Brenda Fassie biopic: how much longer the night?
By Rita Kufandarerwa (Amber Stones)
On the 9th of May 2004, the Madonna of the Townships drew her last breath. On that somnolent day, the voice that God had kissed fell silent. The death of Brenda Nokuzola Fassie left the whole world in great loss. The singing sensation was known on every piece of the earth which is covered by soil. With musical records that are yet to be challenged, Ma Brr left a musical legacy that will continue to be honoured in every discussion about sound. An unquestionable icon, Brenda deserves a befitting biopic. I hope I speak for many of her fans when I say that we need a Brenda Fassie motion picture that we have been promised by her son Bongani and veteran producer, Sello Chicco Twala. The conflict surrounding the Brenda movie is a result of the two gentlemen who are well within their legal rights, laying claims on her music. As a fan of Brenda, I am penning this to request Bongani and Chicco to work together and give Brenda the movie that she deserves.
The iconoclastic Brenda Fassie was born into a musical family where her mother was a pianist and her father was a singer. I had the fortune of visiting her home in the township of Langa, Cape Town where she was born. Her sister, Lindi Fassie told me that Brenda was born singing. The plaques and accolades that decorate the family house are a quintessence of that innate talent. Magic grabbed me when Lindi brought out the black leather jacket that Brenda wore in 1991. It was a moment of great veneration for a die-hard fan like me who has always loved Brenda ever since the Vuli’ndlela days.
In her interview with Dali Tambo, the witty queen said that she had always wanted to be a superstar. When she was discovered by Koloi Lebona, her mother initially had reservations about letting her go to the city of gold to pursue her dream. When Brenda got to Soweto, she joined the vocal group called Joy and as they say, the rest is history. The way in which Brenda pursued her singing dream speaks to a divine order. Brenda was a woman consecrated with the greatest vocal intensity that comes once in a lifetime.
One of my friends in music asked me how I think Brenda Fassie’s twitter account would look like if she was alive. My immediate response was that it would be lit. Brenda was a straight talker who marched according to the beat of her drum. Nobody defined the ground that she walked on, her twitter account would attest to this. Of course, that account would break followership records as Brenda was and is loved by many. When she visited Tanzania at the height of her career, Brenda needed a military escort in order to drive to her hotel in Dar es Salam. Brenda brought Tanzania to a halt when she landed, and this was in the absence of Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. Contemporary superstars are using these platforms to sell their artistry, but Brenda did not need any of those to pierce the lives of everyone who listened to her music.
Brenda was dubbed the Madonna of the Townships by the TIME Magazine in 2001, an honour that many wish for and might never get. The township culture was at the centre of her music. Hits like “Ama Gents” had Kasi undertones which made them relatable and instant favourites. The ability to connect with the ordinary person was Ma Brr’s currency. Her brand of authentic is very rare. South Africa is yet to produce a superstar of her magnitude with a humility that is touching.
Our music today is characterised by unwarranted rivalry and a common belief that two divas cannot coexist. Brenda did away with that mentality early in her career when media houses tried to pit her against Yvonne Chaka Chaka. That kind of astuteness from an artist shows that her talent is the only thing that she considers as an important metric. Today’s artists who corrupt our airwaves with odd mixtures of hate or rancour can take a leaf from Brenda’s life book and learn how to coexist.
Memeza is still South Africa’s best-selling album with over 500 000 copies sold. This record is yet to be broken and until such a time that it will be broken, I will continue to worship Nokuzola as the greatest individual to hold a microphone and sing.
The overly sanctimonious people are quick to point out her drug abuse and run-ins with the law, but she was human like all of us. While we understand music at different levels, to classify Brenda’s music as bubblegum music is a gross miscalculation. There are millions of people who still listen to Brenda and the Big Dudes hit “It’s nice to be with people” which was released in 1983. Even in death, her discography is the most sought after. Her fans do not care about her drug abuse because they loved her for the music and she spectacularly delivered. As Hosea Rampekwa wrote, it is the most talented that are haunted. Brenda is in the league of Billie Holiday, Judy Garland, Amy Winehouse as well as Whitney Houston- the talented and haunted.
Fighting the struggle of her time, Brenda was a relentless anti-apartheid activist. With the sensational “Black President” piece produced by Chicco Twala, Brenda turned love songs into battle cries. Not only did she make music to keep us dancing, she sang to open our minds to the political situation that threatened to swallow the whole continent.
I could write a volume about my love affair with Brenda’s music and her mesmeric personality. At this point, I would like to beseech Bongani and Chicco to work together and give Brenda a befitting biopic. As someone who has had a stint at screenwriting, I know that consultation is important when making an autobiographical piece of art. The good thing is that most of Brenda’s associates, relatives and lovers are still alive. Bongani and Chicco may find it beneficial to consult these people and create a film that will tell us more about Brenda, whose personality was larger than life.