Clegg, who is sometimes referred to as Le Zoulou Blanc (The White Zulu) has been an iconic figure both locally and internationally, ever since his band, Juluka, released their first album in 1979.

He says receiving his trophy at the ACT Awards felt wonderful. Lifetime Achievement Award winners, who are nominated and selected by the current and previous ACT Trustees, are fundamentally individuals that the sponsors are proud to acknowledge for their contribution to the arts.

The musician and anthropologist, who counts sharing a stage with Nelson Mandela as a career highlight, has produced over 19 albums in his career, as a soloist and with his bands Juluka and Savuka.

Clegg was first introduced to South African music when he heard a street musician, Mntonganazo Mzila, play. Enchanted by what he heard, Clegg became Mzila's apprentice for two years, learning the basics of Zulu music and Inhlangwini dancing.

Soon after forming Juluka, Clegg recorded his debut single, Woza Friday. Although racial prejudice in South Africa prevented their first album, Universal Man, from attaining radio airplay, the album became a word-of-mouth hit. Their second album, African Litany, released in 1981, included the South African hit, Impi, and two years later, Juluka attracted international acclaim for their album Scatterlings.

When the political climate of South Africa began to take its toll on the group in the mid-eighties, Juluka separated. Clegg then formed his second band, Savuka, which took its name from the Zulu word meaning "we have risen" or "we have awakened," and took a more pop-minded approach to African music.

“Culture is the prism through which communities construct their identities and vision of their future,” says Clegg. “It is the deepest frame of reference a person can have because it includes language, values, beliefs, sentiments, art, technology and all the customs and practices a community employs to make sense of the world. It is a shared road map and multi-layered compass offering solutions to problems all humans experience. These solutions are passed down by one generation to the next and is what we call cultural tradition.”

Tiyani Maluleke, the general manager of marketing at SAMRO, echoes Clegg’s musings on the importance of arts, culture, and heritage in South Africa, “Since time immemorial, the arts have played a role in educating and uniting the people of South Africa. Music, in particular, has been a part of South African culture, defining certain eras and expressing our love, our pain, our losses, as well as our victories. Art is part of the many ways in which we express ourselves as South Africans.”

Clegg, who believes that success in the music industry is not gained by talent alone, but through hard work and a firm understanding of the industry, says his wish for the new wave of the country’s musicians is “strength and stamina in the pursuit of their arts”.

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