In the face of oppression and hardship, creative outlets emerge as a source of community and support. In South Africa, under the harsh living conditions for blacks brought about by the rapid industrialization of the mineral revolution, a new style of music developed as a solace for beleaguered workers. It transcended their many monetary and racial differences, successfully uniting people whose only commonality was their shared subjugation. The unique blend of traditional African rhythm, combined with influence from the blossoming American Jazz movement resulted in a unique neo-African song style called Marabi. The music communicated political frustration, protest, and provided an escape from everyday adversity. However its ultimate power lay in its ability to instill national pride and unity, defying the disparaging racial thought imposed on the blacks of South Africa during the turn of the nineteenth century.
The mineral revolution transformed South Africa from an underdeveloped agriculture-based society to an industrialized nation in a matter of years, completely altering the social and political spheres in the process. It began in 1867 with the discovery of diamonds near the convergence of the Orange and Vaal rivers. The diamond rush was well underway by 1870, but was overtaken in the 1880s by the discovery of gold in the Witwatersrand reef. Gold soon became the primary export of South Africa, creating unbelievable wealth for the white company owners. This enormous profitability relied on the exploitation of a large group of impoverished black laborers. European ideals of social Darwinism and scientific racism prevalent at the time directed British policy towards the native colony populations. Blacks in South Africa were a ...
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...topher. Marabi Nights: Jazz, ‘Race’ and Society. Durban: University of KwaZulu-Natal Press, 2012. Print.
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Leach, Graham. "'Only Free Men can Negotiate' , The struggle for black freedom." In South Africa , No easy path to peace, by Graham Leach, 117. London: Methuen London Limited, 1986.
The movie “Amandla” describes the sense of discrimination felt by black South Africans from the late 1940’s through the 1990’s. This movie serves as a testament to the power of music in a society where blacks are so heavily repressed. Throughout the movie, characters show their commitment to the fight against repression through the use of their own cultural music. They decide to partake in a war of abstinence; instead of guns, they use other means to fight against those who have taken their power away. The importance of music in the culture of black South Africans became so powerful that it united the entire community against one central cause. With little to no economic strength, the black population had to use their own resources that cost
“How Musical is Man?” was published in 1974. This book was written by John Blacking, a musician turned social anthropologist. His goal in writing this ethnography, and several other papers during this same time period, was to compare the experience of music-making that takes place within different cultures and societies throughout the world. In this book, he discusses and describes the musicology of the Venda people in South Africa. Though he does go to Africa to research and learn about the Venda people and their music, he specifically states that his book is “not a scholarly study of human musicality” (ix), but rather it is a summary (written from his point of view), which is both expressive and entertaining, of several different issues and ideas that he has seemingly been contemplating for some time.
In Cape Town we have a very rich culture and heritage, starting as early as the Khoisan era and leading up to the liberated society that we are today. South Africa has progressed through many different trials and tribulations throughout the years, conquering numerous noteworthy feats such as slavery and the Apartheid struggle (Bray, 2008). “South Africa is democratic developing country where everybody has the right to vote so that their voices may be heard” (Smith, 1999).
Cultural expression frequently serves as a lens to the conditions, historical and contemporary, of a society. Film, music, and literature often serve as an extension of oral traditions and can provide us not only with a glimpse into history but can also share with us the cultural impact of the past and give us a greater understanding of the present. In the countries of Brazil and Jamaica with similar histories of oppression, from slavery, to genocide, to crushing poverty and systemic racism, it is not surprising to see a similarity in the heightened consciousness in their music. Through analysis of the histories of Brazil and Jamaica, from slavery to the institutionalized systems of oppression, one can understand how such seemingly different musical traditions frequently share a common theme, resistance.
Massie, Robert K. Loosing the Bonds: The United States and South Africa in the Apartheid Years. New York: Bantam. 1997.
When I hear the words gold and diamonds the first thing I think of are, gold rings and gold bracelets all encrusted with diamonds. Not once does my mind say I wonder how these diamonds were found? who found them? was it difficult to locate? How long did it take? What were the environment, human, or economic impact did mining theses diamonds and gold were? Diamond mining began between December 1866 and February 1867 in the Cape Colony, South Africa. When a 15-year-old boy named Erasmus, Jacobs found a transparent rock on his father’s farm, on the south bank of the Orange River .
Blacks still struggle in 2014 in South Africa. Whites still control the majority of business investments and wealth inside the country. There is a huge problem with HIV/AIDS that mainly effects the black population. Crime and sexual assault rates are some of the highest in Africa and the government is constantly bogged down in corruption scandals. The legacy of the Boer’s is one that still can be felt on the streets of South Africa today.
Since the early to mid 1800’s, music has been the most powerful vehicle of human expression. As the embodiment of love, disapproval, happiness, pain and experience, mainly life, music speaks to us because it comes from us. Everyone in the, paradigm of the human experience instinctively and systematically change the music of the past to represent the realities of the present. In this century, African American music, more specifically Soul music, has been the music that has brought to plain view evidences of our humanities – hope, hurt, joy and passion – in such a way that the world has no other choice than to feel its power and marvel in its brilliance. Although the first true pioneers of music can not be traced, some of the first people to bring the art of music to the for front can.
Gandhi, Ela. "MAHATMA GANDHI’S SOUTH AFRICAN EXPERIENCE – A UNIQUE MODEL OF TRANSFORMATION." 07 February 2014. www.transcend.org. Article.
In our Western culture, we have always been entertained and pleased by the sound of music. Whether listening to the radio or going to a live concert, the music itself is usually considered a form of art or past time for the listener and the performer. While some can connect, relate to, or even "feel" the power of the music, not many westerners can comprehend "living" the music. In African tribal culture, the people have done just that since ancient times. They have spent each day using the music along with their work, daily routines, ceremonies, rituals, and gatherings. To them, the sound that is produced from their instruments and voice is more than a product of creativity of a group of musicians, it is a gift from the Gods which has high symbolic meaning and serves a purpose. In our modern, hi-tech, wireless society, the significance of music is something we have long forgotten, or may have never understood at all, and is certainly something that is taken for granted. As this essay will show you, the connection with and use of music by the African tribal people, in comparison to its purpose in Western culture, has much more valuable spiritual significance.
Music before the 20th century was very different when compared to the music of the 21st Century. There were distinctive occasions for each type of African music. West African music, the African Diaspora, and the music of the Colonies each had different musical instruments.
2.) Micheal Brett, Philip Briggs, Brian Johnson-Barker, Marielle Renssen. Eyewitness: South Africa. DK publishing. Copyright 1999, 2013
Louw, P. E. (1992). Language and National Unity in a Post-Apartheid South Africa. Critical Arts: A South-North Journal of Cultural & Media Studies - 02560046, Vol. 6, Issue 1. Retrieved from EBSCO Host.
As I have shown above, South Africa’s economic performance over the last few decades can largely be explained in the context of South Africa’s political transition out of apartheid. In the years following the end of apartheid, the ANC’s reform policies have largely been successful in stimulating economic growth, promoting stability, and overseeing the transformation of the South African economy from a traditionally mining and agriculture oriented economy to a modern economy, in which manufacturing and financial services contribute a greater share of GDP.