Editorial Reviews

Sarafina is a story of apartheid in South Africa, which is a risky subject for a musical of inspiring dance numbers. Adapted for the screen from the Broadway play, Sarafina combines traditional African sensibilities with a theatrical sound and gripping lyrics. "Freedom Is Coming Tomorrow" may be the centerpiece, but it is only a sample in this bold collection. Writer/producer Mbongeni Ngema, under the authority of Quincy Jones, establishes a musical whose agenda is not only to provide powerful African rhythms and chants, but to make them palatable to an audience who may otherwise disregard it as "foreign." Sarafina makes true use of the term "African-American" because it is at once rooted in ancestry and expansively good-intentioned, dividing itself among African and American lyrics. Parents would do great justice to interest their children in music like this. Sarafina brings lands from afar to within close range, traced not only by a stereotypical blazing red sun, mountain-lined deserts, tribes, and jungle, but also by human bloodshed and moral dilemmas. The songs do not cover the scope of politics and suffering that floods the film. In fact, the music is light and cheerful, a ray of hope surfacing the deep wounds of South Africa portrayed in Sarafina. Highlights include "Vuma Diozi Lami," the theme song, and the exciting, memorable "One More Time," sung by James Ingram. Peter Fawthrop, All Music Guide

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