playwright, band-leader and singer, Mr Sam Williams by Minister of Arts and
Culture , Dr Z Pallo Jordan
28 February 2007
The Ministry of Arts and Culture joins the nation in mourning the passing on
of a veteran artist, Mr Sam Williams who passed away recently after a long
illness. As the people we are very thankful for the life of an African
composer, singer, playwright, director and actor whose work expressed the
resilience of the human spirit under one of the most brutal systems in the
world. With very little, other than his inner strength and determination to
make it against the odds, the life of Mr Sam Williams is itself a lesson in the
political history of South Africa before the advent of freedom and democracy in
1994.
Sam Williams began his career when he founded a musical group, the Boston
Brothers, who gave voice to the people's lament and offered solace to battered
black souls. Between the winter of 1948 and the summer of 1994, Sam Williams
became a living repository of the aspirations, struggles and achievements of
the African people. Building on the successes and the inspiration of talented
Africans who preceded him, his artistry transcended the slums of Johannesburg
and went on to conquer the world.
More specifically, it was during the 1960s and 1970s that Sam Williams made
his mark in the theatre and music. He was among the founding playwrights and
composers of that era. He helped lay a solid foundation for future
international stars that have gone on to fly the flag of a liberated South
Africa. Sam Williams was among those who survived the worst efforts of the
apartheid regime to reduce African originality and creativity to a state of
wreckage.
The 1980s were the high water mark of his artistry. His television work
endeared him to young and old alike, who would even stop him in the streets to
inquire about his role as Velaphi, the humorous character of a "messenger boy"
as they were called in apartheid South Africa. Sam Williams' confidence in the
inevitability of a non-racial society persuaded him to act in the first
multi-racial TV sitcom, "Oh! George". His life and career in the theatre, for
which he won the Best Actor award for his role in the one-hander, "Report to an
Academy", stands out as a highpoint. He remained a renowned and sought-after
artist who helped introduce live theatre to the African townships by taking
plays such as "Cincinnati", "Phiri", "Madiepetsane and the Milk Bird" and
"Waiting for Godot", to African audiences. His exceptional talent caught the
attention of international talent scouts who cast him alongside international
stars in movies like "Game for Vultures", "Whispering Death" and "Funeral for
an Assassin".
Through the contribution he made, he opened the doors of opportunity for
African talent on the global stage. We, as a nation were truly blessed to have
had a man of his calibre among our leading artists. Mr Sam Williams will be
buried on Saturday, 3 March 2007 in Eldorado, Kliptown.
Lala Ngoxolo Madiba! Dlomo, Sopitsho, Myem-Yem, Ngqolomsila, Vela
Bembhentsele!
For further details, contact:
Sandile Memela
Spokesperson for the Minister of Arts and Culture
Cell: 082 800 3750
Premi Appalraju
Media Liaison Officer
Cell: 082 375 2939
Issued by: Department of Arts and Culture
28 February 2007
Source: Department of Arts and Culture (http://www.dac.gov.za)
