but doesn’t say much.
