Under African Skies - Polit ics in Music

What was apartheid, and what does it translate as?

Apartheid directly translates as separateness and effectively means the segregation of people
or else. It refers to the time between 1948-1994, South Africa when the law enforced
widespread segregation between black and white residents of the country. White people
controlled the country whilst black people had no choice in how the country was run. Public
institutions were split into white and black buildings to remove any contact between races.
Black people were grouped into small villages that were based in the more rural areas of the
country away from the white.
Who were/are the ANC?
The ANC or African National Congress are a South African political party that fought for black
rights throughout the apartheid and now govern the Republic of South Africa. They have been
in ruling power since 1994 and elected Nelson Mandela as president between 1994 and 1999
and still proceed to campaign for equality across races throughout South Africa.
What was the boycott the ANC and Artists Against Apartheid wanted enforced?
The isolation boycott was introduced to try and isolate the white racial supremacists from the
rest of the world to try and convince them to change. In the same way that teachers may go
on strike to prove a point. The terms were for the rest of the world to have no contact with
South African leaders with any involvement in the apartheid law.
What were some of the opportunities for employment in South Africa for the black population
during apartheid? How successful do you think black musicians could become?
Throughout the apartheid, the black male population could be found working in the Gold mines
that were located near their villages. It was hard for black musicians to be successful out of
their villages as their resources were limited and unless they were given the opportunity to
record for distribution then very few people outside their village would have heard them.
What opportunities did Paul Simon offer the musicians he worked with on the album?
Paul Simon offered the musicians the chance to tour and perform the songs they had recorded
them. He also brought them back to New York to show them what it was like as some of them
had never been out of the country before. He showed them what it was like to live without
segregation.
Why do you think the ANC wanted the black South African musicians to go home during the
Graceland tour?
I think that the ANC wanted the South African musicians to return home because they could
have been worried about what the consequences would have been for everyone else with
what was going on.
What are Paul Simons views on when politics and music clash?
Paul Simon had quite strong views on politics and music. As a musician, he fought for the
musicians side of the argument. In 1986 he said: "I'm with the artists. I didn't ask the permission of
the ANC. I didn't ask permission of Buthelezi, or Desmond Tutu, or the Pretoria government. And to
tell you the truth, I have a feeling that when there are radical transfers of power on either the
left or the right, the artists always get screwed."

Do you think the Graceland concert in Zimbabwe proved that the making of the album was a good
thing or should Paul Simon still not have gone to South Africa?
I think the concert in Zimbabwe proved that the music itself had been accepted into society
due to the huge amounts of people that visited to listen. I think it was also good as it raised a
lot of awareness on the issues going on within South Africa at the time. It also allowed people
of all races to be united to enjoy the music.
Who was Dali Tambo and what was his overall opinion of Paul Simon recording Graceland?
Dali Tambo is the son of Oliver Tambo who was the former president of the ANC. As his father
fought for black rights, it was only right that his son follow in his footsteps. His view was that what
Paul Simon did was a brave and good move in an effort to resolve problems in South Africa,
however, he did not think that the timing was best or that he went about it in the best way.
Rather than asking the permission of the ANC if it was okay to break the terms of the boycott
for this instance. Although the album created peace, and showed the world what was possible
with collaborations across nationalities, it also made things worse with tension rising as someone
had broken the boycott rules of their own accord without consulting anyone.
The album introduced South African Music to many other countries, was this a good thing for the
anti-apartheid movement?
Personally, I feel that this album may have brought some of the current issues to light through
the media. As well as this, it showed the world that music could unite people and bring people
from different backgrounds and languages together to produce something that everyone
could enjoy.
Should Paul Simon have gone to South Africa to record the album Graceland?
In my opinion, I believe that the album Graceland being recorded in South Africa was a good
idea. I think this because it allowed musicians from a number of different backgrounds to be
united through music. Regardless of each persons belief, everyone was able to become part of
band and play. The beliefs of each player didn't play a part in any of the songs and everyone
could look past physical appearances. However, I do believe that Paul Simon should have
gone about things differently to how he did as by being reckless and trying to prove a point,
he broke the boycott which could have led to consequences for others and I don't think that
he thought through his decisions before making them.