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Goapele Strides Forward to Change it All
By Linda A. Annan
To refer to her simply as a songstress is like calling an ant an insect without making note of its organizational attributes, a trait that marks it as one of nature's most organized creatures in the animal kingdom. Even after releasing two successful albums which have appealed to the likes of legendary artists Prince and Stevie Wonder, she continues to stretch herself beyond her limits with a heart that still leads her to community involvement.
Goapele Mohlabane (pronounced gwah-puh-lay), a soul/R&B artist whose style is a blend of lieder, neo-soul, jazz, and trip hop, a hip hop instrumental often fused with moody-like sounds, is currently promoting her new non- profit website ChangeItAll.org. This organization acts as a networking and inspirational platform for individuals with deep interests in the Arts, Business and Activism nationwide.
Her roots
Years back, somewhere in Oakland, California, on July 11, 1977 Mohlabane was born to her Black South African father, who was then an exiled political activist, and her New York-born Jewish mother. Her parents met and married in Nairobi, Kenya; a union that created a deep awareness of social issues and sensitivity towards other cultures in Mohlabane, considering the history of both cultures.
Since the early age of 10 she has been involved in community organizations and this experience resonates in her first album, Even Closer. She talks with disappointment about the empty life of a fourteen year-old boy who may have been a victim of a broken home with lyrics like, "It takes more than two to raise a youth and for that we all did lose….” Mohlabane was once a member of the groups Vocal Motion and the Oakland Youth Chorus and studied Music Theory at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. Growing up, she was surrounded by music legends like Sweet Honey, the Rock, and Nina Simone, the high pries tess of soul. Other people she grew up listening to were artists whose music advocated positive changes in the world like Hugh Masekela, Miriam Makeba, and Zulu Spear, all of whose music drew her back to her South African roots.
Mohlabane's self-released debut album, Closer hit record stores in 2001, the same year she founded Skyblaze Recordings, a family-own record label. By 2002 her first album, Even Closer, was released and this time distributed nationwide; two years later, Columbia/Sony ME Records stumbled upon it and re-released it for worldwid e distribution. Her most recent album, Change it All, nam ed after her non-profit website, was released in December, 2005. Mohlabane's soul/ R&B music have gained praises from such artists as The Roots, Magic Johnson, Talib Kweli, and others.
Known to her fans as Goapele, the name means “to go forward” in Sitswana, a South African language; a name truly defines what she presently represents and is involved in. While in college, she joined activist groups that fought against racism and sexism, and also joined the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, a California based action center which continues to work on establishing justice, opportunities, and peace in inner-cities in America. On September 14, 2006, Mohlabane was presented with the center's first ever Human Rights Cultural Hero award during its 10th Anniversary “Tribute to a Dream” ceremony. She is also involved in an advertisement campaign created by Aldo Shoes as part of their effort in fighting the HIV/AIDS disease along with other renowned artists like Charlize Therron, Eve, Kelly Rowland, Pink, Ziggy Marley, along with many others.
Moving forward
Mohlabane's non-profit website features spoken-word artists, poets, authors, and musical artists. The online community, which was a collaborated establishment with Skyblaze Recordings, also focuses on heartening political and social innovators while setting a constructive stage for her fans to not only network with others but also cultivate their creative talents through proactive means. It also focuses on promoting positive growths in communities. ChangeItAll is soaked in optimism; using phrases like “making moves…music to move the masses…and its own name, change it all. The “Activism” section of the site features the picture of a 17 year-old boy from Sierra Leone who lost both of his hands to a rebel's machete. At first glance it might seem like a negative image but, considering the mission of the site, it is rather a sight that evokes a desire to “make moves” towards change like the organization stresses.
Mohlabane also features interviews with artists like Damien Marley who proclaims is determined to use his music and other charitable means to participate in the change process; Talib Kweli asserts that he would like artists to provide a good representation of how people are feeling on the radios and television.
If the meaning of names truly illustrated one's destiny trail, it surely is unraveling Mohlabane's. With her non-profit organization, she seems to be moving forward at a measured pace, living up to her name “Goapele” in the process.
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