Atribute to Teddy Pendergrass
Friday, January 22, 2010
According to Wikipedia, TP was born Theodore DeReese Pendergrass on March 26, 1950, and died on January 13. Like most African-Americans of his time, he was brought up in a Christian family and 'the church was his initiation for talent and eventual success'.
I was introduced to this icon a long time ago by my aunt Bosaitseweng Kebonang who used to talk about the 'black American' singer who was such a good performer that young women always threw their underwear on stage whenever he performed. Naturally, I was curious about the fact that the artist could make people or in this case young women lose their minds and I thought he was a great artist to be able to do that. My aunt knew so much about TP that she was one of those saddened when the man got confined to a wheelchair after a horrific car accident that left his spinal cord paralysed on March 18, 1982.
It highlights the need to protect rights such as access to clean water, education, healthcare and freedom of expression.President Duma Boko, rightly honours past interventions from securing a dignified burial for Gaoberekwe Pitseng in the CKGR to promoting linguistic inclusion. Yet, they also expose a critical truth, that a nation cannot sustainably protect its people through ad hoc acts of compassion alone.It is time for both government and the...