Nelson Mandela had an impact on all parts of culture, and not just within South Africa. Tributes and dedications have poured in from around the music world, and now SiriusXM Radio is putting together a limited-run radio station in order bring it all together. The Nelson Mandela Channel will play on SiriusXM channel 111, beginning at noon on Friday and continuing through December 15.
The playlists will include musical tributes from Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, Paul Simon, Bono, Sting, Hugh Masekela, Aretha Franklin and R. Kelly. For all of the music released in tribute to Mandela, it's still not quite enough to fuel a radio station, so there will also be music mixed in that reflects the mindset of Mandela's campaign against apartheid in South Africa, including music from Carlos Santana and Bob Marley. The station will also include audio samples from speeches given by Mandela throughout his lifetime.
For those of you who don't have a Sirius account, most of this music can still be found online. One example is the track "Gift Of Hope," which was just released by Wu-Tang Clan beat-maker RZA on his Soundcloud. You can listen to the track at the bottom of the page.
Much has been made of Mandela's involvement with athletics as a President, including the role made famous by Morgan Freeman in the film Invictus. Fewer are familiar with the similar approach Mandela took toward the South African national anthem, combining the previous Afrikaans-language anthem with the nation's many native languages to make an all-encompassing song that still serves the country today.
