{"product_id":"oratorio-of-a-forgotten-youth-by-amandla-freedom-ensemble-mandla-mlangeni","title":"Oratorio Of A Forgotten Youth by Amandla Freedom Ensemble, Mandla Mlangeni","description":"\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eScars. Why are there so many open scars in South Africa? Scars left by racial capitalism, which always reopen, never heal. “The writing of our time is on broken skulls.” Lesego Rampolokeng's poetry is a statement of intent. Powerful. What happens when you shoot the English with British bullets? Outrage. The beat. We hold the truth about our liberation within our wombs, writes Rampolokeng. Mandla Mlangeni plays the trumpet. Improvisation. Rhythmic sensibilities. Eternal jazz. The beat of the broken bone. A husky voice ringing out loud and clear.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eIt all really begins when Eugene de Kock... wait a minute. Why are there more images of Eugene de Kock than Bheki Mlangeni on Google search? Interruption. Let's rewind. It all begins when a bomb kills Bheki Mlangeni. The entire history of South Africa can be summed up in the murder of Mlangeni. As in that of many others. Soweto. 1990s. Dirk Coetzee exposes the dirty war waged by the apartheid political police, Unit C1, based at a farm called Vlakplaas and responsible for numerous murders, kidnappings, poisonings... Coetzee, the unit's first commander, who was granted amnesty during the sitting of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. “And once again the power-monger wins”. How quickly we forget and switch tracks, writes Rampolekeng. “We don’t break the rotten walls, we whitewash them.” Bheki Mlangeni was murdered by de Kock, who wanted to kill Coetzee, but it was Mlangeni who died. Like many others. The entire history of South Africa can be summed up in the murder of Mlangeni. How can the dream of power to the people be realized when the people have been systematically massacred? Echoes of Palestine. Echoes of South Africa. The favelas of Rio. Murders in the name of racial capitalism. Confessions. Freedom and reconciliation. Of what? The music of Mlangeni is more of a weapon than its Western imitations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eA young layer working for the African National Congress reveals the truth and is murdered. The trumpet sounds. Powerful. If suffering is a commodity in the marketplace of truth, memory becomes a void. History begins in Africa. It has always been this way. Crossing the Atlantic. The cry of the Black Panthers to the beat of Fela. Rampolekeng’s spoken word to the tradition of all black and indigenous repentistas. Music may not be revolution but is an open rehearsal of revolution.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eDr.Sócrates for Tropical Diaspora Records®\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch1 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong data-redactor-tag=\"strong\"\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/h1\u003e\n\u003ch1 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-redactor-tag=\"strong\"\u003eOratorio Of A Forgotten Youth by Amandla Freedom Ensemble, Mandla Mlangeni\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h1\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"\" data-block=\"true\" data-editor=\"cibfg\" data-offset-key=\"1e6m3-0-0\" style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\" data-offset-key=\"1e6m3-0-0\"\u003e\u003cspan data-offset-key=\"a1oe0-0-0\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\" data-offset-key=\"1e6m3-0-0\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0536\/8063\/6098\/files\/Label-Collection-Series-AfricaOnVinyl_33_492x_v1.jpg?v=1751167081\" alt=\"\" width=\"114\" height=\"223\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\" data-offset-key=\"1e6m3-0-0\"\u003eTropical Diaspora Records®\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\" data-offset-key=\"1e6m3-0-0\"\u003eAfrica On Vinyl Collection Series\u003cstrong data-redactor-tag=\"strong\"\u003e - \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong data-redactor-tag=\"strong\"\u003eMandla Mlangeni\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan data-offset-key=\"a1oe0-0-0\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\" data-offset-key=\"1e6m3-0-0\"\u003eSpoken word featuring Lesego Rampolokeng\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"--awb-text-color: var(--awb-custom14); --awb-margin-top: 1px; --awb-margin-right: 1px; --awb-margin-bottom: 1px; --awb-margin-left: 1px; --awb-font-size: 30px;\" class=\"fusion-title title fusion-title-4 fusion-sep-none fusion-title-center fusion-title-text fusion-title-size-one\"\u003e\n\u003ch1 style=\"font-family: 'Scrubby-Regular'; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; margin: 0; font-size: 1em; --fontsize: 30; line-height: 1.45;\" class=\"fusion-title-heading title-heading-center fusion-responsive-typography-calculated\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong data-redactor-tag=\"strong\"\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/h1\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"--awb-font-size: 20px; --awb-text-color: var(--awb-custom14); --awb-text-font-family: ' Konnect Regular'; --awb-text-font-style: normal; --awb-text-font-weight: 400;\" class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-1\"\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003e[Johannesburg\/Cape Town, São Paulo\/Berlin 2025] – Amandla Freedom Ensemble \u0026amp; Mandla Mlangeni Unveil Lost Chapter of Oratorio of a Forgotten Youth: “Homelessness”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eIn an electrifying archival revelation, Amandla Freedom Ensemble and visionary trumpeter Mandla Mlangeni release “Homelessness”—a previously unheard track from the seminal Oratorio of a Forgotten Youth sessions. Recorded in 2019 but omitted from the original pressing, this sonic manifesto now emerges as a harrowing bridge between jazz, poetry, and protest, amplifying the album’s reckoning with South Africa’s unhealed wounds.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eFollowing overwhelming demand, the Amandla Freedom Ensemble, under the visionary leadership of trumpeter and composer Mandla Mlangeni, is thrilled to announce a second press of their groundbreaking 2023 album, Oratorio of a Forgotten Youth. This release reaffirms the album’s status as a vital work fusing jazz, Afro-jazz, classical, and indigenous traditions, while echoing the struggles and resilience of South Africa’s youth movements.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\" class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003eFormed as a dynamic gathering of young, innovative musicians, the ensemble serves as \u003cstrong\u003ea living bridge\u003c\/strong\u003e between generations, engaging in profound artistic dialogues with jazz elders and indigenous music custodians. Their work pulses with the spirit of collaboration, whether through \u003cstrong\u003eexplosive performances with living legends\u003c\/strong\u003e or cutting-edge workshops that nurture the next wave of composers and arrangers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\" class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003eAt its core, the Amandla Freedom Ensemble is \u003cstrong\u003ea musical insurgency\u003c\/strong\u003e—one that dismantles barriers to artistic access while redefining the canon of South African jazz. Through electrifying live performances, cross-generational mentorship, and uncompromising creative exploration, they ensure that the nation’s musical heritage \u003cstrong\u003edoes not merely survive, but thrives, disrupts, and inspires\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\" class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\" class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003ciframe title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/E4JNni-7ML0?si=ICkBNxAOqcSKCibf\" height=\"315\" width=\"560\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eDisclaimer: The images shown are for illustration and mock-up purposes only and may not be an exact representation of the product.\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"--awb-text-color: var(--awb-custom14); --awb-text-font-family: ' Konnect Regular'; --awb-text-font-style: normal; --awb-text-font-weight: 400;\" class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-3 fusion-text-no-margin\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCREDITS\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLesego Rampolokeng: spoken word\u003cbr\u003eYonela Mnana: piano\u003cbr\u003eSiya Mthembu: voice\u003cbr\u003eString Quartet:\u003cbr\u003eKabelo Mothlomi, Kabelo Monnathebe: violin Tiisetso Mashishi: viola\u003cbr\u003eDaliwonga Mashishi: cello\u003cbr\u003eChoir:\u003cbr\u003eBanele Khanye,Thembinkosi Sibisi: bass\u003cbr\u003eNtando Nxumalo,Israel Sonyoto: tenor\u003cbr\u003eSurprise Sengwayo: alto\u003cbr\u003eKhanyisa Xaba, Puleng Sedi, Nomphumele Kubheka, Akhona Thongo: soprano\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBand:\u003cbr\u003eEnoch Marutha: perc and drums\u003cbr\u003eSimphiwe Tshabalala: drums\u003cbr\u003eAriel Zamonsky: double bass\u003cbr\u003eMathapelo Wesinyane: alto sax\u003cbr\u003eSibonelo Kodiseng: tenor sax\u003cbr\u003eSisonke Xonti: tenor and soprano sax\u003cbr\u003eThabang Manana: alto sax\u003cbr\u003eMuhammad Dawjee: baritone and tenor sax Benedikt Reising: baritone sax\u003cbr\u003eMark Fransman: flute, alto flute, alto sax, bass clarinet Mandla Mlangeni: trumpet\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCover Art: Tawanda Mu Afrika\u003cbr\u003eDesign: Graeme Arendse\u003cbr\u003eRecorded at Soda Studios, Johannesburg\u003cbr\u003eMixed and Mastered by Gavan Eckhart Produced by MMMusic Pty Ltd\u003cbr\u003eWARNING: All Rights Reserved. Unauthorised duplication is a violation of applicable laws\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e© 2025 Amandla Freedom Ensemble, Mandla Mlangeni\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e© 2015-2025\u003cbr\u003eTropical Diaspora Records®\u003cbr\u003e10 years!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ewww.tdrgo.co\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\" style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Tropical Diaspora Records®","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54381532021004,"sku":"TDR051","price":45.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0536\/8063\/6098\/files\/Cover_TDR051_Front_Sticker_Mockup_2000x_v1.png?v=1776685729","url":"https:\/\/www.tdrgo.co\/fr\/products\/oratorio-of-a-forgotten-youth-by-amandla-freedom-ensemble-mandla-mlangeni","provider":"Tropical Diaspora Records®","version":"1.0","type":"link"}