“South Africa needs a lot of love at the moment…”
It is easy to react to Lucky Dube’s murder with outrage and grief. It is right to do so. I would also wish to celebrate the life of a friend. It is appropriate to do so in this blog, because Lucky Dube was an unheralded pioneer in the world of interactive digital content that pre-dated Web 2.0 by many years.
His 1996 10th-anniversary album, Serious Reggae Business, was the first South African CD to use the CD Extra format to include written and visual content on a music CD. Although CD Extra was also being used in 1996 to include MWeb’s new starter software on music CDs, Lucky’s album was the first to go fully multimedia with content that tied in with the music.
Gallo record company had commissioned Andre Venter, a pioneer in multimedia production, to handle the production, and myself, as a music journalist and long-time friend of Lucky’s, to conduct the interviews, and write the script and album liner notes. The interview turned out to be one of the most intensely personal I have yet conducted.
The songs on the album represented the greatest hits of his first 10 years as a reggae artist. He refused to call it a greatest-hits album because, he said, a greatest-hits compilation is for dead artists.
The liner notes combined my interview with an overview of the songs to give context to his music and life story. Today, it is my tribute to a complete human being.
Serious Reggae Business, liner notes by Arthur Goldstuck, Johannesburg, 1996, based on an interview at Downtown Studios, Johannesburg
This is the unedited version of the liner notes. Some of it was removed from the printed liner notes. Clips from the interview can be viewed on the CD itself.
Lucky Dube was born on August 3 1964, with almost nothing in his favour: alcohol led to the break-up of his family, he lived with a succession of uncles and aunts, and he grew up amid hunger and poverty. More than three decades later, he is the most successful recording artist in Africa, but he has never forgotten his origins. In fact, it is his understanding of suffering that enables him to create the songs that have the power to move the world.
Serious Reggae Business marks the 10th anniversary of Lucky’s career as a reggae artist, and a year in which he was named the world’s best-selling African recording artist at the World Music Awards. The album also sends a signal to the world that Lucky Dube does not want to rest on his laurels, but rather wants to move forward by adding new influences and new technologies to his music. So, while this is largely a compilation album, it is not a greatest-hits album.
“Greatest hits are done when people are dead or when they cannot make music any more, when they don’t have any more ideas,” says Lucky. “This is not the end of everything — there’s still more to come.” He adds, with typical modestly: “Maybe I’m still going to have some hits in the future.”
Mr DJ
Although Mr DJ sounds like a classic example of kind of songs many artists produce to get radio airplay, it was part of Lucky’s live act for many years before he recorded it. “This is how we open our show; it was going to be an intro to the album as if we are in a live show. We were not necessarily asking DJs that they must play this song.”
Feel Irie
Lucky is best known for his stirring reggae anthems, but many of his songs explore the personal demons — in reality often senseless fears — that haunt many people and have as much impact on their lives as do the political events around them.
“The idea behind my music is I write the music about people’s fears, people’s joys, people’s dreams and everything. Feel Irie talks more about people’s fears and my fears as well, because it says there that no man can hide from his fears. Since they’re part of him, they’ll always know where to find him.”
Together as One
This is the song that Lucky acknowledges broke the “political virginity” of the state-run South African Broadcasting Corporation. The title track includes the line: “Too many people hate apartheid, why do you like it”. The first instincts at the SABC were to ban the album, but it was persuaded to reconsider its decision, and an anti-apartheid song received airplay for the first time.
“Together As One was a difficult one. Dave Segal was there and Richard Siluma was there, and when I mentioned the word apartheid — because they didn’t know the song before we did it here so they just heard me singing in the song, “Too many people hate apartheid” — they immediately stopped the tape and they said you can’t say that, you can’t say apartheid. That was what was happening at that time; you couldn’t mention that word in a song, and so we stopped and talked for a while. But eventually we thought, yes, this is what I wanted to say and this is it.
“That was at a time when South Africa was changing, and we did not have as much trouble as we expected. The SABC wanted books and things, wanting to know where I come from, how I think, and things like that, just checking me out basically. And after that they played the song.”
Slave
Lucky’s third reggae album, Slave, was one of the great success stories of South African music, going triple gold in three months, and having sold more than half-a-million copies to date. Although the theme of Slave is the impact that alcohol has on people’s lives, the refrain “I’m just a slave, a legal slave” caught the imagination of the music-buying public.
“I’ve seen a lot of families breaking up because of drinking; I’m a victim of that. So it was just my way of trying to warn people against it, but then people read into songs, which is why maybe we write songs for people and not for ourselves. So they read that ‘legal slave’ part into the song, which I didn’t have a problem with because a song is meant for the people. That is cool, I’m happy with it, because it means that they are listening to the song, they are not just dancing to the song.”
Steel Bars
Steel Bars always plays two roles in Lucky Dube’s live show: to introduce the next song, Prisoner, but also to give the backing vocalists a chance to shine.
“I allow everyone to have some sort of a contribution to the whole show. When doing shows everyone must contribute something to make it a success. I’m not saying it’s a Lucky Dube thing so it’s only Lucky Dube that’s got to do things here, but everybody can do what they want to make the show work better.
“As long as it’s all working to make the show better and not working against the show. If I believe it’s good, then we can do it to make the show better. That’s the reason why the girls have got their intro where they sing without me. That helps them as well to improve and know they mean something to the band.”
Prisoner
If Slave changed Lucky’s life, Prisoner changed the South African recording industry. In five days, the album sold no less than 100 000 copies, and another 120 000 in the next three weeks. Ironically, in the week of its release, eight of South Africa’s longest-serving political prisoners were released from jail, a major step in South Africa’s slow road to democracy. As so many times before, Lucky had unintentionally tapped into the national spirit of freedom hungry South Africans. Yet, he has never regarded his songs as political messages.
“They are all dealing with true and real-life experiences in our day-to-day lives. That’s what they deal with: social issues, even though some people see them as political things.”
Reggae Strong for Peace
In 1991, with South Africa in the grips of political violence, the country’s top reggae acts, led by Lucky Dube, decided to play for peace. The result was the Reggae Strong for Peace concert on May 2 1991, with 14 acts performing at an all-day festival, and coming together at the end to perform a theme song written by Lucky.
“It was kind of difficult to write a song like that which was going to be sung by a lot of different people. I don’t just write a song from nowhere; I mean there’s got to be something that triggers it off. That’s maybe why I have a problem writing a song for some other guy, because I write a song about something that has happened to me or to someone next to me, something that I know about, something that I’ve seen, something that I’ve experienced.
“With the Reggae Strong for Peace song, that was like maybe all my experiences in life and so I had to take it and give my experiences to other people to sing. It was a difficult one, but it was cool.”
(Mid-album comments)
We’ve reached that time of the album where, just as in his live shows, Lucky has slowed down the tempo and introduced a mellow atmosphere. This is the time when he shows off his astonishing vocal range — no less than four octaves, which would almost qualify him as an opera singer — as well as the depth of his musical skills. We listen to him slip easily from a reggae backbeat into the quiet piano moments of his ballads and love songs.
“The music must go with the message. Even though I’m a reggae singer, it doesn’t mean that I understand or write only reggae and nothing else. I do write other forms of music, and so thought if I did Remember Me or My Son I’m Sorry in a very groovy type of thing, maybe the message wouldn’t go to the people as it did in a ballad. It’s slow and it’s an easy-listening type of thing, so people can listen to it very easily and get the message. The music goes with the lyrics. It’s got to balance.”
My Son I’m Sorry
A few months before he put together this album, Lucky was reunited with his son, whom he had barely seen in 10 years. His former wife had refused to let him see the boy, but as strenuously as Lucky worked to push his career to new heights, so hard did he work at trying to earn the love of his son. One of the results was this song:
“I was maybe, what, about 21 or 22. I had a son at that time but we had problems between me and the mother, and so eventually I was not allowed even to go near this guy and we would see each other, like, from a distance. I didn’t want to stay away, because I have experienced that, being without a father. I didn’t want him to be without me. But the only way I thought I could talk to him in a way was through my song. I was trying to reach this guy and say, ‘I’m sorry, I wish you could understand, I wish I could talk to you, I wish I could tell you what happened.’”
Remember Me
Lucky never knew his own father, but in the same way he reached forward to make contact with his son, he reached back to “talk” to his father — as well as to other children in his situation — in yet another intensely personal song.
“My music is about me, my music is me. It talks about my fears, my joys and everything. Remember Me talks about my father. I don’t know him, I’ve never seen him, maybe I saw him for two or three seconds one year, I can’t remember, but I basically don’t know him. I wrote that song not necessarily for me, but for all the children that would be in the same situation as me, because I know there are a lot of children out there who don’t know their fathers, who have never seen their fathers.”
I Want to Know What Love Is
This is a song that the whole world came to know through the work of other artists, but Lucky has breathed new life into it with his unique vocal treatment. But why this song? How does it fit into Lucky’s reggae showcase?
“I’ve always liked Foreigner. I’ve been listening to their music for a long time, and I think it was last year when we started doing I Want to Know What Love Is, but I wasn’t doing the whole song. Live on stage I would just do the chorus, but I would fuse the chorus with Together as One. The band loved it, and people loved it, and everybody was just singing along, which was a great thing, because it’s also important that people should sing these songs so that they do get the message.
“South Africa needs a lot of love at the moment, and so we put that song in there just to make people aware that there is something we need here that we don’t have — we need love, and there are a lot of question marks as to what love is.”
House of Exile
On the House of Exile album, Lucky once again tapped into the national mood of the time as political prisoners were emerging from the jails and South Africa’s exiles began returning home. But there was one “exile” in particular who inspired the song.
“We all have suffered as black people or whatever, oppressed and all that, but no one has suffered like Nelson Mandela. Even though we were oppressed and everything was happening to us, at the end of the day we would all go back home to our children, wives, and everything, all our loved ones there. But he did not have that. He was just locked up there somewhere.
“It doesn’t matter whether you are poor or suffering or whatever, as long as you’ve got people around you that love you, people that care for you, it’s OK, but he didn’t have that. He was in that house of exile. And as the song says, in the night we dream of Romeo and Juliet; all he dreams about is the freedom of the nation.
Peace Perfect Peace
The Reggae Strong for Peace concert did not only mark Lucky’s first attempt to write a song for a large group of acts, but also one of the few occasions on which he performed other artists’ songs. Once again, though, it was the right song at the right time.
“It was also at the time when South Africa needed peace and the people needed to hear peace. We did Peace Perfect Peace. It’s a Toots Hibbert song, but I thought it’s a song that’s got the right message, and that was a message people wanted to hear at that time. We have resurrected the song and put it on this album because people still need that.
“We still need to maybe even educate people about peace, because we talk about it, politicians sign peace treaties which mean nothing to the people — it’s just something between the politicians, but they don’t actually talk to the people about peace, they don’t teach people about peace. I don’t think signing a treaty means anything to a guy in the street. So I think it’s every musician’s duty to try to teach people or educate people about peace.”
Victims
In 1993, Lucky captured the bitterness of a nation at war with itself on his album Victims. Lines such as “still licking wounds from brutality, still licking wounds from humiliation” were among the most heartfelt and angry Lucky had written. Critics described it as a “peace cry”. But when it was suggested Lucky had become a politician, he rejected the idea out of hand.
“I don’t know much about politics, you know, but I know about truth. I wanted to be a politician myself some time, but I just didn’t know much about corruption. Maybe that’s why I’m a musician, because I can just do what I do and just tell the truth. But if you tell the truth, they say you’re a politician.”
Nevertheless, the album quickly entered the Billboard world music charts, and set the stage for his most extensive world tour yet and the first documentary video on his life, The Man, The Music.
I’ve Got You Babe
Sometimes, Lucky Dube does sing about the simpler things in life, like love and happiness. “That’s what maybe keeps the world going,” he quips. “Man and woman.” He has no concern that people might confuse the song with an earlier hit by a 1960s duo, pointing out that “there’s a song I know that was written in 1923, called I Love You“.
It’s Not Easy
In 1992, Peter Gabriel invited Lucky to participate in the Real World Recording Week and joined him on stage at the 10th-anniversary Womad Festival. They performed a duet on It’s Not Easy, beginning a relationship that would see Lucky join Gabriel on the Womad world tour and share stages with a range of artists ranging from folk musicians to rock stars. But that song did not come easy.
“That is me that the song is talking about, but at the same time it’s talking about a helluva lot of people out there who have also been in the same situation as I have been in the song. We all have these dreams in life, but sometimes they never come true, you know. Sometimes they just don’t become what you thought they would be and that was my situation.”
Different Colours One People
Lucky detests racism so much, he even rejects tribal identities that people try to use to categorise him, saying: “I am just a human being. People would ask me if I’m a Zulu or a Swazi or whatever. I’m not that. God did not make Swazis, God did not make Xhosas or Zulus; God made people.” It was inevitable that he would keep putting that ideal into songs.
“I was touring Australia. They had a human rights association, and they had a campaign that they were doing there. It was called Different Colours One People, trying to get people in Australia together and just showing their different cultures and all the differences that they have there. I liked that title because it was exactly the same here in South Africa and that’s what inspired the song.”
Natural Man
Natural Man is also an intro to the next song on the album, but it does say something about the way Lucky sees himself. He is one of the most clean-living artists in reggae, and rejects even ganja, insisting that there is no real spiritual basis to its use in Rastafarianism.
“My grandfather used to smoke ganja, but not as a spiritual thing, not as a reggae or Rasta thing. He didn’t know anything about Rasta or reggae. The only reason he was smoking ganja was because at that time the only smokable thing was this ganja, before white people came with cigarettes and cigars and whatever smokable things we have today.
“That’s not to say it had some healing power or spiritual power to it. It was just a herb that people got freely and they started smoking that. It’s something that started in Africa, totally innocently, not as a Rasta or a reggae thing.”
Back to My Roots
In reggae language, getting back to your roots usually means getting back to Mother Africa, but for Lucky it has an entirely different meaning. After all, he is already deeply grounded in his African roots.
“Reggae music is what I originally wanted to do before I started doing mbaqanga music, but at that time I could not get a contract from a record company as a reggae singer, because reggae was not happening in South Africa. I had to start as an mbaqanga singer and then move on.
“So when I recorded reggae music for the first time, I was saying yes, I’m back to what I originally wanted to do, I’m back to my roots. I’m reggae. I’m reggae. There’s a song I wrote some years ago saying the bed I sleep on is a reggae bed, so even though I do other projects on the side, I’ll always be reggae.”
I’ve been devastated by the brutal cold murder of Lucky.Growing up in Nigeria I loved Lucky’s music for the rhythm, now than I am grown up in the US, I understand and hold very dear his message and the scrifice he made in the emancipation of his race at large.In one of his songs he said; “nobody can stop reggae”…I believe the criminals have murdered reggae…”the only one left in Jah creation”…and they must have been disappointed by their actions.Goodnight big brother!………Jah shall keep your soul!
I am lost for words on learning that Lucky Dube was short dead. One really wonders why anybody could think of killing such a peace preacher and where this level of violent crimes will take us. Oh God! Help us. This is a crisis the world is facing now. Violent gun crimes everywhere. Innocent people are killed everyday. Oh God! Help us. I am left speechless and with unbearable pain. All my prayer goes to the family for the loss of a great African who lived and preached peace across nations. May God gives you courage at this difficult time and may his soul rest in peace.
lucky is truly a legend.i am from the solomon islands and a great fan of dube.he was truly an amazing person.its a very big loss to the music family. his songs has inspired me because he wrote songs that are real today and i for can relate to some of the songs he had and sung.
over the weekend in my country,people were shock and sad hearing the news that lucky has gone forever.every local shops played dube’s records,even taxis and cars on the road.our national radio station broadcasted the news throughout the whole country and even local FM stations here.
my condolence goes to his wife and his children.truly your dad was a good man and a hero.God bless you and bring comfort to our hearts together.
Thank you.
Frederick Iro
Solomon Islands
The death of the Philosopher–Lucky Dube–is a great loss to us all in Africa. They killed him but did not burry down his message to the people of Africa! To me Lucky Dube is my Professor—he is my mentor too! I keep printing every news I read on the death of Dube and the possible trial of the criminals who killed Lucky Dube.To the criminals, they will not settle at all, they will run and fall down but eventually they will stand behind the bars in the prisons. The bad thing with South African Democracy is that they had abolished death penalty way back in 1995 following Makwanyane’s case, this is a great loss and detriment to the peacelovers of Africa. How do the public feel about the death of Dube? In my opinion, there is need for death penalty to be reinstated in South Africa more particularly to the criminals who killed Lucky Dube.Consider the way they killed Dube-an innocent man and Saint of GOD–why then should the criminals continue to be fed up with tax payers’ money in what will turn to be long term sentence?
Dube, I see my library I see your face,
I see the wall of my house I see your face,
I think about your death I remember the CDs I bought in Pretoria in 2005 especially “Rasta never Die”
I read baout the trail of the suspects of your murder I remember your songs: “War, Crime and Corruption, The way it is, Up with hope down with dope,Reap what you sow, and Together as One!
DUBE I will meet you in Heaven,
Peace be in South Africa,
May GOD rest Dube’s soul in eternal peace!
Chacha Bhoke
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
I’m from the Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa)and have been a fan of Lucky Dube for over 17 years. Though we are a french-speaking country, his music crossed over all classes of the population. Lucky Dube was a greatly appreciated and loved african STAR, in the DRC. His tragic death has affected us, and me in particular. What a loud voice he was for the abandonned, the speechless, the weak ones!!! You will be missed, Lucky.
Rest in Peace.
Le congolais.
Rest
Thanks for the great times. I remember listening to you in 1988 while sitting at a beach in Puerto Rico. Saw you for the first time 2 months ago in Atlanta, Georgia USA at the Variety Playhouse. Waited one hour for you to get out of backstage and into your tour bus. Thanks for signing all 6 of my CD covers. Last night I looked at your signatures and smiled. Keep them jammin up in heaven.
R.I.P.Lucky,your talented life was wasted,like many other lives by senseless crime thugs.South Africans,take note and put the bad Gin back into bottle and bury it miles deep…remember;Those,who sowed wind will harvest storms!Best regards to all his fans from Czech republic,Bob.
Those nitwits must be thrown to jail for a very very long time. They don’t deserve to live, they are less that animals and they deserve to be treated as such. Killing one of our best musician, a peace loving brother, father, and a son of the soil for nothing is just don’t add up. Shame to you bastards, may your damn evilness rot to hell. Ahoy to Lucky and his family, friends and fans all over the world. May his soul rest in peace! At least he left something we will remember him with for long long time to come, his music.
Those who killed Lucky Dube deserve hell. Justice has to be done. They have to say why, because in reality they didn’t want to rob his car. There’re misteries behind this violent death of a man of peace.
This senseless killing shows once more that only the Death Penalty and the killing it does will stop the killing of the innocent every day on our streets.
Lucky Dube, one of RSA’s greatest unheralded exports. Anybody who is anybody inside the Global Reggae Community is shocked. Right from Kingston to Ruvoeniemi, Finland. He was truly a (lucky)star, and an authentic one at that!
Thinking of you Lucky. Peace out
Erich in Sweden
How can I be a proud South African when everything that Lucky stood for and everything that we stand for as a people is shot down by a government that doesn’t care. What a paradox that an artist has to die by the very acts he stood against. Its a pity we have to lose our talented artists to senseless violence, whilst our president pretends it does not exist.
Its been a sad few days for me. As a little boy, my mom bought me the ‘House of Exile’ album and I was hooked onto Lucky. Now the lyrics from Victims resonate in my head as I try to understand this senseless tragedy:
She took me outside to the churchyard
Showed me graves on the ground
and she said;
There lies a man who fought for equality
There lies a boy who died in his struggle
Can all these heroes die in vain
While we slash and kill our own brothers
Knowing that already they are the
Victims of the situation
The Africa that we know and love kills the brother’s and sisters that we know and love..Lucky’s struggle for peace and prosperity must continue, not just for SA but for Africa and the rest of the world.
how saddened i was to learn that the great lucky dube has become a high profile statistic of senseless killing from the barrel of the gun. I had just finished unwrapping ‘HOUSE OF EXILe’ CD from e-bay on friday 19-10-07. Went on cnn. com and only to be greeted by such disturbing news. disappointed that the english media did not cover the news. Even the springboks should have worn a black band in his honour. Lucky has been my companion with his music. The world of music is hollow without you. your killers will be haunted to their graves. rest in peace.
What a waste of such a great person – such talent – Lucky has uplifted so many with his music. The irony is that these criminals did not even know who he was. Who is safe today?
Sincere condolences to Lucky’s family and close friends – He will be greatly missed…
oh God!! noo!!! not atleast Him at this time! No! we still needed him. what shall we do oh God! He has left us with no successor! His music with a message, who shall sing for us more.Oh God remember us, remember Africa! Remember Dube’s family! Rest his soul in eternal Peace!
l have never been so shocked in my life n so angry l love lucky dube’s lyrics. his music kept people like me sane, in touch with the african spirit. the animals that shot lucky have the front row seats of hell waiting for them.
rest in peace lucky u will always be remembered through yo music.
gloria in manchester uk
Five days later, the pain is just as fresh. The only thing keeping me sane is recieving these postings. I have read every single one of them. I hope that one day the sun will shine again. In Namibia we are having a tribute this saturday at the warehouse theatre, we plan to play a selection of lucky’s electricfing songs non stop. We will also open a memorial book, for people to sign. Will let you know how it goes.
Lucky, you will never be forgotten. You were a great musician and a great man. I have travelled all around the world, and after Bob Marley, the one reggae star that everyone I met knew about was Lucky Dube. It is incredible just how much his music meant to people worldwide, and my only consolation is, although they killed his body, his music will never die.
Your brother in Nigeria,
Jimoh
I was very shocked when I heard the news of the brutal death of Lucky Dube. I have attented some concerts of his in Holland and I always felt very proud and happy that someone was speaking out about the hardships and problems in Africa and in the world. Sadly he was the last one to do so and now he is gone. For decades Lucky has been singing about crime and corruption in South Africa. Now it has cost him his life. I do hope that the government in South Africa finally does something about this, otherwise the senseless death of this ‘SUPER STAR’ would have been in vain!!
A lion went home
———————–
Yes, there is a loss
But yet, he haven’t gone
cause the man, the music and his soul
wil never fade, oh no
nobody cry, please don’t
he’s in the hands of the Lord, Thy God
and there’s a promise we all know
Rastas won’t die, oh no
So What a shame, it is
we all grief in pain, that is
but what hurts the most will be
he was killed by his own, I can’t believe
That should not happen, oh no
People need to wake up, you know
We are carrying Babylon’s work
And it just pulled de’ trigger on us
He who defended his kind
he who fought for their rights
should never die this way
People truly need to make a change
poor people need to change
We all need to change
if we don’t start right away
Babylon forever will be in our face
So.. the lion went home
As Zion awaits for his sons
He’s in your hands, oh Lord
thank you for sharing his love
————–
love and respect.
Glenn
(Puerto Rico)
I cannot start to express the way I feel about his death. I wont lie and say that I was a big fan of Raggae or Lucky Dube, but he was good at his job. All of his songs were from deep within and you could tell that from listening to them.
I just hate how crime is taking away the lives of the people we love. I remember the death of Tebogo from Mafikizolo, it was similar to Lucky Dube’s death.CRIME. Why do these people have to do this? Why?I just hate this.
Lucky Dube will be missed by millions all over the world.
Even though he is gone, I am proud to say I am from South Africa, where he is from.
REST IN PEACE LUCKY DUBE.
We have lost a great Hero!May his soul rest in perfect peace!I wish his family will be comforted
by the grace of Jah.
It is rather unfortunate that the media seems to be unconcerned about his death as a result,most people in France are not aware up to date!!!!????????
The year was 1989, I was just 8 then. My parents and their friends had organised a road trip for us. We had a great time touring the less know areas of Venda.
The minibus was filled with joy and the kids were busy humming and stumbling over Lucky’s songs. We had a great weekm and I that Lucky’s death has taken away the innocence that I felt in the summer of 89, the innocence that his music reminded me off.
The scary thing is that two weeks before he fell a friend and I were talking about the man and praying for a greatest hits release..
I struggle for words,Go well sir
Great life was wasted…everybody cry why?We must go to the root of the problem!Those,who opened the borders to the invasion of illegal emigrants (14 000 000!?) from the NORTH,must be kicked out of their positions!!!The borders must be closed again,emigrants drastically repatriated.Those pretexts,that the comrades from the North helped us to fight apartheid,and now we must help them,are senseless.Such people are unemployable!!!I understand,that they have family to feed and thus they turn to crime.:’( Charity begin at home mister Mbeki!If you like blame yourself and all unfortunate fellow South Africans during the incoming World Football Tournament by pretending,that crime is not existing in our country,then carry on!If you are unable to GOVERN in our country,hand your powers to somebody,with know-how!
R.I.P.LUCKY,South African from Czech Republic.
P.S.Death penalty can bring also some solutions…
It has been hard to come to term with the violent and painful death of such an icon. I remember vividly when i was in my final year at college, and my mother’s health was deteriorating, i played her the song Hold On(Just a Little Bit Longer), my mum smiled. She unfortunately passed away when i was writing my final exams, before her only son could do much for her. I had never seen her smile like that, i can still see it today.
I am pierced in the heart to learn that such timeless hero of Africa was indeed killed in his very country. Lucky, you have lived a fulfiled life, although so short it was for we your African brothers who always want to hear you say “together as one.”
If the killer(s) of Lucky Dube happen to read this comment of mine, I wish to state categorically clear to them that THEY SHOULD PREPARE FOR A SLOW AND PAINFUL DEATH. THEY MUST PAY FOR WHAT THEY HAVE DONE TO AFRICA AND THE ENTIRE BLACK RACE OF THE WORLD. “HE WHO KILLS BY THE SWORD WILL ALSO DIE BY THE SWORD.”
The whole Nigeria dearly loves you Lucky, and pray God to console your dear wife, kids and entire sibblings and fans around the world. We shall meet again one day in heaven to part no more.
With all my love,
D. C. Bali, Nigeria.
“Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am a diamond glint on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
I am the flower in the backyard,
Planted there with loving regard.
When you awake in the morning hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush,
Of quiet birds in circling flight.
I am the soft starshine at night.
Do not stand by my grave and cry.
I am not there, I did not die.”
Farewell Soldier. You will always be remembered for your contribution to the development of your nation and Africa as a whole. We love you and your memories will live with us forever.
“Blessed is the hand that giveth than the one that taketh”
Your hand gave us a lot and it was blessed. The good Lord will bless you. The hand that taketh your life shall be judged accordingly.
I am very saddened by the death of this legend I still remember as a kid going to school or in the afternoon comming back home and you woud hear one of his songs on radio especially remember me, and the Lyrics I’m sorry. The man had a message and his songs made sense. We used to listen to his music in the Christmas season, that was how revered he was here.
Lucky had a message which can clear and touched your inner being, believe me in Zimbabwe he was a legend. Some of the songs we are knowing of them now because of lack of money and because some were not played on our radio but really look for the lyrics and then play the music you will tell what a teacher the world has lost.
Food for thouth for the powers that be:
Think of Lucky Dube’s death in Isolation. Assume he was the economy, look at the number of jobs he created, the foreign currency he earned South Africa, the tax revenues he gave to Government, the families directly and indirectly he assisted with a decent living that will tell you what this death has cost South Africa. In the killing of Dube there is a real loss (yes some might say his music is now selling more), but live shows makes more money than record sells. If you quantify this in relation to the car that they wanted to hijack then you realise that its a real loss. I want to agree with the death penalty and the whistle blowing otherwise the country will lose all productive people in the mould of our LEGEND Lucky Dube. Or they will leave the country and still the country loses.
The Government needs to chose being left with a country of murderes and rapists (because productive people have left or have been killed). South Africa really needs skills and not murderers
In totality what is described above is what is slowly but surely happening to South Africa and its not good for the country.
At the rate at which skills are migrating there will be a monumental disaster economy wise.
A Look on BBC on the Crime Debate it will tell you the negative image that the country is viewed. The international community in their eyes think that the moment you drop off at the airport you will be shot. The message is if S-Africans can kill one of their own legend then what more of visitors.
The way the country is headed if not well managed will lead SA to where other African States have gone and never came back.
Rest in Peace Lucky Dube
Man is so callus in our times that you will give him a million dollars today amd he will stab you tomorrow. What could possibly drive a man to kill a prince of Peace. Lucky Dube was and still will be the the most voiced opposer of Apartheid and any social ills that’s affecting Africa and the world today. I am angry, yes am very angry because am his biggest fan here in GRENADA. Lucky is very big in GRENADA. His music is loved. We lost a very good one but only in the physical form but not in spirit. His music is heating up the airways as i type this message of condolences. I cried and am still crying. Lucky..you are dead wrong to say BIG BOYS DONY CRY because i cry and it is beacuse of the pain,hurt and the news of your death that i feel insode.
Long live my prince of peace.
Am your biggest fan, even in death.
If sentencing a criminal person was a wish, I could (by way of a penalty/sentence), let a criminal to the public to deal with him accordingly. Have you ever seen an angry growd beating a criminal person? This is what should be done to those who killed our Best Star, Lucky Dube. I wounder when will South Africa improve its laws to protect our lives. Rest in peace Lucky, though your killers can run and hide from the policy, or can be imprisoned, they cannot run and hide from the FIRE that is waiting for them in Hell!!!
We pray that Justice will prevail for those people who committed such a evil act. I pray that God will Grant Lucky’s family especially the children that he has left behind his grace and favor and also keep them in his perfect peace. may his soul rest in peace. JACQUIE- UGANDA
Am a ugandan that lives in Uk. I still listen to Lucky’s music. I still cannot comprehend for what has happened to this great hero. I know that even alot of Ugandans both here in the Uk and in Uganda are in so much pain.Please lift his entire family in prayers. We send our love and prayers both to his family and south africa as a country. REST IN PEACE lUCKY LIKE YOU have always preached.We will always remember you for all your greatness.
the whole world need to give their live to Jesus he is the only Prince of Peace that has solution for the world problems and atangible promise of a mansion and city of gold that cannot be compare with earthly glory thre is more yet to be unveil God is just watching us from the throne of grace and mercy.
They can kill Lucky Dube physically and take his earthly possesion but they can,t kill his soul and spirit hissoul touch remain forever in our hearts what a great brother he is to the world may God have mercy on Him because of his son Jesus Christ I want him to reign in heaven among the saints worshippers singing rejoicing in the Lord where there is no sorrow or death anymore Lucky sorry for what happened to you rejoice and hold your peace till that glorious day amen I love you forever
From
Grace John
and all Nigerians because you are a star to us
Lucky, may your soul rest in perfect peace.
Onyinye, Nigeria.
Since the time i heard this sad news, I have stayed in a state of denial. Why should Lucky Dube face this, South Africans?? The killers of Lucky Dube are equally capable of Killing Nelson Mandela in the same way. What Mandela faced in Prison is what Dube faced on the streets during apertheid.Surprisingly, It seems that i have a better eyesight from Kenya than those in south Africa.
May your soul rest in eternal peace. I love you and we´ll meet in heaven, Teacher.I have songs with your heartfelt messages.
Rest In Peace
..last friday morning the world stopped turning, when i heard the horrible news. how can i live on now, my hero was wiped away..so brutally, so fast,so respectless, so without sense…my humble wise teacher, true rasta, i’m one of your thousands and thousands sisters and brothers, who will remember you forever! we keep your wonderful music, your message of truth alive. we sing your songs and we tell the people about you!! but the pain nearly kills me… god help us all…
-one eternally love-
R.I.P. – see you then…
from angela, germany
As a reggae dj in Southern California, I’ve enjoyed the music of Lucky Dube since 1987. I was lucky to have seen Lucky perform several times as he played festivals and clubs in the area. While celebrating my birthday on the 18th, I got the news of Lucky’s murder. I am so devastated. Lucky was a true spokesperson for the reggae music of unity and peace and love. His loss is huge to the reggae fans he made all over the globe. Like the murder of Lucky’s hero, Peter Tosh, we find ourselves asking why, why did you kill this great man. The weight of the world’s tears would crush those who pulled the triggers.
RIP Lucky and thank you for making our world a better place.
His blood is on all our hands – it is up to us, the people, to put a stop to the rampant crime, not the authorities. Expect nothing from them. I am not talking about becoming vigilantes, I am talking about finding a moral center where this kind of behavior is not the order of the day, and where it is not tolerated. However, in South Africa, you can be robbed in broad daylight and what do people do? Nothing. No one steps forward to help. No one. What do we expect?
Bula from fiji my dear bloggers the sun has set on a man lucky Dube and am deeply sadned that man who spoke the truth about life has been a insiperation.
Thankyou Dube from all your fans im Fiji and may JAH shower down his blessings on your family and give you comfort.
The iconic Lucky Dube has finally passed. We live in such a cruel world and so often become victims as Lucky put it. I loved Lucky Dube and bought every single album he released since 1984 to 2006. While I attented his powerful live performances in Kampala in 1995 and 1997, I still respected the man for his messages of peace. I was planning to attend the world cup in 2010 in South Africa but frankly Im really scared now. I visited South Africa in 2001 but the staff at the hotel I stayed in gave me a really thorough warning about the streets of Johanesburg. The government must really move out to fight that crime if 2010 is to be successful. I would like the media houses to dedicate space to show us the life of a man so many people loved from Australia to Green land, from Japan to Chile.
We pray with contrition for Gods blessing to the family and hope that his deeds live with us forever. Rest in peace Lucky. You will always be loved.
Robert Ejiku,
Uganda.
Kia Ora from AOTEAROA, NEW ZEALAND..Lucky Dube…u n your music wil live in my heart4eva..REST IN PEACE NOW BROTHER…Thank you Lucky….JAH BLESS YOUR FAMILY…
something warm comes from all these painful comments…(i already left mine before) have to say that it’s wonderful to feel lucky’s spirit in all your heards…he will be our guiding light for ever!
I am deeply hurt most of all because Lucky Dube put South Africa on the map, and he was not only an artist he was a revolutionist. His own revolution on contiousness was expressed through his music, the revolution of humanity;doing what is right and refraining from the wrong things in life. This teacher will live forever in my heart and likewise to the rest of the world who listed to his music and actualy did somehting to help the generation of today by taking his teachings seriously. I SALUTE him for all his hard work. May his soul rest in peace and may he forever be remembered by the world.
R.I.P
Although they took Dube from us his spirit will live on deep down in all of our hearts and his music will live on in all of our souls forever. As we listen the message in his music tears flow from our eyes to know someone who preached against violence and injustice fell victim to those **** roaches with out brains. He was one of the true prophets of reggae and his music will live on and on. Lucky Dube may your soul rest in peace, My sympathies to Dube’s family and on behalf of country Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
I realise South Africans are tired of fighting, after decades of fighting apartheid. But it’s time to rise up again – this time against crime. Stop waiting for the government to do something. The only people who can stop crime are the people of SA. Stop complaining about it, get off your chairs, volunteer at your local police station (answer phones, paperwork, anything you can do that can get qualified police back on the streets); when you see a crime, report it. If you know of any abuse, report it. Stand up and fight for this incredible country. One more time.
i am searching like crazy for the site that tell me that a trick have been played on me.i just cant belive it.no one can understand and imagine what those animals have done to me.what do they expect the world (especially me) to do?DUBE i was and wil always be ur back up singer.in 1988 i first heard his songs which a verse have become a permanent prayer since the.NOW I LAY ME DOWN TO SLEEP I PRAY THE LORD MY SOUL TO KEEP THAT IF I DIE BEFORE I WAKE I PRAY THE LORD MY SOUL TO TAKE.DUBE had me facinated with afrika and i wanted to visit there so badly but not anymore they have killed all the afica in me.DUBE i have all your songs will cherish them.no matter what they do they cant kill u in me.i want to no y they did this to me Y Y Y Y Y?he introduced me to reggae and taught me never to listen to anything that is not preaching a message.
TO HIS FAMILY I NO I CANT DO ANYTHING FOR U FROM ALL THE WAY IN ST KITTS BUT I JUST WANT U TO HOLD ON KEEP PRAYING.I WISH I CAN GIVE U COMFORT BUT I WILL PRAY FOR IT FOR U.I DO HOPE THE KIDS ESPECIALLY WHO WITNESSED IT IS OK.
LET HIS SONG GIVE US HOPE AND CHEER US UP.
WHEN i heard the news i immediately said oh no way his car had nothing to do with it it is more than that.
DUBE rest in eternal peace.
I am in Canada and I feel the pain ,the loss I am overwhelmed in grief ,yet there is mo where I can go to be with people that loved this man and his music. I had the good fortune to see him live perform in Montreal in the dead of winter a canadian winter on a cold cold night about three years ago.His music maybe from Africa but he knoew of the universal suffering and his music was a force that unites us his message is strong and it lives within us to stop senseless violence. It makes no difference if we are black,white,yellow we all bleed red.I am thankful to have this space to share my feelings and my sorrow.His music is painful to listen to knowing he has been slain,But he still speaks to us from the grave listen to his sings remember me,money momey and feeling Irie I can go on and on but I loved this man and his music. Lucky lives on long live this lion of Africa and this brave warrior of peace
I read with dismay the following message: “Tloubatla, who took to the podium in a modest suit – a contrast to her usual vibrant Mahotella Queens costume – introduced a political dimension to her tribute when she blamed “foreigners” for Dube’s death.”
The denial that South Africa has a problem will continue to haunt the country. There is no way “foreigners” will come and terrorise people without local hosts who are also hard core criminals, otherwise they would have been picked up by the police.
We are foreigners and believe me we feel the pain that was caused by the murder of LUCKY. If a musician is accepted outside your borders they cease to be citizens of a particular country, we identify with you South Africans in this loss. Why do MaHotella Queens perform in foreign countries it means they are accepted and they have foreigners there that support them otherwise without a host you cannot survive, do they want us to boycott their music. Lucky was an African ambassador, look at the condolense messages and the news about him, its only Japan, Korea and China that I havent seen talking about his death the rest from Australia to Green land, South Africa to the Nordic Countries are talking of the loss.
These ANC politicians you have were once hosted all over Africa and the world and they were welcome. They had hosts, if they were not welcome they would not have stayed in those countries. South Africa is in a sense hosting these criminals. If they are unwelcome and the laws as well as the punishments are harsh they will reduce crime. Sending foreigners back will not solve the problem as these criminals can jump the border and the next morning they will be back. There should be strict laws in terms of possession of stolen property, this will destroy the market for stolen property and people will favour buying from reputable companies. Criminals should be dealt with harshly.
Deal with the markets for stolen goods (put harsh laws over dealing in stolen goods)
Deal with the criminals you have harshly and the stealing type of crime will go down. You can learn from other countries about this especially in Africa.
The criminals actually have their own economy in South Africa and that can be destroyed from source (criminals) to the buyers of second hand items (cars e.t.c), there will be no incentive for crime. Arrest both buyers of stolen goods and the criminals and give them equal punishments this will eradicate crime to low levels. As for other types remove the organ that caused the crime. It should be clear to criminals that crime is costly and if you want something you should get it in an honest way.
Do not be a denial country its worse that saying “its not that bad” to quote Lucky Dube.
I think Mahotella Queens should look at how the economy functions and how these criminals create a niche market for themselves and then deal with that. There are lessons of how to detroy an economy that can be applied in detroying the crime world.
Please look at the problem and solve it and not look at symptoms, because the problem will not dissappear.
I am so bitter about what has happened – how many more of Africa’s sons and daughters are going to die for nothing but sensless violence in a country that cannot or will not look after it’s childrens’ safety. Lucky’s death came as a shock and has left me mourning someone I never knew personally. Every time I read anything about his death I cry as if I have lost one of my own. His beautiful children are now fatherless because of greed and the utter disregard for a precious life. I only hope and pray that his death will not have been in vain and that his songs and his patriotism will have far-reaching repurcussions in a country that has become anaesthetised by crime. Lucky, may your legend live on in your music and through your selfless patriotism for the country that you loved so dearly. Rest in peace, you will not be forgotten.