February 12, 2020

AFRICA

John Johnson, Allison Au, Mike Murley, Perry White, Shirantha Beddage, Jason Logue, Kevin Turcotte, John MacLeod, William Sperandei, Al Kay, Rob Somerville, Terry Promane, Peter Hysen, Michele Gagnon, Diane Doig, Benny Green, Reg Schwager, Christian McBride, Lewis Nash, Brian Barlow, Magdelys Savigne.

Thirty years ago – almost exactly: February 11, 1990 – Oscar and I watched expectantly, breathlessly, exultantly as Nelson Mandela walked out of prison in South Africa, a free man.

Ten years earlier, Oscar was composing AFRICA, his suite inspired in part by Mandela and the intense struggle for human rights in apartheid South Africa. As he completed pieces of the suite, he added three to his concert repertoire: Nigerian Marketplace, Peace (written with great hope for South Africa), and The Fallen Warrior (written for and dedicated to the imprisoned Mr. Mandela). Fortunately, some of these performances were captured on live concert recordings.

Eight years after his release from prison, on Sept. 25, 1998, President Mandela was in Toronto to launch the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund of Canada during an event hosted byPrime Minister Chrétien at the SkyDome. He was greeted with a thundering ovation by 40,000 students and teachers, and by a special guest of Mr. Chrétien’s: Oscar Peterson. It was a deeply profound experience for Oscar when Prime Minister Chrétien introduced him to President Mandela, a moment he would never forget, and one that Mr. Chrétien counts among his most memorable, too. On that same day we learned that President Mandela had never heard The Fallen Warrior, or any of Oscar’s music. All of Oscar’s recordings, along with so much other music, were banned in apartheid South Africa. It was with humble pride that Oscar sent his album titled Freedom Song to Mr. Mandela, so that he could hear, at last, The Fallen Warrior.

Thirty years ago, Oscar and I watched expectantly, breathlessly, exultantly, as Nelson Mandela walked out of prison in South Africa, a free man. Eight years later we greeted him with hugs and exuberant smiles.

Tonight I am filled with gladness to recognize this momentous anniversary as we present to you the world premiere of Oscar Peterson’s AFRICA. May the music reverberate in honouring these two remarkable men and their legacies, and may it fill you with gladness and inspire joy and human kindness.