Jennifer Ferguson

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Jennifer Kestis Ferguson (born January 8, 1961 in Ermelo , South Africa ) is a South African singer-songwriter , pianist and peace activist .

Life

Jennifer Ferguson moved to Johannesburg at the age of four . From 1970 to 1979 she learned to play the piano. In 1979 she studied journalism at Rhodes University , from 1980 to 1982 she studied English, theater and psychology at the University of Cape Town , where she earned a Bachelor of Arts . She became a musician and anti- apartheid activist, whose songs were not allowed to be played on the South African state radio . She made a name for herself through numerous appearances, especially in the urban areas of South Africa. Many of your texts are critical. In the song Letters to Dickie, for example, she describes the feelings of a simple, young woman whose boyfriend is taking part in the campaign against Angola as a soldier . Other songs are characterized by a pictorial, poetic language.

In 1985 she released the long-playing record Hand Around the Heart , which includes Letters to Dickie and the sarcastic Suburban Hum . In 1986 the song Suburban Hum appeared on a long-playing record with the ironic title Forces Favorites, with which the End Conscription Campaign was supported, which fought against conscription in South Africa. In 1989 Ferguson's album Untimely was released .

In 1994 she was elected to the South African parliament as a member of the African National Congress in the first parliamentary elections after the end of apartheid . In 1997 she gave up her mandate to devote herself to music again. In 1996 she married the Swedish composer Anders Nyberg (* 1955), with whom she has three children. They live alternately in Sweden and South Africa. There they founded the Peace of Music Center in the Troyeville district of Johannesburg. The main aim is to promote children through music and other cultural activities.

Since 2000 Ferguson has been giving more concerts again. In 2001 she was inducted into the South African Sarral Composers Hall of Fame . In the 2010s she performed occasionally in Sweden and published pieces. In 2014 she recorded the album The Forgotten Song with Rickard Åström . She also works as a composer and voice therapist.

In October 2017, Ferguson accused former football official and politician Danny Jordaan of raping her 24 years ago. She said the #MeToo campaign inspired her to speak up. Jordaan denied the claim.

Discography

  • 1985: Hand Around the Heart (Shifty Music)
  • 1989: Untimely (Shifty Music)
  • 2014: The Forgotten Song (Peace of Music)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Biography at jenniferkestisferguson.com (English), accessed on March 20, 2018
  2. ↑ Biography of Jennifer Ferguson ( English ) Retrieved September 7, 2012.
  3. ↑ In this the Blue (video)
  4. ↑ Portrait at en.angsbacka.se ( Memento from April 2, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) (English)
  5. ↑ South Africa football boss 'raped singer' (en-GB) . In: BBC News , October 19, 2017. 
  6. ↑ SA football boss Danny Jordaan denies raping Jennifer Ferguson. In: BBC News , November 1, 2017, accessed March 20, 2018
personal data
SURNAME Ferguson, Jennifer
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Ferguson, Jennifer Kestis
BRIEF DESCRIPTION South African singer-songwriter and cultural activist
DATE OF BIRTH January 8, 1961
PLACE OF BIRTH Ermelo , South Africa