In the townships of 1980s South Africa, funerals of activists often became political rallies. Among the speakers was a tall young man with a booming voice who recited poems against apartheid, his words rising over the crowds. Mzwakhe Mbuli became known as the People’s Poet. He recorded his poems over music, mixing spoken word with mbaqanga, reggae and township rhythms, and his albums were banned by the apartheid government. After apartheid, he performed at historic events, though his later life was marked by controversy.
Early life, recordings and detention
Mbuli was born in Sophiatown, Johannesburg, in the late 1950s, and grew up during the forced removals that destroyed the neighbourhood. He began performing poems at political meetings and funerals in the 1980s. His first album, Change Is Pain, was released in the 1980s and was banned in South Africa. He recited over music, blending poetry with mbaqanga and reggae.
Mbuli was detained and harassed by security police during the struggle. He performed at events celebrating Nelson Mandela’s release and at his inauguration in 1994.
Conviction, release and recognition
His poems spoke of oppression, freedom, unity and hope. In the late 1990s, he was convicted of armed robbery and imprisoned. He has always maintained his innocence, saying he had been framed. After his release, he returned to performing and recording. He performs in English and several South African languages. He influenced South African poets and spoken-word artists.
He has received awards for his contribution to South African music and culture. He remains a symbol of the struggle’s cultural front.
Funerals and banned records
Political funerals in the 1980s drew thousands of mourners, and they were among the few gatherings the authorities found hard to ban. Poets, singers and speakers used them to spread the message of the struggle. Mbuli’s voice carried over the crowds, and his poems were often repeated afterwards by the young people who had heard them.
His style draws on the izibongo, the praise poetry of southern Africa, in which poets celebrate or criticise leaders in public. Mbuli turned that tradition against the apartheid state. Because his albums were banned, many copies were passed around on cassette, which only added to his reputation. The apartheid government banned Mbuli’s records. A few years later, he was performing at Mandela’s inauguration.
