Johnny Clegg will always live on in our hearts and our homes as we replay his stirring blend of cultural celebration and political resistance. We lost a special patriot.
KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (27 February 2020) – Johnny Clegg, a true South African legend was recently honoured with a traditional Zulu burial.
Clegg (7 June 1953 – 16 July 2019) was a South African musician and anthropologist who recorded and performed with his bands Juluka and Savuka, and as a solo act, occasionally reuniting with his earlier band partners. Sometimes called Le Zoulou Blanc “The White Zulu”, he is an important figure in South African popular music history, with songs that mix Zulu with English lyrics and African with various Western music styles.
During his performance career of four decades, Clegg sold more than five million albums.
Clegg passed away on the 16 July 2019 in the presence of his family following an extended illness. The award-winning singer, songwriter and academic was just 66-years-old.
“Johnny Clegg will always live on in our hearts and our homes as we replay his stirring blend of cultural celebration and political resistance. We lost a special patriot.”
It is customary in the Zulu culture that when a person departs this world that they be given a dignified burial to guide them back home. In the hearts of the Zulu people, Johnny Clegg OBE, OIS (7 June 1953 – 16 July 2019), who was often referred to as ‘The White Zulu’, was recently bestowed the honour of a traditional ‘crossing’ in the heart of Zululand.
Watch the beautiful honour below:
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