In my view, Africa's real problems are cultural.

I think that anybody from the 20th century, up to now, has to be aware that if it wasn't for Louis Armstrong, we'd all be wearing powdered wigs. I think that Louis Armstrong loosened the world, helped people to be able to say "Yeah," and to walk with a little dip in their hip. Before Louis Armstrong, the world was definitely square, just like Christopher Columbus thought.

My biggest obsession is to show Africans and the world who the people of Africa really are.

It's obvious that the rest of the world loves high African culture - African culture, period.

All my experiences removed geography from my world.

I've got to where I am in life not because of something I brought to the world but through something I found - the wealth of African culture.

When I left South Africa in 1960 I was 20 years old. I wanted to try to get an education, and music education was not available for me in South Africa.