Ray Phiri’s life celebrated by Professor Lumumba
Phiri did not imprison himself only in South Africa, but went to different parts of the world and worked together with other musicians inorder to bring change in South Africa.
Professor Patrick Lumumba says Africans must stop fighting each other in honour of musician,Ray Chikapa Phiri.
“Ray Phiri did not live anonymously like some do. He had content between the date of birth and the date of his death,” said Prof Lumumba while delivering a second Memorial Lecture of the late legend at the University of Mpumalanga yesterday.
Prof Lumumba said: “Ray Phiri had content between the date of his birth and the date of his death. When he sang, he talked about love,passion and ectasy. He might have been articulating the pain that he saw his people suffering.
When he talked about looking, seeing and desiring, he must have been talking about what was happening and desiring the change that the country found with the death of apartheid.
That is why on April 27, 2011 the then president of South Africa decided to recognize him with the honour of Ikhamanga. He was telling South Africans and the world that this is a great man who did not sing only to entertain us, but also sang to transform people’s lives. That is why we are here today to celebrate Ray Phiri,” he said.
“We are to remind ourselves what it is that he lived for, to give meaning to his life and not only romanticize his past, but we must ask ourselves as to what it is that he would have said if he was alive today,” said Prof Lumumba.
“I can think of many songs that Ray Phiri would have sung If he was here today. He would have said my people fought, conquered and are free to vote and they vote. But he would have asked, ‘What are you voting for?”
Prof Lumumba adds that if Phiri was here, he would be singing about poverty,hunger and unemployment.
” He would have told those in government that you have acquired all the instruments that we gave you, but today we are asking you to look and to see that the people desire genuine stance. He would have told the South Africans now that you have fire and passion to build South Africa, don’t be ecstatic for the wrong things.
Have fire and passion to build South Africa that South Africa may be great,” he said.
He added that Phiri would have asked South Africans and the Africans as to why were they fighting each other.
Prof Lumumba said Phiri would have reminded the country that it pains him to see blacks fighting blacks. “He would have told them they are children of one God,” he said.
“He would have asked South Africans to have passion for unity and love for Africa.
He would have said, as I look across Africa, Africa looks upon you South Africa as a big brother endowed with wealth and minerals, be the home for all Africans,” he said.
He further said Phiri would have called on South Africa to welcome other Africans and other nations of the world. “He would have said South Africans receive them because your land is the land of the Cape of Good Hope.
” He would have said those who receive, give and those who receive even more are given to unto them.Ray Phiri would have reminded us to do good because it is good to do good. He would have reminded us that revenge is not good and that revenge is food that should never be served to anybody,” he concluded.
