Spirit of the Great Heart
Jonathan Paul Clegg (better known as Johnny Clegg) was…complicated. Born in England in 1953, he lived there briefly, then his mother moved them to Israel, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), and Zambia, before settling in South Africa. There he witnessed the cruelty of the government’s forced racial segregation, and at the age of 15 was arrested for being with blacks after curfew. 1
Johnny would become an anthropologist, university professor, and social activist. But his love was music, blending Zulu rhythms and language with English. His songs spoke of his love for Africa, the struggles of its people, hope, and a call to stand against the Apartheid. As his music spread, the government retaliated, banning it from radio stations and concerts. But he played anyway.
He was of Jewish heritage but so identified with Zulus that he immersed himself in their language, music, culture, even their complex, athletic style of dancing, and especially their cries for justice. (The French even called him Le Zoulou Blanc (The White Zulu).They loved him and though he was a white man in an age when whites were hated, feared and distrusted, they saw him as one of their own…a brother in a cruel, crazy beautiful world. 2
Go searching for the Great Heart,
I heard of Johnny Clegg in 1997 and one song, Great Heart, really moved me. 3 The music was unique and powerful. But it wasn’t just about the plight of people in Africa. It was about all of us when trouble comes and we think we have to save ourselves…“The world is full of strange behavior. Every man has to be his own savior. I know I can make it on my own if I try.” Then the song makes a dramatic shift.
I’m searching for the spirit of the great heart to hold and keep me by.
I’m searching for the spirit of the great heart under African sky.
Sometimes I feel that you really know me.
Sometimes there’s so much you can show me.
I’m searching for the spirit of the great heart, I see the fire in your eyes.
I’m searching for the spirit of the great heart, that beats my name inside.
And your life is a story like the wind. Your life is a story like the wind.
Guka ‘mzimba, sala ‘nhliziyo.(Body grows old but heart remains behind.) 4,5
That beats your name inside.
So how’s your life going? Ever feel alone and beaten down? Go searching for the Spirit of the Great Heart.
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 6 I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me. 7 And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. 8
We grow old but the kindness, love and compassion we show others will never fade.
Ciloa Forever!
Chuck
Chuck Graham is Founder and Executive Director of Ciloa, an international ministry devoted to sharing God’s encouragement and teaching others how to “encourage one another as long as it is called Today!” He is also an author, speaker, teacher, and encourager. Chuck and his wife, Beverly, live in Lawrenceville, Georgia, USA. You can learn more about Chuck and Ciloa at www.Ciloa.org.
Footnotes: (1) The Apartheid (which means “apartness” in Afrikaans) was the racial segregation under the all-white government of South Africa which dictated that non-white South Africans (a majority of the population) were required to live in separate areas from whites and use separate public facilities, and contact between the two groups would be limited. The Apartheid existed in South Africa from 1948 until 1994. (from African Union, https://au.int>auhrm-project-focus-area-apartheid. (2) This is a reference to his song Cruel, Crazy, Beautiful World which first appeared in the 1989 album of the same name, performed by Johnny Clegg & Savuka. (3) Great Heart first appeared in the 1994 album In My African Dream, performed by Johnny Clegg & Savuka. (4) These are some of the lyrics of Great Heart, written by Jonathan Paul Clegg, © Downtown Music Publishing, Rhythm Safari Pty Ltd. (5) Guka ‘mzimba, sala ‘nhliziyo is in the Zulu language is translated into English as “Body grows old but heart remains behind”, which generally means “Even though we grow old, what flows from the heart to others never does. (6) Read Jerimiah 29:13. (7) Read Proverbs 8:17. (8) Read Matthew 28:20.
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