Peter Makurube
Pops Mohamed has been to the desert – again! Mohamed’s relationship with the desert people, the Khoi Khoi, has led to several important projects. One of these is the soundtrack for Zola Maseko’s documentary on Sara Baartman.
Mohamed has long been a campaigner for the preservation of indigenous music, particularly that of the Khoi and Xhosa. He conducted years of research, including forays into the vast Namibian desert.
Mohamed’s intimacy, love and enthusiasm for this dying culture put him in a unique position to compose music that could best describe the young Khoi woman’s journey from the Cape to a hellish experience in Europe.
Gloria Bosman provides the soundtrack’s powerful vocals. Her voice is more controlled than ever, and she shines under Mohamed’s patient guidance. When Baartman is displayed in London and Paris in a freak show, the wailing voice of Bosman takes you to places you’ve never been.
Mohamed’s beloved kora meanders through every track, to create a perfect weave of soundtrack, story content and imagery on screen.
weave together in a manner unprecented
in South African film (barring perhaps Jump the Gun).
Mohamed’s work has been amply rewarded by the film-makers who did the right thing. The presevation of this and many other indigenous sounds is crucial to completing our picture of How Far Have We Come, as Mohamed’s current album is titled.