Under African Skies

Paul Simon's 1986 album Graceland is a Grammy-Award winning masterpiece ranking high on a number of lists designating the greatest albums ever made. Paul Simon defines Graceland as his “most significant achievement of all time.” Though many would agree, few know that Graceland also carries with it the title of one of the most notoriously controversial musical endeavors in history. Created in the music halls and studios of Johannesburg, South Africa, the album manifested at a time when apartheid was still a very absolute and dangerous reality. For those honoring the UN cultural boycott of South Africa, a privileged white Westerner's presence was unwelcome and a slap in the face to those risking their lives for liberation. But when politics and art mix, the outcome is always a complicated one, posing the question of what's more important—the fight for emancipation or the freedom of musical expression? Travel with Paul back to South Africa for the 25th Anniversary of Graceland in UNDER AFRICAN SKIES, an eye-opening documentary that brings him face to face with both his adversaries and the musical collaborators he's since proudly called his close friends. – M.M.