REMARKS BY
MANGOSUTHU BUTHELEZI, MP
CHAIRMAN, THE HOUSE OF TRADITIONAL LEADERS (KWAZULU NATAL)
MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS AND
PRESIDENT. INKATHA FREEDOM PARTY
DURBAN : MAY 4, 2002
Today we bear testimony to the making of history
in our country. We have all been privileged to witness an event which has the
features of those which are bound to go down in history. I am particularly
moved by this event for the obvious reason that my mother’s memory features
in it so prominently. This opera is indeed a magnificent celebration of her
life and of the legacy she has bestowed on all of us. However, I am keenly
aware that the significance of this evening’s performance goes beyond my
mother’s life. She sowed seeds which have now flourished into something which
is a miracle in itself.
Today, we have seen the birth of a genuinely
African opera. This is a monumental step in the promotion of our dream of an
African renaissance. I have always believed that the essence of an African
renaissance is that of merging our most ancient traditions with the highest
standards of world experience. In my mind, opera is the highest artistic form
of human expression as it merges in one magical creative moment the beauty and
artistry of music, theatre and poetry. This evening’s opera was a genuine
African expression with roots which run deep into our history. Yet it was an
opera which reflects the evolution of European music and complies with its form
and structure at their best. For this reason, this opera shows how the musical
evolution of Africa is coming of age, and with it our awareness of and pride in
a continent which claims its recognition in the consortium of mankind because
of the strength and dignity of our endeavours.
My mother herself was a point of synthesis of
many traditions. Her music was quintessentially African and yet she was imbued
with the best European traditions of music which she loved, especially church
hymns. Her feel for life was deeply choral and she understood that music can
express the choral pathos which characterises so much of the way we African
people perceive and experience life. It is no coincidence that music remains
one of the most valuable tools used by African people to express our being
African. Today we have witnessed that there are no limits of form or substance
for our musical expression and that our African musicality can confidently
venture into and claim its place in the most refined and sophisticated artistic
expression of mankind.
There are not sufficient words for me to express
my gratitude and admiration to Sandra de Villiers, Professor Mzilikazi Khumalo,
Sibongile Khumalo, Professor Themba Msimang and all the other artists who made
this miracle possible. Tonight we have been elevated and transported into a
universe of beauty and harmony in which our past, present and future have
merged in a unique synthesis. For me, it has been an indescribable experience.
I experienced not only the resonance of my own childhood, but also saw a
powerful portrait of our Zulu soul as it stands out of antiquity and projects
itself into its rendezvous with the future.
Tonight, more than ever, I am convinced of the
inner strength of my people’s spirituality and am convinced that we shall
overcome our present difficulties and fulfil the destiny in which our
renaissance may finally take us beyond ancient problems and limitations and
present difficulties. Tonight, we have proven our capacity to leap-frog ahead
without relinquishing any part of our heritage. These are the foundations of a
genuine renaissance which expands to reach out of its shell and embrace the
best the world has to offer. Tonight a resonant message rises out of South
Africa that this country is merging its many cultures and traditions to begin
its journey into the forging of its own new civilisation.
A renaissance of arts and culture often precedes
an economic renaissance, and I hope that in years to come we will be able to
look back to this magical evening and recollect this event as a turning point
in which something, somehow, clicked in our national psyche and gave to all of
us a greater sense of self-confidence which placed our country on a sounder and
faster course towards social stability and economic prosperity. It has been a
great pleasure and honour for me to be with all of you tonight to share this
magical event. I hope that the melodies, the enchantment and the spiritual
upliftment we have shared this evening may remain with all of us for a long
time as we return to our daily preoccupations.
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