Strike's Legacy: "A National Treasure"
The musical legacy left behind by Strike Vilakazi is a "national treasure", his widow, Philadel, says. And there’s no doubting that the recent surge of interest in Vilakazi’s most compelling composition, "Meadowlands", is testament to the powerful place the songwriter and producer’s music occupies in this country’s cultural landscape.
"Meadowlands" was composed by Vilakazi in 1956 as a moving, emotional comment on the forced removal of Sophiatown’s residents to the newly created township of Meadowlands, which is now part of Soweto. Although sung by countless different artists over the years, it’s Dorothy Masuka’s version that forms the centrepiece of the award-winning documentary, Sophiatown. The song also appears in Amandla! A Revolution In Four-Part Harmony, among many other platforms and was recently recorded by Idols finalist, Poseletso Sejosingoe. It’s also a live favourite of top-notch South African performers, among them Judith Sephuma, Abigail Khubeka and Sibongile Khumalo.
Speaking to SAMRO Notes, Philadel says she’s not surprised that "Meadowlands" remains such an important song in South Africa.
"The emotion that Strike felt when he wrote it, with the forced removals going on all around us, is still in the song and people feel that. It was a real eye-opener to the apartheid government at the time and I think today it is a reminder of how fortunate we are to be living in a very different time."
Personally, Philadel says that she’s moved every time she hears the song performed.
"I was in London some time ago, watching a performance of Umoja and when ‘Meadowlands’ was performed I was in tears, seeing Strike’s song being performed so many years after he wrote it, in London!"
Of course Strike’s composing repertoire is extensive, and includes songs like "Mazambane" and "Kongo Mami", but, like just about every South African, Philadel’s favourite is "Meadowlands" and the song remains his most central and important composition.
Philadel pays tribute to Gallo Music Publishers, and in particular the late Albert Ralulimi, as well as SAMRO for having assisted her and her family in the time since Strike died on September 12th 1980. "I know that I can call on SAMRO in times of need – they have been like an umbrella in my life."
