Watch the music video for “Shiyanomayini” from The Brother Moves On
Just a week ago we saw a moment of revolution in motion with students of all races taking their #FeesMustFall movement to the gates of parliament whilst our finance minister was discussing the national mid-term budget. The general consensus is that the current Zuma-led ANCs use of national funds has been dubious at the least, with funds available for a grand presidential estate but unavailable to subsidize the free education which was promised. In my perspective #FeesMustFall was the cathartic real-life realisation of the subject matter covered in “party@parktownmansions” which was my favourite song off The Brother Moves On previous release A New Myth.
“Believe in this evolution and not this party”
And so the brother moves along its Dionysus journey. A journey which has been both fruitful and perilous since the release of A New Myth two years ago. A brother was lost and foreign lands were travelled as The Brother Moves On sought to reach a global audience with an honest and authentic portrayal of the realities of South Africa through performance art. Their success also saw conflict, as bonds amongst the members were tested with their independence challenged as various contractual offers were tabled by various interested parties.
The brothers have come out at the end of the tunnel all the stronger in will and clearer in purpose. The latest yield in this evolution is a music video for “Shiyanomayini”, the first single of their new album Black Tax. The album will see them release 10 tracks over a period of nine months. “Birthing something new, something human and something amazing”.
“Shiyanomayini” sees Zelizwe Mthembu drawing from personal experience where he was mugged several times in Johannesburg’s CBD on his way back home from band rehearsals. Shiyanomayini means ‘leave whatever you have’ and it is a term used by criminals when asking their victims for everything they have. The term is used from the perspective of various characters throughout the song but perhaps the most interesting is that of the beggar who pleads for anything. We’ve all been mugged both literally and figuratively. Victims of a corrupt government surviving off the crumbs which fall off the gravy train. The music video directed by Siyabonga Mthembu and produced by Two Birds One Stone which he started with his cousin is a literal visual representation of the perspectives in the content of the song.
