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Abdullah Ibrahim
Music
Events
WOMADelaide - Sounds of the Planet. 2004. Australia 05-Mar-2004
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'We see music as the way of empowering people, so that they can play an active part in society. For us, music isn't about hit records or superstars; it's an integral part of daily life.'
Born in 1934 in Cape Town, South Africa, Abdullah Ibrahim grew up in a religious environment surrounded with the healing properties of hymns and spirituals. Exposure to African tribal music, Cape Malay songs, local Chinese, Indian and Islamic communities and jazz, Ibrahim’s music developed a richness and a complexity.
In 1962, as Apartheid took root and South Africa deteriorated into a horrific human rights catastrophe, Ibrahim (now known as Dollar Brand) and fellow musicians went into exile. As he explains, ‘The ANC asked us to go abroad and preserve our culture, which was in danger of disintegrating.’ Performing in Switzerland, the Dollar Brand Trio was visited by Duke Ellington who was so impressed that he invited Ibrahim to the United States to lead the Duke Ellington Orchestra.
He later returned to Cape Town and recorded Mannenberg, which became the anthem of the post-Soweto uprising in 1976. It was here that Ibrahim made the decision to permanently exile in protest against the regime's gross Human Rights violations. Ibrahim finally returned to South Africa in 1990 and immediately set about sharing his musical gifts. He and his band played at the 2004 WOMADelaide concert in Australia, in conjunction with Amnesty International Australia.
Photo credit: © 2002 ZICLINE
www.abdullahibrahim.com www.womadelaide.com.au/archive
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