New York State Poet Laureate Yusef Komunyakaa and ”Global Soul” pioneer TomÁ¡s Doncker pay tribute to Nelson Mandela in their latest collaboration, ”The Only Way,” a song they wrote to commemorate the centennial of Nelson Mandela’s birth.
It has been ten years since the Pulitzer Prize-winning Komunyakaa and Doncker first collaborated on The Mercy Suite, an album which blends the urban, shapeshifting poetry of Komunyakaa with Doncker’s soulful cinematic compositions. The Mercy Suite marked the birth of a new genre of music known as ”Black Americana.” Six years later, Komunyakaa and Doncker joined forces once again to create the critically acclaimed Big Apple Blues, a sonic homage to the city both men call home.
Since that time, Komunyakaa has been named Poet Laureate of New York State while Doncker has been steadily growing his record label, True Groove. The True Groove team, led by Doncker, has produced and released over 40 albums, presenting an eclectic array of genre-busting artists. Meanwhile, Doncker has continued to tour with his band, the True Groove All-Stars which released the incendiary socially conscious album The Mess We Made in 2015.
Currently, Komunyakaa and Doncker are adding to their ”Black Americana” canon with two new projects slated for release in the Fall of 2018: The Mercy Suite (10th Anniversary Edition), and a new future roots song cycle, The Black Magnolia Project.
On the occasion of the centennial celebration of Nelson Mandela’s birth (Mandela brought about the end of South African apartheid from the prison cell where he lived for 25 years) Komunyakaa was moved to think deeply about him:
”I feel that Nelson Mandela’s motives were beyond personal politics and interests,” the poet said. ”He was truly a voice of the people. His vision of peace embraced his negotiating skills, and change grew tenable because of his unflinching love of South Africa. Otherwise, his homeland would have surely ended in a bloodbath of wholesale violence. Nelson Mandela’s contributions as a world citizen have inspired us.”
Komunyakaa then did what does he does best, writing a poem to commemorate the occasion.
A Song for Nelson Mandela
He’s made of good
South African earth
And when he closes his eyes
He can see it all in a prison cell
On Robben Island
That’s the only way
Yes, that’s the only way
This man’s mind works
He can taste manna
If an ounce of honor
In bread and water
And freedom dreams
Mind and body
He’s so alert
Reading the map
Of age-old hurt
That’s the way this man’s mind works
Every time he puts a shoulder
From the other side
Of concrete and mortar
Nelson Mandela
Brave—
Strategic—
and wise
Our solid mandala
Love in his eyes
To the shining naked wheel
The brute machine sputters oil
Shadows pivot and walk the wall
No talk of diamonds and gold
And the voice of the people
In ancient light is foretold
The kingdom and the ark
Is how he folds his arms
And gazes into the dark
Saying, Yes, indeed
My brothers and sisters
Freedom is all we need
If we all stand up at once
And that’s the only way
This man’s mind works
Komunyakaa sent the poem to Doncker who proceeded to lock himself in his bedroom with his guitar. There, Doncker came up with a folk anthem in the style of Richie Havens and called it ”The Only Way.” According to Doncker, ”The Only Way” is “global soul in full effect, celebrating one of the most inspiring and important men of all time.”
Popdose is proud to present the exclusive video premiere of ”The Only Way.”
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