Film gains London premiere...
Revered film maker Joe Berlinger’s new documentary 'Under African Skies' reignites the controversy surrounding Paul Simon’s seminal 'Graceland' album.
Paul Simon will celebrate 25 years since the release of his most famous record with a special performance of Graceland in Hyde Park on July 15th. But the anniversary coupled with Berlinger’s new film has reignited the debate on Simon’s decision to ignore the UN approved cultural boycott that was imposed on apartheid-ruled South Africa and visit the country to work and record with local musicians.
The documentary refrains from giving its own opinion and instead simply explores a predicament which both sides clearly wish they could have avoided. It presents a balanced account that places no blame on either party whilst sympathising with their actions. Paul Simon is certainly not accused of malicious intent by anyone throughout the film although his actions are criticised by numerous people who recognise his obviously good intentions. The most palpable example of this comes when Simon meets the founder of Artists Against Apartheid, Dali Tambo for the very first time in South Africa last year. There is an obvious desire to clear the air between the two but they are each forthright in attempting to justify their actions at the time.
As Paul Simon himself explains during a Q&A session following the screening of the documentary at the Sundance London film festival, “Going to SA to perform in front of a segregated audience is to support the apartheid regime. Going there to record is not the same thing. The musicians that I worked with invited me to come. They wanted it. And they had good reason to want it because they wanted their music to get out into the world.”
Talking about the boycott he went on to explain that he understood it but didn’t see how his actions conflicted with it. “With sport there is no reason why athletes should go over there and play a team that’s all white people in a country that is made mostly of black people when the black people are oppressed. There is no reason why you should go over and perform on the stage and get paid where black people aren’t permitted by law to attend nor have the money to attend even if they could. “
Under African Skies director Berlinger backed up Simon’s reasoning. “Paul was exporting the very culture that the apartheid regime was trying to crush and extinguish. Exporting that culture and celebrating these people and their culture was to me, a very powerful anti-apartheid statement. And so to marginalise and criticise that just didn’t make sense to me.”
Aside from the immensely interesting political analysis, the film also documents the making of the album with charming studio footage from the original sessions plus tender scenes of reunion between the musicians and Simon from the American’s emotional return to South Africa last year. With a host of intimate interviews with the likes of Oprah, Whoopi Goldberg, Vampire Weekend and David Byrne not to mention Ladysmith Black Mambazzo, Stimela and Hugh Masekela, this is the comprehensive examination of Graceland and its cultural impact. When asked at the Q&A if he had any regrets about what happened, Simon answered with the kind of boyish innocence that in many ways led him to South Africa to record during the boycott in the first place. “I don’t have any regrets because it’s a happy ending.”
Words by Tom Jones
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'Graceland' is set to be re-issued on June 4th.
Paul Simon will celebrate 25 years since the release of his most famous record with a special performance of Graceland in Hyde Park on July 15th. But the anniversary coupled with Berlinger’s new film has reignited the debate on Simon’s decision to ignore the UN approved cultural boycott that was imposed on apartheid-ruled South Africa and visit the country to work and record with local musicians.
The documentary refrains from giving its own opinion and instead simply explores a predicament which both sides clearly wish they could have avoided. It presents a balanced account that places no blame on either party whilst sympathising with their actions. Paul Simon is certainly not accused of malicious intent by anyone throughout the film although his actions are criticised by numerous people who recognise his obviously good intentions. The most palpable example of this comes when Simon meets the founder of Artists Against Apartheid, Dali Tambo for the very first time in South Africa last year. There is an obvious desire to clear the air between the two but they are each forthright in attempting to justify their actions at the time.
As Paul Simon himself explains during a Q&A session following the screening of the documentary at the Sundance London film festival, “Going to SA to perform in front of a segregated audience is to support the apartheid regime. Going there to record is not the same thing. The musicians that I worked with invited me to come. They wanted it. And they had good reason to want it because they wanted their music to get out into the world.”
Talking about the boycott he went on to explain that he understood it but didn’t see how his actions conflicted with it. “With sport there is no reason why athletes should go over there and play a team that’s all white people in a country that is made mostly of black people when the black people are oppressed. There is no reason why you should go over and perform on the stage and get paid where black people aren’t permitted by law to attend nor have the money to attend even if they could. “
Under African Skies director Berlinger backed up Simon’s reasoning. “Paul was exporting the very culture that the apartheid regime was trying to crush and extinguish. Exporting that culture and celebrating these people and their culture was to me, a very powerful anti-apartheid statement. And so to marginalise and criticise that just didn’t make sense to me.”
Aside from the immensely interesting political analysis, the film also documents the making of the album with charming studio footage from the original sessions plus tender scenes of reunion between the musicians and Simon from the American’s emotional return to South Africa last year. With a host of intimate interviews with the likes of Oprah, Whoopi Goldberg, Vampire Weekend and David Byrne not to mention Ladysmith Black Mambazzo, Stimela and Hugh Masekela, this is the comprehensive examination of Graceland and its cultural impact. When asked at the Q&A if he had any regrets about what happened, Simon answered with the kind of boyish innocence that in many ways led him to South Africa to record during the boycott in the first place. “I don’t have any regrets because it’s a happy ending.”
Words by Tom Jones
- - -
'Graceland' is set to be re-issued on June 4th.
