USemenya noMaMbulu: Abaphrofethi abadume ezizweni
Imisebenzi yabo ituswa emazweni kepha kwabo kabaziwa kuyaphi
Kule minyaka iNingizimu Afrika ike yahlaselwa yifu elimnyama lapho ibilahlekelwa ngamaciko amadala. Kusuka kuBusi Mhlongo, uMirriam Makeba, uRay Phiri, uNana Coyote, uDavid Msondo, uHugh Masekle, uJonas Gwangwa, uJoseph Shabalala, uSibongile Khumalo uma singabala abambalwa.
Kubona bonke laba kukhona into efanayo. Kwathi mhla kuzwakala izindaba zokuthi kabasekho bese kuba yilapho beduma khona. Kuthi kade bengadlalwa kweminye imisakazo kepha ngokufa kwabo babe nodumo. Lona wumkhuba omubi kepha uyenzeka. Kukhona nje amaciko ahlonishwayo lapha ngaphandle kepha lapha kwabo kuthi nje gqwa uzwe kuthiwa bayabungazwa noma kukhulunywa ngabo. Lona ngumndeni wakwaSemenya, ubaba uCaiphus nomama uLetta.
La maciko kule minyaka kawagcinanga ngokusinika ulozolo kepha aqhubekile nokunikeza uhlobo lomculo waseNingizimu Afrika isithunzi. Ukulifulathela leli lawo yisemkhulu ngenxa yobandlululo ngoZibandlela we-1964 kwaba yisinqumo esilukhuni kepha esiphusile ngoba ekuhambeni kwabo basabalalisa isigqi sasekhaya.
Uma bexoxa ngalokhu bathi bafika eLos Angels e-United State of America (USA) bamukelwa ngezandla ezifudumele zabanye balapha eNingizimu Afrika ababesekudingisweni kubo kukhona namaciko.
Uma nje singaqala ngoSemenya, osedlale nezinkakha ezifana noMasekela, uGwangwa, uHotep Galeta, uMiriam Makeba, uLou Rawls, uNina Simone namaCannonba uma singacaphuna ohlwini lwamagama olude. Phakathi kwamacwecwe akhe singabala: iListen To The Wind (1982), iStreams Today, iRivers Tomorrow (1984), iThe Very Best Of (1996), iThe Best Of Letta & Caiphus (1996), iWoman Got The Right To Be (1996), iMusic In The Air (2009), iLive At Carnival City (2011), iCollections (2011), iThe Best Of (2016), i-Angelina (1982), iListen To The Wind (2011) nezinye.
Kanti ngakolunye uhlangothi uMaMbulu (umama uLetta) naye yiciko elihlonishwayo lilodwa nje. Ephesheya kwezilwandle wangenwa yisigqi se-American Jazz nomculo wabomdabu baseBrazil.
Akagcinanga ngokuba ngumculi ngoba nakhona ekulingiseni wafike wangena khaxa. Phakathi kwezingqayi avele kuzo singabala iRoots eyabe ikhuluma ngomlando wezigqila zaboHlanga e-USA, lapha anezela nangephimbo lakhe.
Kulo mdlalo wabuya ne-Emmy Award. Akangcinanga kulowo ngoba nakuThe Purple Green wabonakala. Wabuye wabonakala nenkakha uSidney Poiter ku-A Warm December. Phakathi kwezingoma namacwecwe akhe kungabalwa: Letta Mbulu Sings (1967), Free Soul (1968), Letta (1970), Naturally (1972), There’s Music in the Air ( 1976), Letta (1977), Letta Mbulu – Gold (1978), There’s Music in The Air (1976), Sweet Juju (1985), Sound of Rainbow (1980) Letta (1980), Not Yet Uhuru (1996) nezinye.
Lo mndeni unika isithunzi emacikweni akuleli njengoba ungakaze uvele ngezindaba ezimbi kwabezindaba noma emphakathini. Kunalokho ubandakanyeka ezintweni ezakhayo nezinokuzigqaja njengama-Afrika.
USemenya kuyimanje uveza iphupho lakhe njengoba akha isikhungo samaciko esizobizwa ngeNational Academy of Africa’s Performing Arts (NAAPA).
Okujabulisayo wukuthi lesi sikhungo sakhiwa kobantu njengoba sizoba seJabulani, eSoweto. Kwabadala lesi sikhungo sizobakhumbuza iDorkay House neyaduma ngezikhathi zeqembu i-Union of Southern African Artist. Lokhu kujulile ngoba uSemenya naye wakhiqizwa yisikhungo eseneminyaka yobudala eli-19 vo.
Ichilo wukuthi yize sebedume futhi bahlonishwa kuwo wonke amazwe kepha ikwabo alenzi ngokwanenele.
Kunemisakazo nje lapha engakaze noma engenawo umculo wabo kepha bangathula kuyobe kuduma lezi zingoma. Inkulumo yesilungu kulokhu iyafakazeleka; “Akekho umphrofethi ezweni lakubo”.
USemenya noMaMbulu ngabaphrofethi abadume umhlaba wonke nabadinga ukubekwa esicongweni kwabo.
