Brenda's Hit Vulindlela Still Captures South Africa as a Nation

In 1997, South Africa's most famous music star had a huge hit. Brenda Fassie's Vulindlela became a national pop anthem, played especially at weddings and celebrations, writes Mbali Mazibuko for The Conversation Africa.

Vulindlela can be loosely translated from the Zulu language as an instruction to "make way" or, if you like, "clear the path". The song is about making way for the groom (and bride) at their wedding. In 1997 South Africa was emerging from the racist apartheid system and was celebrating its own "wedding" across the colour bar after democratic elections in 1994.

With Vulindlela, Fassie cleverly captured the sentiments of freedom and optimism that followed Nelson Mandela becoming the country's first Black president. His party, the African National Congress, even used Vulindlela in its 1999 election campaign. Vulindlela invites South Africans to ask difficult and necessary questions about their future as citizens, writes Mazibuko.