If NY, JHB can honour Brenda Fassie, CPT should do even better

SOME time ago, publicist and designer Maria McCloy asked if I had any old Brenda Fassie articles in my archive. I didn’t. That question lingered in my mind until last week, when it found its echo at the Spotify GLOW Brenda Fassie tribute event and exhibition that opened at the Market Theatre in Newtown, Johannesburg.

November 3 marked the day Brenda Fassie was born. Thus the context for the fuss, last week. Even New York paused to remember our “Madonna of the Townships” as her face flickered across a towering Time Square LED screen. 

Spotify’s YouTube channel also premiered a ten-minute documentary titled ‘The Impact of Brenda Fassie’ that traces how her music continues to resonate across generations and inspire artists like Tyla today.

The Market Theatre event and exhibition, curated by McCloy, gathered Fassie family members and friends. A panel discussion featured her then-contentious producer Chicco Twala, the ever-radiant Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Blondie Makhene, David Mabaso of her first band The Big Dudes, academic Dr Mbali Mazibuko and journalist Charl Blignaut. To name a few.

This was the kind of event that necessitates I write “all protocols observed” to acknowledge the hierarchy of fame and reverence that was in attendance.

"I am still overwhelmed by emotion. The celebration of my mother’s birthday, in partnership with Universal and Spotify Glow, Iyooo! It was more than just an event, it was a spiritual moment. To see my mother honoured like that, to feel her presence in every note, every smile, every photo, it touched my soul deeply," reflected Bongani Fassie, Brenda’s only son.

"When I walked through the exhibition; seeing all those photographs of her life and mine when I was just a little boy, I felt every memory flood back like it was yesterday. The laughter, the chaos, the brilliance, the magic that was MaBrrr. It reminded me of her song 'It’s Nice to Be with People!' It was divine, to be with people who loved her, who understood her, who felt her."

The exhibition features a collection of rare photographs, performance footage, personal memorabilia, and unforgettable moments from Brenda Fassie’s trailblasing career. Visitors are guaranteed to feel her spirit; fierce, joyful and unforgettable. The showcase runs at the Market Theatre until December 4.

“It was an honour to be asked by Spotify Glow to curate this event and involve so many key musicians, producers, DJs, journalists, photographers, friends and family in memorialising her, whilst also making sure the new generation learnt about Brenda Fassie too,” said McCloy. 

“She gave us so much, not only an album nearly every year from 1983 til 2004 and countless hits, she inspired black people, women and queer people with her immense talent and beautiful boldness both during apartheid and freedom. She was at the forefront of so many movements: from bubblegum to kwaito and Afro-pop. She was friendly to everyone despite her mega fame, we often saw her out and about partying and she was hilarious. Everything got a lot more boring on Joburg’s streets the day she died in 2004. I wish she was here to celebrate her 61st year on earth.”

Also in attendance were her niece and nephew, Gemma and Robin Fassie, both of whom are carving out their own success in the music industry. So was her older brother, Themba Fassie.

While the world honours this legendary pop star, I found myself thinking: how is Cape Town celebrating her memory? Could her home in Langa one day become an audio-visual museum or gallery? Langa is already thriving as a tourist destination, with Guga Sthebe buzzing almost every day. Why not add another landmark? MaBrrr’s home.

Cape Times