Jesse Clegg, and his daughter, standing on the left of the life-size bronze statue of his father. His mother, Jenny Clegg, and his brother, Jarron Clegg are standing on the right of the statue. The new statue was unveiled in Cape Town on Thursday
Image: Theolin Tembo/Independent Newspapers
It was a very emotional day for the Clegg family as they gathered for the unveiling of a life-size bronze statue of the late musician, anthropologist and anti-apartheid activist, Johnny Clegg at the Long March to Freedom exhibition in Century City, Cape Town.
Johnny Clegg was a pioneering South African musician, anthropologist, and anti-apartheid activist, known for blending Western rock with traditional Zulu music to create a unique sound that transcended racial and cultural boundaries.
As a young man, he defied apartheid’s racial segregation by forming multi-racial bands, most notably Savuka and Juluka, which faced immense opposition and censorship from the apartheid regime.
His songs, including “Asimbonanga” and “Scatterlings of Africa”, became anthems of resistance and unity.
Beyond his musical success, Clegg was a steadfast advocate for social justice, using his platform to challenge apartheid and promote racial reconciliation. He passed away in 2019, at the age of 66.
The unveiling included singer, actress, activist, and motivational speaker Zolani Mahola as the MC with talks from Clegg’s son Jarron Clegg as well as performance by his brother Jesse. Other speakers and performances included Dali Tambo, Sepheu Tau Masemola, Max du Preez and Msaki.
“On behalf of my family, I want to express our deepest gratitude to the Long March to Freedom, and the artists Xhanti Mpakama and Barry Jackson who captured his spirits in the sculpture.
“This is more than a monument, it is a piece of him. Something that will last for generations. To all gathered here, thank you for honouring him with this.”
Jarron explained that after his father’s passing, the idea was first brought up of honouring him with the statue, and six years later it has now been realised.
“It is hard to believe almost six years have passed since we lost him. Time moves forward but loss doesn’t fade. It settles into our lives. We feel it in the quiet moments, the songs we still play, yet today we have something tangible. This statue is more than metal.
“It is a way of bringing him back into this world. Something we can touch,” Jarron said.
The statue captures Johnny mid-dance, smiling and Jarron said that this is how the family remembers him best. “Dance was never just a performance, it was how he found clarity, and how he grounded himself in something more than just music and words.”
Jarron explained that the reason why the statue is perfect is not only because it captures the essence of Johnny Clegg the artist but that “it captures the movement of his soul”.
“It freezes in time the essence of a man who was always in motion, always pushing forward, always finding ways to connect across divides.”
During his musical performance, Jesse explained that now while being a father himself, he feels that he has rediscovered who his father was.
“I aspire to be all that he was to me. I feel a deep sadness that my daughter never got to her grandfather but a personal joy for me is that she is going to get to experience something of his presence - his physical presence in the world with this statue. Something for her to look at, and to get a sense of who he was.”
Artist Msaki, said that one of things she looked up most about Johnny Clegg, aside from his humanitarian work, is that he was a good friend.
“I'm here because I'm friends with Jesse, and we are fighting for an authentic and true friendship… If I could speak to Johnny (firstly) I’d ask him can you please teach me something on guitar, but what I'd really want to ask him is can you teach me to be a better friend because I believe the revolutionaries that we can see here, a lot of it was driven by friendship.”
The statue of Clegg joins a monumental procession of 100 life-size bronzes depicting iconic South African leaders, activists and freedom fighters, narrating the country’s 350-year journey to democracy.
Dali Tambo, operators of Long March to Freedom, said that they reason they continue with the statues “even if we go through periods of those who don't agree” is because they're determined to continue and also because the work is important.
“We want to do 400. It may not be in my lifetime but it will happen... we want to include human rights activists and so many others out there who fought for their people.
“We want to include them because this is an anti-racist pantheon,” Tambo said.
“We gather here to honour a man whose music was a bridge for many of us, spanning cultures, crossing boundaries And forging deep connections in the heart of a divided land.”
One of the sculptors, Xhanti Mpakama shared that there is nothing as challenging as doing sculptures like Clegg's because there is a promise made to people that the end result will capture what that person looked like.
“Otherwise, if that doesn't happen, then it's over…you know when to express yourself in way that doesn't intrude on expectations that are expected of any given sculpture, because there is always people who are gonna come and express ‘no I don't like this or no, I don't like that’ and you rely on that person.”
theolin.tembo@inl.co.za
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