Jukebox Thursday: Celebrating Nelson Mandela through music

The former freedom fighter had songs about him even before his release from prison in 1990. Actually, before his release, he probably had more songs than the number of his pictures on South African households as his images were outlawed.

He was a walking Jukebox, although you needed no coin to listen to the beautiful melodies about his work that wowed the world. He said in his own words that: “it is music and dancing that make me at peace with the world.”

Who, except for the “bornfrees”, can forget the 1988 Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute held at Wembley Stadium, London, and broadcasted in 67 countries and an audience of 600 million? The concert, supported by the Anti-Apartheid Movement and the ANC, featured artists such as Dire Straits, Simple Minds, George Michael, Whitney Houston, UB40, Aswad, Sly and Robbie, Bee Gees, Miriam Makeba and Hugh Masekela.

Mandela also has a dance move called Mandela dance, the one similar to the one our current President Jacob Zuma often does during political rallies, especially when he sings the Inde lendlela esiy’hambayo song.

Madiba, as affectionately called by others, was sang about the whole world in different languages, some of which he probably could not understand.

Given all the songs the man already has locally and internationally, we decided to source five songs which you probably didn’t know about.

U2 – Ordinary Love (From Mandela OST)

Nelson Mandela Tribute Song 2013

Nelson Mandela tribute by a gospel choir