Sal Davis

Mohamed Saïd

Description

Sal Davis is the stage name and identity of the son of an Arab aristocrat Sharif Abdallah Salim of Mombasa. The life of Salim Abdallah Salim (Sal Davis) was laid out and planned. He would be sent to England to study Law and return to Mombasa to practise Law and probably emulate his father who was a member of the law-making Legislative Council. Like in the Albert Hammond song; he gave it up for music. How did this happen?
Mohamed Said the author of this Autobiography is a researcher and historian of the independence struggles in East Africa.
Mohamed Said was born in Dar es Salaam, and lived an urban social life of the middle class of the 1960's and 70's filled with music of the emerging black artistes, actors and athletes. As a teenager and young man of the town, he indulged in music. The opportunity to write an autobiography of one and possibly the only international popstar with East African origins was irresistible.
"His compassion, empathy for the underdog and humanness stand in stark contrast to the hubris and egotism usually associated with famous artistes in the calibre of Sal Davis."
Ahmed Rajab

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Memoir
• General officer
• General

Informations

• Publié par: Readit Books Ltd
• Date de parution: 31 janvier 2024
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9789912982871
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

Sal Davis An Autobiography

i

ii

Sal Davis Reminiscences of the One and Only Kenyan International Pop Star Mohamed Said

Dar es Salaam

iii

Readit Books Ltd P. O. Box 20986 Dar es Salaam Email: [e-mail]

© Mohamed Said, 2023 © Design: Readit Books

eISBN: 978-9912-9828-7-1

All rights reserved

iv

CONTENTS Preface by Ahmed Rajab (vi) Chapter One Watching a Surging Tide 1 Mombasa, Kenya Colony, 1941 Chapter Two New Horizons 11 Manchester 1957 Chapter Three The Making of a Pop Star 23 London 1959 Chapter Four The Breakthrough 33 Brussels 1961 Chapter Five Back Home for Uhuru Celebrations Nairobi 1963 Chapter Six Business and Bankruptcy 61 Kenya 1970s Chapter Seven Epilogue 69

v

41

Preface

Sal Davis was the man who picked the phone up when I first rang the BBC Swahili Section in 1964. I was seeking directions to the BBC External Services at Bush House in London. About 39 languages, including Swahili, were broadcast at the premises of the External Services (renamed World Service in May 1965). Its subsidised canteen on the lower ground floor was a mini United Nations, with its cacophony of strange tongues and curious faces. The Swahili Section (it became a Service years later) occupied two rooms on the third floor of Bush House’s Central Block. One was the office of the Organiser, the head of the Section. The other office was a star-studded room. At a time when radio reigned supreme, the crème de la crème of Swahili broadcasters from Kenya (James Kangwana, Salim Juma, Hassan Mazoa, Mohamed Bakhressa and Dalail Mzee) and Tanzania (Nasor Malik, Hamza Kassongo, Alois Ngosso and Emmanuel Vivian Kassembe) were almost cramped in Room 306. Sal was undoubtedly the superstar. He had earned the accolade in his own right, not

vi

as a broadcaster, but as a popular musician of English songs who had released a few singles. His reputation preceded him years earlier. I was already familiar with some of his recordings, had read write-ups about him mostly in Kenya’sThe Standard and heard him on the BBC General Service. I must admit that when we met, I was immediately in awe of him, overwhelmed by his prestige and presence. He was always immaculately dressed, looking very spruce and stylish. A neat well-tailored suit and polished shoes werede rigueur for him, except for the weekends when he used to don a high collared pullover. I remember him being poised, moving about with an air of extreme self-confidence, a streak which he tried to imbue on me. “When you enter the foyer of the Hilton (then the newest premier hotel in London) walk in as if you own it.” I remember him once telling me. Sal had another advantage over the other Swahili broadcasters. He owned a car. This added to his allure as a man about town in London’s swinging sixties. Despite his demeanour as a gadfly of sorts with arisqué humour however, Sal has never smoked and was teetotal. Still, during our time at the BBC, Sal was known for his argumentative bent and for some annoying traits. His lashings of acerbic wit

vii