
Fortune News | Jun 08,2019
Aug 16 , 2020
By Kidist Yidnekachew ( Kidist Yidnekachew has degrees in psychology and journalism and communications. She can be reached at kidyyidnekachew@gmail.com. )
I often fantasise about being utterly content with what I have and if it would be possible for me to lead a minimalistic life. I wonder if I am capable of turning my sorrows and disappointments into opportunities to learn and grow. But I cannot seem to go a day without complaining about something or wanting to change something.
Sixto Rodriguez is not like that. I listened to his song "I Wonder" for the first time on "Rock101 with JayP," a former radio show on 105.3 Afro FM. I fell in love with it. Later, as destiny would have it, I ended up going on a date with the host and watching the documentary "Searching for Sugarman," the award-winning film about two fans that go searching for Rodriguez.
This was three years ago. I remember immediately falling in love with the artist and his songs.
Born on July 10, 1942, in the United States, his is a life many people should take lessons from. He did not rise to fame in the country of his birthplace, but South Africans took a shine to him. For them, he is a hero. His lyrics were anthems in the fight against apartheid, and his songs provided a background to the drawn-out struggle against a racist system. From young to old, South Africans loved Rodriguez.
The South Africans were right. His lyrics are poetic, and his voice is mesmerising. But his life is just as fascinating. The documentary was a telling of the unexpected trajectory of his life.
As with many artists in the music industry, he was exploited. The record labels pocketed the money from the international territories he was selling high volumes in and showed him the flop sales in the US market to justify dropping him from the label. He had no idea how big he was in South Africa, Australia or Botswana. He did not receive any of his royalties from the albums he sold there.
Rodriguez spent his life assuming he had somehow failed as a musician and was forced to lead a difficult life working in construction and manufacturing for low wages. Even though it was a job most of us would avoid, he did it with style and art. He held his head up and did not wallow in self-pity and disappointment.
He raised his children and gave his all to his strenuous job, all the while staying grounded. After a long search, he was discovered by two South Africans, who initially like most of his fans were under the impression that he had died. The rest is history, and success and fortune would come to him.
He continued to give his earnings to his family and friends and kept living in the same apartment that he had lived in for four decades.
Not many of us can hold our heads up in the face of hardship. Not only that, but we would also be in conflict with where we were and where we are now. Acceptance is not easy. Denial is easy on the mind.
Rodriguez’s life was a rejection of this. Unfortunately, he never received the spotlight up until a documentary was made about him. But he deserves much respect and love. It is a life from which we can derive the value of perseverance, contentment and the value of being down to earth.
Most people with his ability and genius either pass away too soon without ever finding out what they mean to others or are forgotten completely. But he will be remembered, partly in thanks to his humility, thoughtfulness and willingness to face the music that is life.
PUBLISHED ON
Aug 16,2020 [ VOL
21 , NO
1059]
Fortune News | Jun 08,2019
Fortune News | Apr 13,2019
Radar | Sep 10,2023
Fortune News | Aug 26,2023
Radar | Aug 05,2023
View From Arada | Nov 16,2019
Commentaries | Jan 05,2019
Radar | May 29,2021
Fortune News | Nov 30,2019
Radar | Mar 04,2023
Photo Gallery | 77741 Views | May 06,2019
Photo Gallery | 69759 Views | Apr 26,2019
Fortune News | 56172 Views | Jul 18,2020
Fineline | 55310 Views | Oct 03,2020
Dec 24 , 2022
Biniam Mikru heads the department of cabinet affairs under Mayor Adanech Abiebie. But...
Jul 2 , 2022 . By RUTH TAYE
On a rainy afternoon last week, a coffee processing facility in the capital's Akaki-Qality District was abuzz with activ...
Nov 27 , 2021
Against my will, I have witnessed the most terrible defeat of reason and the most sa...
Nov 13 , 2021
Plans and reality do not always gel. They rarely do in a fast-moving world. Every act...
Sep 30 , 2023
The recent gathering by the leadership - and the rank and file - of the Prosperity Pa...
Sep 23 , 2023
Ethiopia's contemporary political leaders and the policy wonks under their command ha...
Sep 16 , 2023
The Ethiopian economic narrative oscillates between pockets of resilience and signifi...
Sep 10 , 2023
Earlier this Ethiopian fiscal year, the heralding of a peace deal became synonymous w...
Sep 30 , 2023
A staple vegetable's price is ringing alarm bells. Onion prices have skyrocketed, with a kilo costing up to 120 Br on certain days. For man...
Sep 30 , 2023 . By BERSABEH GEBRE
A vital shift is on the horizon for Ethiopia's manufacturers, who once thrived on exports braced by the A...
Sep 30 , 2023 . By BERSABEH GEBRE
In a move rattling the coffee industry, officials of the Ethiopian Coffee & Tea Authority have impose...
Sep 30 , 2023 . By MUNIR SHEMSU
Applying advanced reproductive biotechnology to dairy cattle is indicated as a way to rectify the underwh...