mayibuye – an african ballade (for hike)

The fifth of six piano piece in friends suite: a touch of clazz II (2001) is once again dedicated to Reddy’s partner Heike Asmuss, who featured in friends suite I. ‘Mayibuye’ is the Zulu word for ‘return’ and was often used in conjunction with ‘Afrika’ as a rallying cry before the end of apartheid, e.g. ‘Mayibuye, iAfrika!’. There is no score, only a recording made in 2001 which is given below and is freely downloadable.

Reddy’s long-time partner, Heike Asmuss is the ‘Hike’ of the title, and the piece expresses the longing she had to go back to Africa, which is where she and Reddy had met, in the 1990s.