23 January 2021
The South African Communist Party (SACP) conveys its heartfelt condolences to the family of legendary jazz musician, composer, arranger and trombonist, Jonas Mosa Gwangwa who passed away on Saturday 23 January 2021. The SACP also conveys its deepest condolences to his colleagues in the music fraternity, the people of South Africa and the entire liberation movement for the loss.
Born in 1937 in Soweto, Gwangwa made a sterling contribution to the struggle against apartheid through his music. Defying the odds of the apartheid system and becoming the first South African to release an album, he went further to compose music which always sought to awaken the masses to the ills of the apartheid system, to rally them to fight against it and be the agents of their own freedom.
Gwangwa’s rise in the music industry attracted global attention and glory. For his artistic ways of showing the dire conditions of the people, the apartheid regime despised him, and was thus forced into exile in the 1970s. In exile, he continued to contribute to the voices of freedom. In addition to his artistic works, for ten years Gwangwa also directed Amandla Cultural Ensemble, the liberation movement’s celebrated cultural group, which was formed in 1978, for which he also played the role of composer and arranger.
The apartheid regime tried all means to silence Gwangwa. In 1985, its murderous security forces bombed his home, and he narrowly escaped death.
For his exceptional contribution to music and the struggle for freedom in South Africa, on 27 April 2010, the President of the Republic awarded Jonas Gwangwa The Order of Ikhamanga in Gold. Amandla Cultural Ensemble was also awarded The Order of Ikhamanga in Gold for their contribution to the struggle against apartheid through their cultural performances.
The musical contributions of Gwangwa and those of his generation show that music is never apolitical or neutral in such a divided world; that music either awakens the people or lulls the masses and hoodwinks them to accept obtaining material conditions. He understood, and showed through his music, that the 1994 democratic breakthrough did not mark total freedom for the masses, and that the struggle had to continue, for the dismantling of all the economic and political barriers which continue to keep the majority in bondage. All these must play an inspirational role to musicians and entertainers today.
In memory of Jonas Mosa Gwangwa, the SACP calls for the government to strengthen institutions that are meant for the upliftment of South African art, including those which protect our musicians’ intellectual independence and collection of royalties. The government also has the duty to strengthen the SABC for the empowerment of South African art in all levels. Our government must go further and pass policies which force private broadcasters to showcase South African talent. In addition, our musicians and composers must create music and art which defends, deepens, and advances the national democratic revolution, that is, music which awakens the masses to the ills of the capitalist system and inspires them to fight against it.
ISSUED BY THE SOUTH AFRICAN COMMUNIST PARTY | SACP
EST. 1921 AS THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF SOUTH AFRICA | CPSA
Dr Alex Mohubetswane Mashilo
SACP Central Committee Member:
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Hlengiwe Nkonyane
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