Unisa honours Ray Phiri
THE LATE RAY Chikapa Phiri, the internationally acclaimed doyen of South African music, founder and leader of owne of South Africa’s peerless musical groups, Stimela, was conferred with an honorary degree by Unisa at a graduation ceremony on Friday night.
The council of Unisa, at its sitting of September 23 last year unanimously agreed to confer an honorary doctorate of philosophy in Music (honoris causa, posthumously) on Phiri in recognition of the impact that he made with his outstanding contributions and singular accomplishments in music.
Phiri distinguished himself as a talented, hardworking artist, lead guitarist and songwriter extraordinaire who produced a vast body of work during his lifetime which touched many lives, contributed to social cohesion as well as impacted on societal and cultural matters locally and internationally.
His musical catalogue, spanning from the 1970s to the time of his passing on July 12, 2017 is almost unmatched.
He was highly aware of current issues, including the socio-political conditions in the country, which spurred him to compose such politically conscious tracks as Highland Drifter (1974) and the evergreen masterpiece, Whispers in the Deep/ Phinda Mzala (1986), both of which were banned by the apartheid regime. His musical prowess caught the attention of American artist Paul Simon who invited Phiri in1986 to collaborate
with him and Ladysmith Black Mambazo in the recording of the internationally acclaimed album, Graceland.
During his lifetime, Phiri received several acknowledgements for his outstanding body of work and contribution in the music industry, including the South African National Order of Ikhamanga (2011) and the South African Music Lifetime Achievement Award (2012).
This year, Dr Tlou Setumu honoured him with a posthumous biography titled Singa Jindi Majita…! Struggle and Musical Train Journey of Ray Phiri, named after one of his masterful music compositions.