Durban — Upon receiving his honorary doctorate, world-renowned musician Muziwakhe ‘Madala’ Kunene said he thought Dr Bheki Mthembu was not serious when he expressed his wish and that of his colleagues to ask the University of KwaZulu-Natal to honour him with a doctor’s degree.
Kunene spoke at UKZN’s Westville campus on Wednesday morning at a graduation ceremony.
Kunene, 72, has earned a reputation as one of the leading guitarists in South Africa. He has shared the stage with musical giants like Doc Mthalane, Songamasu, Shawn Philips, Mankunku Ngozi and Busi Mhlongo.
Accepting his Doctor of Music Honoris causa, Kunene said: “I am humbled and full of great appreciation for the recognition that has been expressed by the university management, as well as other role players who saw it fitting to recognise the contributions made by people like myself and give us recognition here at home, which is quite unusual.”
He said he thought Dr Mthembu was not serious when he expressed his wish and that of his colleagues to ask the university to honour him with a doctor’s degree.
“I couldn’t believe it when I received a letter from the university formerly called eMbhoshongweni notifying me of the wonderful news of the recognition of my work at the level of a doctoral degree in music. If I may be honest, I didn’t get much sleep that night, thinking that there might have been a mistake. I woke up quite early to call Dr Mthembu who burst out laughing and assured me, saying ‘there was no mistake Mtimande, the university community is proud of your work’,” Kunene said.
However, he said he felt a sense of despair as he realised that his late grandmother who raised him, MaKhumalo’s wish was being granted, but she was not there to witness it.
She had said: “Mzwakhe (his name) one day I would like you to study at that tower eThusini (as the university was known when he was a child), I want you to study all the way to a doctoral level.”
“Today MaMntungwa’s wish has been granted even though she thought I was going to be a medical doctor at a hospital, but my talent pointed me in the direction of being a doctor that heals people’s souls with music,” Kunene said.
He congratulated those who were going to receive their degrees on Wednesday.
“Your dream as well as that of your parents has been fulfilled. I know that in your journey of education, you learned and gained a lot at this university. Besides the degrees that you are receiving, you have made friends, and others have found their spouses. I would also like to say that now is where the real journey begins,” Kunene said.
Reminiscing, Kunene said that his journey with the guitar started when he was very young, at seven-years-old in the 1950s.
“I built myself a guitar with a cooking oil canister and a plank that was carved into the shape of a guitar and used a fishing line as strings. We used to play with my friend in Mkhumbane (Cato Manor) where I was born. We started playing the guitar being paid with food, as time went by, we started playing in halls where you found that due to apartheid laws, we played behind the curtain while the other races who were permitted used to be in the front, pretending to be the performers,” Kunene said.
“There wasn’t much money that artists got, which is why even today, artists and actors from our time die poor. Despite all the hardships we faced, we have never changed, we stood in the mission of developing our craft.
“Let me reiterate this, your real journey commences today because there’s going to be a lot of challenges that will attempt to derail you from fulfilling your dreams. If there’s one thing that I can give you as advice as you undertake your journey today, it is important to know who you are and to follow your true passion.
“I truly believe that I have travelled the world and I am receiving this recognition today because I know myself and where I come from. I strive to play the guitar in a manner that is reflective of my gift. I also sing in my mother tongue with the aim of preserving our culture through singing lullabies and focusing on issues that affect our people’s welfare,” he said.
Kunene emphasised: “Know who you are and focus on following your true passion. That will elevate you to another level in life. You have to always think about how what you are doing is assisting the community. Because it is vitally important for us to know that we are not just studying for ourselves but studying to develop the community that is near or far from us. Because if we do this, we ourselves get elevated, look at where I am today without going to school!”
Kunene expressed his appreciation for having been blessed to share the stage with renowned artists like Doc Mthalane, Songamasu, Shawn Phillips, Mankunku Ngozi, Busi Mhlongo, Sipho Gumede, Hugh Masekela, Syd Kitchen, Themba Mokoena, Mabi Thobejane and others.
“Moreover, some of the international artists that I have worked with include Airto Moreira (Brazilian percussionist), Max Laesser (Swiss guitarist), Ali Faque (Mozambican vocalist), and Andreas Vollenweider, just to name a few.
“I thank the producer that I have worked with a great deal for distributing my music overseas, Robert Trunz, who is here today. My music has taken me to countries like the United Kingdom, Sweden, Norway, USA, India, Germany, Austria, Denmark, Switzerland, Mali, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Madagascar, just to name a few.
“We are very grateful as the Mtimande for the honour bestowed upon our brother who is my uncle’s son Professor Mazisi Kunene whose name was used to rename the street that leads into the university.”
Concluding his acceptance speech, Kunene performed a song that he wished to use to express the joy and happiness he felt with all the Mtimande clan.
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