In South Africa, after the death on Sunday of Albert Mazibuko at the age of 77, his family, although plunged into mourning, celebrates the life of the former member of the group Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
"I think that as a family, we must celebrate his life; we must not cry or lose hope, but draw strength from him knowing that, even if things are bad, there will be better days. We are very sad that he has left us at this time," said Abednigo Mazibuko, brother of the late Albert Mazibuko.
Albert Mazibuko joined the Ladysmith Black Mambazo group at its creation in 1960, becoming one of the founders of this ensemble along with his cousin Joseph Shabalala.
He is one of the founders of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, because at the time when they sang in competitions, they won the 'goats' until the people who watched Ladysmith Black Mambazo in the hall said: 'No, we don't get enough of you, because there are many groups that come to sing here, why don't you organize your own concerts, so that we can come and see you?'', explains his brother.
Albert played a vital role in mentoring the group's young artists. His support for the main founder was crucial.
"Albert always supported Joseph Shabalala, the leader; he stood by his side, and Shabalala would say, 'Albert gives me the strength to continue with this music, sometimes I feel like it's not going well,' because Joseph wanted everything to be perfect, but the other guys didn't understand, whereas Albert did. Until we won the Grammy Awards, and he was always there," says Abednigo Mazibuko, brother of the late Albert Mazibuko.
According to the South African Minister of Culture, "more than an artist; he was the guardian of a distinctly South African sound that travelled around the world and united people through music."
