Episode 121: Thanksgiving 21

Today is the Sunday after the Thanksgiving holiday. Every year on this Sunday I play the annual Thanksgiving episode featuring jazz and jive music from South Africa. I play this music for Thanksgiving because South Africa gives me something powerful for which to be thankful. I’m sure everyone listening today knows that just 30 years ago South Africa was an evil and horrible thing: a system of government, known as Apartheid, based on the premise that the black race was inferior to the white race. But South Africa was able to make a peaceful transition from Apartheid to a multicultural democratic state thanks to the leadership of Nelson Mandela. That has been the most positive and hopeful event of my lifetime. The music of South Africa makes me think about that triumph for peace, but it also makes me think about the profound human dignity behind this wonderful music created during a time of struggle & hardship. For me, this is an essential Thanksgiving message.