Lucky Dube: Remember Me

He was the first South African musician to get airplay on an Afrikaaner radio station. A freedom fighter whose weapon of choice was his art and intellect combined with drum patterns of reggae grooves and catchy hooks. He touched us all deeply, sparking a flame that ignited change in a social structure built on the foundation of apartheid. He was born Phillip but we knew him as Lucky-the free spirited soldier whose music was the definition of substance and inspiration.

Lucky Dube's spirit became enraptured in God's protective arms when he was murdered in front of his children a year ago during a carjacking in Johannesburg on Oct.19 2007. The man who put his life on the line singing against the ills of crime left earth at the hands of his own melodic synopsis. Through his music, Dube had already diagnosed that crime was an offspring of poverty which was a direct descendant of hatred and apartheid. In the song, 'Victims' Dube sang: "There lies a man who fought for equality-There lies a boy who died in his struggle-Can all these heroes die in vain-While we slash and kill our own brothers-Knowing that already they are the-Victims of the situation?" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fR0VTZxUVi8

The discovery of Gold near the Rand River planted the early seeds of victimization through apartheid. There was a time in the 1800's that Africans, Indians, Asians and Europeans all lived somewhat peaceful in the land of the Zulus. Heavily triggered by the desire of wealth and political power, the Boers[ a minority group of Dutch settlers] devised to take control of a land controlled by its own people and led by our King, Chaka. With guns as their weapons of choice, the desire to control and prosper in a South African economy where the Boers were minorities to both the Africans and Indians gave development to an unimaginable violent and torturous practice of segregation and discrimination against non pure Dutch descendants. The Boers named this insanely conceived belief apartheid.

Apartheid was a legally institutionalized practice that allowed people of all color to be terrorized and denied education, growth and any form of prosperity in South Africa. It was birthed from what is defined as xenophobia, which is the intentional separation and disdain of people based on origin and culture. Lucky Dube was one of the most visible opponents against xenophobia and became known for that. Adults who harbor this hatred pass it on to innocent children who mentally recycle future generations of hatred against all things different. This mentality of division disgusted Dube and he often challenged the notion by simply asking, "Who are you to separate the people?" Lucky addressed this problem in the song 'Different Colours.'

"Different colours / one people-Never try to separate the people-They were created in the image of God-And who are you to separate them? Now is the time to kick that away"

Apartheid set precedence for an implemented system in society that flourishes today in which human beings are not recognized as one but are identified and separated by race and ethnicity. It is a system that has become so second nature that many of us don't think about its innate purpose. African Revolutionaries fought against this system by classifying themselves as other to dismantle and complicate the identification of human beings based on race. Growing up under the Apartheid system was terrifying for Africans as well as Indians, Asians and Europeans who were against the system. In an interview with CRI, Dube said, "It was a sad life. We didn't have good education. We couldn't be in certain parts of town at a certain time, after that (5:00 p.m) you get arrested and killed." Writing created an envelope of feelings that allowed Dube to not seal his thoughts in silence but deliver his beliefs through loopy tracks and truthful lyrics.

In his biography, his label Gallo wrote: "He (Lucky) sees through the ridiculous, the injustices, the everyday problems we all have to deal with as human beings, and slices through to the heart of it. His incredible repertoire is a cornucopia of mixed emotions, questioning attitudes and a simple love of a good melody and a good vibe."

Originally an Mbao musician, Dube switched genres from Mbaganga to Reggae after being inspired by the Rastafarian movement and his idol, reggae legend Peter Tosh. Tosh lived by the saying: "If you live in a glass house don't throw stones, if you can't take blows don't throw blows." Dube was in love with this philosophy. "It was a good message for me because that's maybe how I live my life," he told CRI.

Dube was most attracted to the origins of Rastafarianism. Ra's is the title of Amharic royalty in Ethiopia. Tafari is the pre-coronation name of Emperor Hailee Selassie of Ethiopia who was crowned the king of all kings. Rastafarianism was effectively ignited in Jamaica by the descendant of Africans who had been enslaved and brought to the Caribbean. The side effects of oppression over the years created remnants of depression, anger, poverty and frustration within Jamaicans. Although birthed out of vengeful feelings of hopelessness, Rastafarianism reproduced a belief system that embraced universal love. It was an inception of one love and one freedom as well as self pride, self discovery and peace. Dube liked the Rasta theory of applying spirituality into every detail of life.

Rastafarianism is also an abolition of the overemphasis of material possessions that traps the mind because it influences us to believe that our worth is measured through things that are not of us. Dube was intrigued by the idea that an element born out of utter despair could replicate such beautiful idealism. The concept that people of different races and backgrounds could live together harmoniously was essentially Lucky Dube's dream and that is why he adored reggae. Like prokaryotic cells, reggae presented many functions needed to sustain life in South Africa. The genre allowed Dube to analyze the growth of children in a demented society that deemed them as inferior. His songs were a hypothesis of visual entries of everyday life. His lyrics were an observation of the dire crisis of intentionally debilitating the growth and excellence of a people. Dube's songs were a microcosm of many things such as: the importance of family, the complications of relationships, the respect of children and most of all the emphasis on education. These topics were highlighted in the songs: It's not Easy, Family Ties and Can't Blame You. In the song, 'Prisoner.' Lucky wrote: "They won't build no schools anymore, they won't build no hospitals, all they built was the prisons prisons."

Dube's message of anti-apartheid was not well received by the government. His first reggae album: Rasta's Never Die was banned by the Boer-controlled South African regime that was quick to censor any messages that had the audacity to refute their beliefs of supremacy. An even more dangerous act was speaking against the brutality and murders of innocent people. The ZA government identified Dube as a militant. Although his songs jeopardized his life, this did not derail him at all. Lucky continued to record and perform, bringing attention to an atrocious system.

Lucky wasn't just a fighter, he was a romantic as well. He melted the hearts of couples who were inspired by his hits: Never Leave Me and I Got You Babe, which was a forever promise of commitment. The lyrics read: "I have gone right round the world-Trying to find a women-A women that' ll understand me-All the women I had before-Never understood me-Now that I' ve found you baby-I ain' t gonna look no further."

As time passed and Dube's popularity grew, Rastas Never Die was re-released, topping International charts. Lucky became an internationally world acclaimed musician who broke geographic boundaries with his message of togetherness. He was loved everywhere, recording more then 22 albums in Zulu, English and Afrikaan. He garnered chart -topping success and accolades along the way. Dube had recently signed a multi-distribution deal with Warner Music International, globally releasing the album Respect. He toured Jamaica with his multi-piece band in May, 2007. The following June he arrived in the U.S and was received with love and warmth. He was happy with the label's positive response to his album as well as the overflow of fans that had faithfully supported him through the years.

It was a bittersweet arrival for Dube as the visit caused him to reflect on his career and journey. In his diary posted on his official website, Dube said "he was sad that many people were turned away from his performance in New York as there was a last minute change in venue that could not accommodate all his fans." That in itself was Lucky Dube. He cared about people. He had financed the education of many children including those of revolutionaries who were left orphaned. Through his astronomical success he was able to spread love and also show us that many people paid for our freedom by risking everything. His videos were scenes of a struggle that reminds us that we were so deeply loved that others lost their lives to give us life.

Lucky Dube's most memorable song was 'House of Exile.' Many people assumed that the song was a self reflection of Dube. At a time when the mere affiliation with someone who supported equality resulted into imprisonment and death, Dube used metaphors and poetry to get his feelings across so that his life and that of his family would not be endangered. He finally revealed the meaning of the song in a radio interview with Klaus Ludes at Reggae Sun splash.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aucrr0WgkuY

"The song 'House of Exile' was actually about Mandela. And at the time of course I couldn't say that it's a song about Mandela. I had to find a way to put it.

Freedom fighter standing on a mountain in a foreign country...' The mountain I was talking about was Table Mountain in Cape Town and I took that as a foreign country, because that's were Robben Island was in that place. So Robben Island was like a totally different country from South Africa. So that was just my mathematics working around the government thing."

Through Lucky Dube we are supposed to learn that separation cripples us and violence interrupts our legacy. It doesn't matter what our melanin looks like or what language we speak we are human beings. We must capitalize on our freedom and existence by advancing through education and creating platforms to continue the inspiration we were left with; always remembering his message of universal love.

This is how we can keep Lucky Dube's dream from diminishing not just in Africa but everywhere like he wanted it to be. We are responsible for preserving his one wish. It is the least we can do to extend our gratitude to Lucky and those who are not here on our behalf; people like Zambia's beloved late President-Mwanawansa who fought against political corruption and violence embarrasingly displayed in Zimbabwe. { Mugabe, your excellecy with all the killings,we are ashamed} Even if you didn't know about Lucky Dube, now you know him. He is your friend in spirit: {votre ami, tu amigo, ihr freund, il tuo amico.} Whatever language you speak , Lucky would have simply identified you as just that- his friend. Celebrate Life.

The Way It Is : Didn't' I raise my voice-High enough for you-I was running like a fugitive all the time-Risking rejection from my own people yeah-Now that you got what you wanted-You don't even know my name-It's so funny, we don't talk anymore-Be good to the people on your-Way up the ladder-Cause you' ll need them on your way down, That's the way it is. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xy-XdJx2JIU