Inspired By An Anti-Apartheid Rallying Cry, Toronto Folksinger Larry Folk Brings Social Consciousness To The Fore With New Single “There Is A Power” From Lessen The Blue
In an age where political discourse and conversation is often polarizing at best, Toronto folksinger Larry Folk brings a call for unity and equality with his warm, inviting single “There Is A Power.” The poly-rhythmic song was inspired in part by the 1986 Mark Mathabane autobiography Kaffir Boy, which appeared on the New York Times bestseller lists detailing life under South Africa’s Apartheid regime and the writer’s escape from it.
“Upon reading Mark Mathabane’s Kaffir Boy (A derogatory word used by the ruling whites in South Africa towards black men), I learned of the chant of the black majority at rallies to end Apartheid,” Folk says. “The chant, Amandla! Ngawethu! (Power is with us!) inspired me to write a song with the Zulu words, which I sang on Ottawa’s Parliament Hill and Toronto City Hall at rallies to end Apartheid. After the end of the oppressive regime in South Africa, and the victory of the ANC (African National Congress led by Nelson Mandela), there was no longer a need for the song, and it was shelved.”
However, as the years passed, Folk realized how powerful the message was when he rediscovered the song. “I was sorting through some old demos when I came across the song, and it occurred to me that there might be a place for it now,” he says. “We live in challenging times. I decided to revise the lyrics, write a new chorus, and create an exciting new arrangement. The result is a song with a resounding call to unity and freedom.”
“There Is A Power” has a serious social and political message but musically is peaceful, serene, and bubbly, recalling the work of South African groups Ladysmith Black Mambazo and the late Johnny Clegg and Suvuka. Folk’s delivery recalls the likes of Bruce Cockburn as he’s backed by a collective of gorgeous vocal harmonies that uses the “Amandla! Ngawethu!” refrain throughout. The soothing arrangement by Folk (who also wrote and produced the track) combined with the conscientious lyrics makes for a terrific, powerful recording.
“There Is A Power” is the latest solid single from Lessen The Blue and the follow-up to “Hey Politician!’ Folk, who has written and performed for well over four decades, has worked with or shared the stage with the late John Allan Cameron, the late Rita MacNeil, Sylvia Tyson, Susan Aglukark, and George Olliver among others. He also worked on various CBC programs and Christmas specials hosted by MacNeil.
Now with “There Is A Power,” Folk hopes to alleviate the division and fractionalization in these challenging, uncertain times. “There’s a lot of blue in the world these days,” he says. “Feels like a good time to lessen it.” With this latest single, he has certainly made a solid step in that direction.
Hi Larry! Good to see you again and what have you been up to since we last talked?
Thanks for asking. I have been super busy working on the upcoming live shows, starting with the Live CD Release in October. The shows include singers who performed on There is a Power, Suba Sankaran, Dylan Bell, and Tom Lillington. They sound perfect on the song, and the energy they brought to the project is so integral to the messaging. I’ve also been following up on the efforts of Art Menius who is promoting Lessen The Blue to American Folk radio, and Eric Alper who is essential to promoting the new CD here in Canada. The response has been unlike any of my previous recordings, and that might have something to do with the fact that I wasn’t just trying to create a collection of love songs. Many of the songs were my responses to troubling events in our world, in our politics, and in our collective history.
“There Is A Power” was inspired by Mark Mathabane’s autobiography Kaffir Boy. What about his story and experiences under Apartheid resonated with you, and how did it influence your songwriting process?
Mark’s book was informative, in that I discovered what life in South Africa was like for a black person living under the Apartheid Regime, through his first-hand account, and not through what the government fed to the media. It was where I first learned of the Zulu chant the black population used at rallies to end Apartheid, “Amandla! Ngawethu!” (Power! Is with us!) I also realized that the kinds of dreams children have for the future, which many of us take for granted, were, for the black population in South Africa desperately out of reach. In Mark’s case, it was his dream to follow in the footsteps of Arthur Ashe and become a professional tennis player. It was a mighty struggle. For me, his story confirmed what the world was coming to know about Apartheid, a system that was enacted to “preserve” the culture of the ruling white minority. In reality, it was a thinly disguised form of institutional racism that was brutally enforced, and based entirely on the errant belief in the superiority of the white race.
In 1988 the World Council of Churches was meeting in Ottawa in 1988, and I was invited to sing one of my songs of unity, but I also wanted to bring something new to the Anti-Apartheid rally planned for Parliament Hill. I took the Zulu chant and wrote the original song Amandla, which I sang at that rally, supported by a wonderful group of singers from South Africa. In terms of a recording, it only got to the point of a demo. You can hear it on the media page of my website, but you’ll hear it’s nothing like There is a Power.
You initially shelved the song after the end of Apartheid. What was it like rediscovering it years later, and what made you feel that the message was still relevant today?
The years since the Pandemic have undoubtedly been like anything we have experienced. Anything. The Pandemic itself was incredibly devastating to the human race and continues to affect people to this day. But it feels like the world has risen from the ashes of Covid with a tremendous rage that is directed not only at institutions but more frighteningly, at people. The notion of “other,” is spawning in the minds of vast amounts of the population; young and old alike, and a lot of it is rationalized under the guise of “common sense.”
I was sorting through some old tapes and came across the demo of Amandla. I knew that the message of power through unity could still have something to contribute to a divided world. I grabbed my guitar and started to lay down the chords, but whereas the original was based on a Bruce-Cockburn-inspired fingerstyle guitar, this was in a driving 12/8 beat. That rhythm track ended up on the final version of There is a Power.
The Zulu chant “Amandla! Ngawethu!” plays a central role in your song. Can you explain the significance of incorporating this chant into the song and how it connects to the song’s overall message of unity and equality?
Just like the people of South Africa who had had enough of Apartheid, and exercised the incredible courage to stand up and shout “Power is with us!” we also need to stand together to protect our liberties. We need to stand up for what is right, and even more so, stand up to what is wrong. It’s easy to choose to not stir the pot, to not challenge the views of others when there’s so much vitriol just beneath the surface. But in my humble opinion, if we hope to come together, we need to have those uncomfortable discussions while actively listening to each other, rather than thinking of our next “brilliant” retort. Marvin Gaye said it all when he sang, “Talk to Me.” If we do that, we might start to return to civility, or at the least, an acceptable level of disagreement.
Musically, “There Is A Power” has been compared to the work of Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Johnny Clegg. How did you approach blending these South African influences with your own folk style to create such a serene and impactful arrangement?
Well, that comparison is quite a compliment. Many recall that it was Paul Simon who introduced us to those great artists, and I’m sure a comparison with There is a Power can be made with Paul as well; the opening guitar lick especially. I had a vinyl recording called Sounds of Soweto that I picked up in 1988 which also informed me musically. Now, there was a time when I would have passed on the choices I made for this song as a result of it having already” been done”. But that music is timeless and steeped in South African culture, and there’s an entire generation that didn’t hear the South African vibe that was showing up in the pop music of the 80s. It just felt right to have an optimistic beat to go along with the serious message. In the studio, drummer Steve Heathcote asked if I wanted a straight 4 beat, or more of a world beat, a la Peter Gabriel and Paul Simon. The answer I gave Steve is clearly evident in the recording.