Whole Story

Congratulations to Sarah from Miami for being randomly chosen as the winner of the African CD collection!

Dan Storper is the CEO and Founder of Putumayo World Music. With the opening of the Soccer World Cup in South Africa on June 10th, the first on African soil, a new milestone will have been achieved in this country’s remarkable journey. Until 20 years ago, South Africa, with its apartheid policies, was a pariah isolated from the rest of the world. Over the past 20 years, with Nelson Mandela’s moral leadership and intense desire for reconciliation, true democracy for all of its citizens and economic revival, South Africa has become Africa’s leading success story. (Read on for a chance to win some Putumayo CDs.) South Africa’s music has long had an extraordinary impact on the world’s music. In the 1950s, South African Solomon Linda’s “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” became a worldwide hit. In the 1960s, Miriam Makeba’s “Pata Pata” and Hugh Masakela’s “Grazin in the Grass” became top 10 hits around the world. Ladysmith Black Mambazo and South African musical styles provided the foundation of Paul Simon’s album Graceland. The Lion King and other Broadway shows and Hollywood films put South Africa front and center in the 1990s and beyond. Putumayo’s South Africa CD celebrates the best of South Africa’s extraordinary musical diversity, from Afro-jazz and township jive to mbaqanga and Afropop. The album features legends like Miriam Makeba, rising stars such as Phinda and Nibs van der Spuy and closes with the rousing a capella Soweto Gospel Choir. It also includes a recipe for a vegetarian version of a classic South African dish, Lentil Bobotie, contributed by leading South African chef Amos Diamini. A portion of the proceeds benefits Artists for a New South Africa and their work to advance human rights, combat HIV/AIDS, help children orphaned by the disease and educate and empower youth. Available for free download here, Bholoja’s “Mbombela” is an example of the emerging African singer-songwriter movement. Dividing his time between neighboring Swaziland and South Africa, Bholoja sings this song in SiSwati, one of the 11 official South African languages. Enjoy! Note: you can simply listen online using the player below, or you can “right click” to download the mp3 file.

You can pick up Putumayo’s South Africa in our stores now. How will you be celebrating the World Cup? With music maybe? Let us know in a comment below by June 23rd and we’ll choose a random winner to receive a five CD Putumayo Africa collection.