Song in the Anti-Apartheid and Reconciliation Movements in South Africa
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Date
2007-06
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The Ohio State University
Abstract
As Apartheid developed in South Africa, political, cultural, and religious resistance emerged. This essay will explore the history of songs used in the anti-Apartheid movements in South Africa. Studying music’s role in the South African liberation movement reveals various issues concerning the social dynamics and cultural history of the nation. Exploring the soundscapes of South African independence opens space for a new perspective and better understanding of the way diverse communities formed a unified movement to resist Apartheid. Music helped people of diverse tribal and racial identities transcend differences that remained salient in other contexts.
This paper draws on a wide variety of scholarly sources in disciplines such as history and musical ethnography. Interviews with Gabi Mkhize, a current member of the African National Congress (ANC), Ohio State University Graduate Student, and isiZulu instructor, offer evidence to support the centrality of music in anti-Apartheid movements. Music spanned ethnic differences, united generations, and aided in the organization of South Africans against their oppressive white government.
The findings of this project will expand upon prior research and provide specific historical data to substantiate the claims that music indeed has a strong impact on the revolution in South Africa. Song is embedded in South African culture and it is not surprising that this medium would serve as a principal vehicle in defeating the Apartheid government. Songs were used to hide protest slogans, banned materials, secret information, etc.
Further research concerning the historic role music played in unifying and liberating oppressed communities might consider other timeframes in black South African history or explore the role of music and politics in the context of white South African communities. Other historic occurrences might also be approached through the study of music, then compared and contrasted to South Africa’s experience. The portability and flexibility of music allowed it to play a crucial role in the liberation movements against Apartheid.
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Keywords
South Africa, Music