South Africa after Mandela

[re:dream]

Madiba's death clearly raises some interesting questions about how South Africa has done after liberation, and what the future holds.

If people feel like leaving the thread about Mandela to be about his life and legacy, then perhaps take the discussion about all the other more explicitly political stuff here

Just a suggestion.

[TomViolenz]

Good idea!
I will mostly read and learn I think, because I don't know much about SA, except that it's supposed to be beautiful and has great surf

[beats me]

That about covers my knowledge. But I'm American so you probably shouldn't expect much more.

[re:dream]

[re:dream]

Thread is not locked yet, so let me post this while I can

http://www.dailymaverick.co.za/opinioni ... qh4IWQW1hl

[beats me]

@The Finn

Do you know of Rodriguez? One of the best movies of the past year was In Search of Sugarman, the story of a long forgotten failed American musician who got bigger than Elvis in South Africa without him knowing about it. Is he still a music staple there?

[re:dream]

Yip, Rodriguez was part of the soundtrack of my teenage years, though I was never personallyy a fan.

It was a sweet movie & brings Rodriguez's humility across very nicely.

But the movie doesn't really address why Rodriguez was so popular in South Africa but nowhere else...

My personal impression is that his music was really very bland. Sort of ersatz protest music without the bite. Perfect for lost white teenagers who felt that something was wrong, but were too ensconced in the comfort zone of the sunny middle class 1970s to really bother about changing anything.

[TomViolenz]

Yip, Rodriguez was part of the soundtrack of my teenage years, though I was never personallyy a fan.

It was a sweet movie & brings Rodriguez's humility across very nicely.

But the movie doesn't really address why Rodriguez was so popular in South Africa but nowhere else...

My personal impression is that his music was really very bland. Sort of ersatz protest music without the bite. Perfect for lost white teenagers who felt that something was wrong, but were too ensconced in the comfort zone of the sunny middle class 1970s to really bother about changing anything.

Damn, I can't put my finger on it, but this reminds me of something...

[beats me]

Yip, Rodriguez was part of the soundtrack of my teenage years, though I was never personallyy a fan.

It was a sweet movie & brings Rodriguez's humility across very nicely.

But the movie doesn't really address why Rodriguez was so popular in South Africa but nowhere else...

My personal impression is that his music was really very bland. Sort of ersatz protest music without the bite. Perfect for lost white teenagers who felt that something was wrong, but were too ensconced in the comfort zone of the sunny middle class 1970s to really bother about changing anything.

I remember them touching on why it was big in South Africa and I thought, wow, if that is the music of revolution there then that really is a fucked up country.

Of course because of the movie he’s now more well-known and appreciated in the US and I dig it, but to me he’s like the forgotten Neil Diamond. Good shit, especially in a sea of electronica, but not “holy shit, how did I miss this?!?”

[re:dream]

I remember them touching on why it was big in South Africa and I thought, wow, if that is the music of revolution there then that really is a fucked up country.

As they say in the coloured townships here, vestaan dzy.

Which more or less means, word.

[beats me]

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-d ... -obamacare

More on the view from America.

[Ableton_David]

Please see the new community guidelines - no more political discussions in The Lounge: viewtopic.php?f=40&t=155041

Locking this thread.