Eddy Grant on playing for his ‘icon’
Channel: WOMAD
Eddy Grant talks about his pleasure at being able to play for Nelson Mandela at his 90th birthday celebration.
This year has been a good for Eddy Grant. “I’ve been fortunate in as much as all the festivals that I’ve played at have been great festivals” says the reggae musician, but for him Nelson Mandela’s birthday stands out as a great highlight. He says “Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthday was a festival all by itself.”
Eddy Grant was very aware of the unique nature of the event and he says “it was singular in as much as it represented this great man and this charity 46664.” 46664 is a worldwide charity based in Africa and headed by Nelson Mandela that seeks to combat the spread of AIDS. It takes its name from Mandela’s prisoner number while jailed by the South African apartheid regime.
Grant was pleased to play for a worldwide hero, saying “it gave me an opportunity to play for somebody who I can truly hold out as an icon.”
