Richard Rodriguez And Sugar Man Essay

Rodriguez’s success in South Africa was due to the oppressive culture in the 1970s, causing the adoption of his music as encouragement for ending apartheid, further exemplified by the song lyrics of “I Wonder” and “Sugar Man”. The culture of South Africa in the 1970s is depicted in many of Rodriguez’s songs, which in turn brought more attention to the issues South Africa struggled with, mainly apartheid. Rodriguez’s song, “I Wonder”, released in 1970, claims “I wonder will this hatred ever end / I wonder and worry my friend.” Rodriguez’s lyrics were analyzed by South Africans as though Rodriguez was a friend, making a sincere concern for their society as his lyrics made him appear to be relatable when he used words such as friend and wonder.
Most often when people feel oppressed, it is necessary for an external force to encourage them to acknowledge the problem. This encouragement is most often reinforced by concern, provided by a trusted figure. For South Africans, Rodriguez’s songs took on this role. The documentary, Searching for Sugar Man, released in 2012 by writers Malik Bendjelloul and Craig Bartholomew Strydom, further portrays the effect of Rodriguez’s songs on the people of South Africa. Willem Möller, a South African musician, claims in the documentary that “Rodriguez broke boundaries. He became a rebel sort of icon.” He held a status as someone who was willing to speak out against societal actions and normalities. Humans most often desire to conform to society, yet when a person speaks out and attains a new leadership status, others crave that same status and are willing to speak out as well. This was present for Rodriguez, and further increased his success, because he appeared to be disputing actions that were occurring in South Africa, even though that was not his original