South Africa
Two new Whitney Houston projects are coming soon — both marking the 30th anniversary of three concerts the Grammy Award winner performed in South Africa in 1994. Arriving first: the limited worldwide theatrical release of Whitney Houston – The Concert for a New South Africa (Durban) set for Oct. 23 and 27. Coming Nov. 8: an accompanying live album, The Concert for a New South Africa (Durban), featuring the previously unreleased track “Love Is.”
Trafalgar Releasing and Sony Music Entertainment, in partnership with The Estate of Whitney E. Houston, The Whitney E. Houston Legacy Foundation and Primary Wave Music, are helming the release of the fully remastered concert film. It will appear in nearly 900 cinemas in more than 25 countries on Oct. 23 and 27. Legacy Recordings, Sony Music Entertainment’s catalog division, is issuing the live album.
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In a release announcing the news, Trafalgar Releasing CEO Marc Allenby stated, “We are pleased to continue our partnership with Sony Music and bring Whitney Houston’s legendary never-before-seen concert to audiences worldwide. The message of hope and unity from the Durban, South Africa performance is still as relevant today as it was 30 years ago, and fans are going to be blown away by how powerful this is on the big screen.”
Watch the trailer:
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The projects stem from a trio of Houston performances in South Africa in November 1994, which made her one of the first major U.S. stars to perform in the post-apartheid nation following Nelson Mandela’s history-making election to president. The three shows took place in Durban at Kings Park Stadium (Nov. 8), in Johannesburg at Ellis Park Stadium (also known as Emirates Airline Park) (Nov. 12) and in Cape Town at Green Point Stadium (Nov. 19), drawing a combined 200,000-plus attendees. At the time, a portion of the proceeds from the three shows benefited various local South African children’s charities through Houston’s foundation.
“I know that Whitney would have been filled with joy to know that this concert film will be released around the world to her fans,” commented Pat Houston, the film’s executive producer and executor of The Estate of Whitney E. Houston. “She loved South Africa; she loved the people and she loved Nelson Mandela. This concert is one of the most consequential concerts of her career. We’re thrilled that we can release this film not only to her fans, but to the people of South Africa and its new generation. More importantly, Whitney would be happy to know that her foundation continues to support one of the organizations she helped to provide financial support to 30 years ago.”
Whitney Houston — The Concert for a New South Africa (Durban), a production of Cream Cheese films and distributed by Sony Music Vision, was directed and produced by Marty Callner. “Whitney was a dream to work with; I really loved her,” said Callner. “I directed her several times, but the Durban show was pure magic and the best performance I have ever witnessed. So thrilled the world finally gets to experience that special, special night.”
In addition to the previously unreleased “Love Is,” the live album also features memorable hits by the six-time Grammy winner including “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me),” “How Will I Know,” “I Have Nothing,” “Greatest Love of All” and “I Will Always Love You.” Rounding out the selections are classics such as “Amazing Grace” and “Home.” The album is available for preorder on both CD and vinyl here.
Emmy Award winner Rickey Minor, Houston’s musical director for 25 years, noted, “Performing in Durban with Whitney was an amazing experience. It was my first time in South Africa, and I don’t think that I was truly prepared for how this trip would change me forever. The energy was electric, and the audience was incredible as we celebrated the end of apartheid. Whitney shared her love and shined her light.”
Whitney Houston — The Concert for a New South Africa (Durban)
Neal Preston/Courtesy of The Estate of Whitney E. Houston
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Tyla, a rising South African singer with one of this year’s biggest hits, is known as coloured in her homeland, a term that is widely used to describe people of mixed heritage. In the United States, the term “colored” has a checkered racist past, thus sparking an unnecessary debate between the nations on social media.
Tyla, 21, is riding the wave of her massive hit “Water,” which has sparked dancing trends, covers from other artists, and an interest in what the Johannesburg native will do next. With the rise of the song and Tyla’s ethnicity becoming a topic of discussion, the term coloured has struck a nerve among some of the singer’s stateside fans.
Based on our quick study of the term, coloured South Africans are a wide tapestry of mixed races that include groups from Asia, Europe, and Africa. Further, coloured is seen as a racial classification in South Africa simply meant to designate those individuals who are both not white or from one of the aboriginal groups across Africa.
The current debate over the term isn’t new. Since the rise of Tyla’s “Water” single and American fans learning more about the artist, some were shocked to learn that coloured was an actual thing in modern times. During times of slavery, “colored” was an attempt to otherize Black slaves and spread further division.
This discussion is playing out again on X, formerly Twitter, with some American fans stating that Tyla should be referred to as Black while others from her country are pushing back to say that her choice to be seen as coloured should be respected.
The back-and-forth over Tyla and the word coloured is still bubbling although we’re still struggling to see why. That said, we’ve got reactions from all sides below.
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Photo: @tyla / Instagram
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Would you look at that? Nuance!
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