Hit the write note: New book honours music icon Taliep
|Published
Jawaahier Petersen with book about her pops Taliep
A new book about slain music icon Taliep Petersen has hit the shelves and his family says it will help people remember his incredible legacy.
Taliep’s life has been documented in Dr Paula Fourie’s biography, Mr Entertainer: The Story of Taliep Petersen.
Speaking to IOL Entertainment, his daughter, actress Jawaahier Petersen who plays Kashiefa in Suidooster, says: “The fear for us has always been that the nature of his death and the events that happened post his death will overshadow the incredible legacy that he has and the contribution that he made to the art and musical landscape of this continent.
“[Also] that people will forget the strides he took and the footsteps that he created so that other artists of colour are able to step into.
“So with a tangible symbol like this of a legacy that gives generations to come the opportunity to know him and his contribution, it leaves me speechless.”
Taliep, 56, was shot dead in his Athlone home on December 16, 2006, in a robbery that turned out to be a hit orchestrated by his wife Najwa, 59.
She was sentenced to 28 years agter tralies and is currently toegesluit at Pollsmoor Prison. She becomes eligible for parole in November.
The book touches on various aspects of Taliep’s life, including his lauded music career as well as his family life.
Fourie says the book started out as a PhD dissertation at Stellenbosch University, as she was interested in the Malay choirs.
“But at a competition in the Good Hope Centre, someone pointed out a chair in the auditorium and said, ‘That’s where Taliep Petersen used to sit’, that empty chair made a big impression on me,” she says.
“A few days later, I awoke from a dream with his name on my tongue and decided instead to try to write his biography as my dissertation.
“That was over 10 years ago. After getting my degree, I realised that there was so much more of the story to tell and decided to turn it into a book.”
Fourie interviewed more than 30 mense and worked with the papers that Taliep left behind in his studio, and which his family generously granted her access to.
Jawaahier adds that Fourie did an “amazing job”.
She adds: “The dream is that this will become part of the educational syllabus of this country so that in the same way people speak about other big names of musical contributors in the country… Taliep Petersen’s name will always be remembered for years to come.”