African American Resistance Movement

Considered a touchy topic for some people, the African American resistance movement had many factors contributing to its success. Some may debate how some of these factors served a legitimate purpose, but this film discusses the role of music. We gain an insight into some individuals who believed the music acted as a vital contributor to the movement while others felt it became popular because of the movement. Personally, I stand on the side that believes the music acted as a catalyst in the movement. This film provides us with many examples of the black South Africans using the music to fuel their resistance. In fact, I do not understand how you can have any other viewpoint after watching this film because it thoroughly explains how certain

Many of them wrote songs that focused specifically on freedom while others created songs that spoke about harming the white South Africans. One of my favorite forms of resistance in this film is the creation of Radio Freedom. Discussed at the 58:30 mark in the documentary, Radio Freedom provided the black South Africans with an outlet to have their voice heard by a large mass of people. The radio station featured songs and speakers that could motivate the people to continue fighting for change and often reminded them of the purpose of their fight. Despite the uphill battle they still faced at the time, the black South Africans made progress gradually; therefore, the Radio Freedom often played songs that depicted the struggles they experienced to make the small amount of progress they had made at the time. Another example of music fueling their resistance involves the playing of Nikosi Sikolelei. This song acted as the anthem for the people that partook in the resistance movement and was a tune they sang out loud, often for the whole world to hear. Part of our class discussions, Nikosi Sikoleilei gave the black South Africans a sense of pride that they could not get from any outside sources. Together, they rallied around this song, using it to fuel their movement. Though I only provided two examples in this paper, there were many other ways in which music helped the African

One of those being, Ingoma. To me, the true meaning of this song, song for struggle, catches my attention because this short phrase can have a great level of depth to it. Performed at the 52:55 mark in this film, Ingoma involves an entire choir singing it without any instruments. Some may classify it as a chant, as many people sing along at the same time with one leader. Another song performed in this film is “Bring Back Nelson Mandela” which we see performed at the 1:24:00 mark in the film. Though it may have a lengthy title, this song meant exactly what the title suggests. It featured many instruments including drums, guitar, flute, and vocalists who were led by Hugh Masekela. Based on our class discussion of musical textures, I would say this song feature a polyphony texture because it has multiple parts blending together. Most people would classify this song as a solo performance with Hugh taking the lead. The third song I would like to mention goes by the name of “Watch out Verwoerd” and speaks specifically to the leader of the Apartheid system. Also created by Hugh Masekela, this song occurs at the 10:30 mark in the film and features a lead vocalist with backup singers. In the beginning, we can hear clapping followed by the sound of a ukulele or similar instrument. Because it includes two different parts, I would classify the texture of this