Article by Sara Eftekhar, UBC Nursing 1
A few days ago I had the opportunity to attend a private viewing of the documentary “The Motherland Tour: A Journey of African Women” featuring Yvonne Chaka Chaka, a South African singer who is using her voice as a positive tool to bring about awareness of the struggles that women and children go through when facing global injustices. Yvonne’s music has been the forefront of South Africa for twenty years and she is known throughout the world as the “Princess of Africa”. She has sung along side Bono and Annie Lennox and she is considered as the daughter to Nelson Mandela who listened to her music during his difficult times in prison.
Now, as a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN and Roll Back Malaria, Yvonne has been featured in a documentary that connects her music with stories of empowered African women who are changing their countries one family at a time.
After the viewing of the documentary “The Motherland Tour: A Journey of African Women”, I had the opportunity to speak with the passionate musician to ask her a few questions about how she is creating a movement of women inspiring women to change their communities and their lives.
Sara: How did your activism start?
I was born in South Africa during the apartheid and for me, growing up things were not good as a black woman. However, the political time of where I grew up, where I saw people fighting injustices really inspired me as a musician. Getting my freedom was life changing for me but knowing that there are still millions of people who are not empowered, who do not have medication and the fact that inequality exists in the world made me really want to do something about it. Therefore, when I was asked to be a goodwill ambassador, I saw it as an opportunity for me to do something positive for the world. With that role, learning has been an important process for me especially learning from the women that I’ve been talking to because they know what their problems are and what they need help with, they just need to be empowered and provided with resources. This is what I have been doing for the past six year; holding women’s hands and helping them help themselves and it’s really opened my eyes. Mandela gave me back my dignity and I will not forget that, I want to do the same for women and children.
S: Out of all the Millennium Development Goals, why did you decide to focus your attention on malaria?
I was just like other musicians, busy performing and singing not knowing that so many people are dying of preventable diseases until it happened to someone around me. I was ignorant about malaria myself until one of my musicians died of cerebral malaria. I decided to focus on malaria because someone close to my heart had died from it and I wanted to prevent others from getting malaria. Malaria is so preventable, curable and treatable; it shouldn’t be having the devastating effects that it does around the world.
S: It’s really inspiring that you are using your voice as a powerful tool to bring about awareness about preventable diseases, can you expand on that?
I think as a musician, when I started singing at the age of 19 thinking about all the good things and bad things happening around my country made me more globally aware. For me I know that music is very universal and with the voice and platform that I have, it only makes sense that I use my music and voice. My voice has helped me help women as I shared their stories. But my voice is not enough, I want to thank the donors who are ensuring that these women are getting resources but we need more political will and we need more donors, not just pledges.
S: We are lucky that malaria doesn’t exist in Canada anymore but sometimes its hard for Canadians to have a personal connection with the disease when they do not know anyone who has been affected by malaria, so it’s very important for Canadians to watch your documentary about the devastating effects that malaria has. After watching this documentary, what would you like for Canadians to be doing?
Well Canadians have done a lot and I really want to thank the Canadians who have donated so generously. CIDA has done a lot in providing bed nets and preventing malaria and also I want to thank ordinary Canadians for ensuring that their tax dollars are going towards aiding African Countries. I want to thank leadership of your governments, and business who have all donated but certainly there is always room for improvement when it comes to funding. Overall, Canadians have big hearts and they care about global issues, right now I’m sitting with a young pretty girl who is interviewing me about my activism and she can very well be doing something else, this shows me that Canadians care. It’s important to get the stories of global development out there, so that Canadians can feel proud of what they have done and also to do more by contributing their money and their time.
S: What is your advice to musicians out there or other talented artists who have a voice and can use it the way that you have?
Ordinary people should use their voices to stand for something positive. Certainly a writer, an artist, a musician can make a difference but you don’t have to be any of those to raise awareness and motivate others, you just have to use your own voice. You know as an African we sing when people are dead, we sing when people are happy and I use my voice to help where I can. I always ask myself “how can I do something for my people?” Perhaps this is what other musicians should do. I know I do very little but if we all do something as ordinary citizens, we can break down all barriers and really make a change on a global scale.
S: What’s next for you?
I am in the middle of recording my 21st album and I will continue to sing and make music to change people’s lives.
For a preview of Yvonne’s documentary, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xH8P4pEuUzQ
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xH8P4pEuUzQ[/youtube]