ladysmith black mambazo - University Musical Society

Transcription

LADYSMITH
BLACK MAMBAZO
TEACHER RESOURCE GUIDE
2009 - 2010
UMS 09-10
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SUPPORTERS
Michigan Council for Arts & Cultural Affairs
University of Michigan
Anonymous
Arts at Michigan
Arts Midwest’s Performing Arts Fund
This Teacher Resource Guide is a product of the
UMS Youth Education Program. Researched,
written, and edited by Carlos Palomares and
Cahill Smith.
Special thanks to Savitski Design and Omari Rush
for their contributions, feedback, and support in
developing this guide.
Bank of Ann Arbor
Bustan al-Funun Foundation for Arab Arts
The Dan Cameron Family Foundation/Alan and Swanna Saltiel
For an additional opportunity to see Ladysmith
Black Mambazo, attend this public performance:
Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan
Consulate General of the Netherlands in New York
Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art
DTE Energy Foundation
The Esperance Family Foundation
David and Phyllis Herzig Endowment Fund
Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP
JazzNet Endowment
W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Masco Corporation Foundation
Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone, P.L.C.
THE MOSAIC FOUNDATION (of R. and P. Heydon)
The Mosaic Foundation [Washington, DC]
National Dance Project of the New England Foundation for
the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
Prudence and Amnon Rosenthal K-12 Education
Endowment Fund
Rick and Sue Snyder
Target
TCF Bank
UMS Advisory Committee
University of Michigan Credit Union
University of Michigan Health System
U-M Office of the Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs
U-M Office of the Vice President for Research
Wallace Endowment Fund
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UMS 09-10
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Sunday, January 31, 4 pm
Hill Auditorium
Call the UMS Ticket Office at 734-764-2538 for
tickets to this public performance. Note: public
performance ticket prices differ significantly
from Youth Performance ticket prices and Ticket
Office staff can provide full details on availability and cost.
LADYSMITH
BLACK MAMBAZO
GRADES
K-12
11AM - 12 NOON
MON D AY
F EBRU ARY 1
2010
HILL
AUDITORIUM
Photo: Rajesh Jantilal
TEACHER RESOURCE GUIDE
2009 - 2010
U M S Y O U T H E D U C AT I O N P R O G R A M
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TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S
Short on time?
If you only have 15 minutes to review this guide, just read the sections in black in the Table of Contents.
Those pages will provide the most important information about this performance.
ATTENDING THE PERFORMANCE
6 Attending the Show
8 Map + Directions
9 HIll Autitorium
LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO
11 Overview
12 Ensemble History
14 Meet the Singers
15 Joseph Shabalala
18 Further Resources
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ABOUT SOUTH AFRICA
19 South Africa
21 A Timeline
25 The Provinces
26 Population
28 The Zulu People
31 Ilemb
ABOUT THE MUSIC
35 South African Music
38 Isicathamiya
CONNECTIONS
42 Appreciating the Performance
44 For Students + Educators
45 Community
ABOUT UMS
47 University Musical Society
49 Youth Education Program
51 Send Us Feedback!
AT T E N D I N G T H E P E R F O R M A N C E
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Photo: Ladysmith
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D E TA I L S
AT T E N D I N G T H E S H O W
We want you to enjoy your time with UMS!
PLEASE review the important information below about attending the Youth Performance:
TICKETS
TICKETS We do not use paper tickets for
DOOR ENTRY A UMS Youth Performance
DURING THE PERFORMANCE At the
Youth Performances. We hold school reserva-
staff person will greet your group at your bus
start of the performance, the lights well
tions at the door and seat groups upon arrival.
as you unload and escort you on a sidewalk to
dim and an onstage UMS staff member will
your assigned entry doors of Hill Auditorium.
welcome you to the performance and provide
important logistical information. If you have
any questions, concerns, or complaints (for
instance, about your comfort or the behavior
ARRIVAL TIME Please arrive at the Hill
USHER
of surrounding groups) please IMMEDIATELY
report the situation to an usher or staff memer
in the lobby.
Auditorium between 10:30-10:50pm to allow
you time to get seated and comfortable before
SEATING & USHERS When you arrive at
the show starts.
the front doors, tell the Head Usher at the
door the name of your school group and he/
she will have ushers escort you to your block
of seats. All UMS Youth Performance ushers
PERFORMANCE LENGTH One hour with
wear large, black laminated badges with their
no intermission
names in white letters.
DROP OFF Have buses, vans, or cars drop off
students on East Washington, Thayer or North
University streets based on the drop off assignment information you receive in the mail.
AFTER THE PERFORMANCE When the
If there is no space in the drop off zone, circle
performance ends, remain seated. A UMS
the block until space becomes available. Cars
may park at curbside metered spots or in the
BEFORE THE START Please allow the usher
staff member will come to the stage and
visitor parking lot behind the power Center.
to seat individuals in your group in the order
release each group individually based on the
Buses should wait/park at Briarwood Mall.
that they arrive in the theater. Once everyone
location of your seats.
is seated you may then rearrange yourselves
and escort students to the bathrooms before
the performance starts. PLEASE spread the
adults throughout the group of students.
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BUS PICK UP When your group is released,
SENDING FEEDBACK We LOVE feedback
ACCESSIBILITY The following services are
please exit the performance hall through the
from students, so after the performance please
available to audience members:
same door you entered. A UMS Youth Perfor-
send us any letters, artwork, or academic
• Courtesy wheelchairs
mance staff member will be outside to direct
papers that your students create in response
• Hearing Impaired Support Systems
you to your bus.
to the performance: UMS Youth Education
AAPS
Program, 881 N. University Ave., Ann Arbor,
PARKING There is handicapped parking
MI 48109-1011.
located in the South Thater parking structure.
All accessible parking spaces (13) are located
on the first floor. To access the spaces, drivers need to enter the structure using the
AAPS EDUCATORS You will likely not get
south (left) entrance lane. If the north (right)
on the bus you arrived on; a UMS staff mem-
entrance lane, the driver must drive up the
ber or AAPS Transportation Staf person will
put you on the first available bus.
ramp and come back down one level to get
NO FOOD No Food or drink is allowed in
to the parking spaces.
the theater.
WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBILITY Hill Auditorium is wheelchair accessible with ramps
found on the east and west entrances, off
South Thayer Street and Ingalls Mall. The au-
LOST STUDENTS A small army of volunteers staff Youth Performances and will be
PATIENCE Thank you in adavance for your
ready to help or direct lost and wandering
patience; in 20 minutes we aim to get 3,500
students.
people from buses into seats and will work as
efficiently as possible to make that happen.
ditorium has 27 accessible seating locations
on its main floor and 8 on the mezzanine
level. Hearing impairment systems are also
available.
BATHROOMS ADA compliant toilets are
available near the Hill Auditorium box office
(west side facing South Thayer).
LOST ITEMS If someone in your group loses
an item at the performance, contact the UMS
ENTRY There will be ushers stationed at
Youth Education Program (umsyouth@umich.
all entrances to assist with door opening.
edu) to attempt to help recover the item.
Wheelchair, companion, or other special
seating
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E . HURO N S T
S TAT E S T
RA C KHA M
P OWER
E. WAS HI NG T O N S T
PAL M E R DRI V E
ZONE C
WAS HT E NAW AV E NUE
F L E T CHE R S T
ZONE B
T HAY E R S T
E. LI B ER TY ST
PA R K
HIL L
M AL L PARK I NG &
WI LLI A M ST
ZONE A
N. UNI V E RS I T Y AV E NUE
CHURCH S T
MAP + DIRECTIONS
This map, with driving directions to the Hill Auditorium, will
be mailed to all attending educators three weeks before the performance.
MAP
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VENUE
HILL AUDITORIUM
HILL AUDITORIUM was built by noted
In May, 2002, Hill Auditorium under-
and loading dock, and improvements to
architectural firm Kahn and Wilby.
went an 18-month, $38.6-million dollar
landscaping.
Completed in 1913, the renowned
renovation, updating the infrastructure
concert hall was inaugurated at the
and restoring much of the interior to its
Interior renovations included the
20th Ann Arbor May Festival, and has
original splendor. Exterior renovations
creation of additional restrooms, the
continued to be the site of thousands
included the reworking of brick paving
improvement of barrier-free circulation
of concerts, featuring everyone from
and stone retaining wall areas, restora-
by providing elevators and an addition
Leonard Bernstein and Cecilia Bartoli to
tion of the south entrance plaza, the
with ramps, the replacement of seating
Bob Marley and Jimmy Buffett.
reworking of the west barrier-free ramp
to increase patron comfort, introduction
of barrier-free seating and stage access,
the replacement of theatrical performance and audio-visual systems, and
the complete replacement of mechanical
and electrical infrastructure systems for
heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. Re-opened in January, 2004, Hill
Auditorium now seats 3,538.
HILL AUDITORIUM
850 North University Ave
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Emergency Contact
Number:
(734) 764-2538
(Call this number to reach a UMS staff person or
audience member at the performance.)
Photo: Mike Savitski
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ABOUT
OVERVIEW
LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO is an
dance idioms that still flourish within
and the other members of Ladysmith
all-male, a capella vocal ensemble from
certain rural communities in South Afri-
Black Mambazo in a recording studio in
South Africa.
ca. The isicathamiya style was developed
Johannesburg. Simon was captivated by
largely by Zulu-speaking migrant work-
the stirring sound of bass, alto and tenor
Assembled in the early 1960s, in South
ers, and over time, the style has drawn
harmonies and incorporated these tradi-
Africa, by Joseph Shabalala – then a
into itself traces of such other idioms as
tional sounds in Graceland, a landmark
young farmboy turned factory worker
American minstrelsy, vaudeville, spiritu-
1986 recording that won the Grammy
– the group took the name Ladysmith
als, missionary hymnody, Tin Pan Alley,
Award for Best Album and is considered
Black Mambazo. Ladysmith refers to the
Hollywood tap-dance, and gospel music.
seminal in the creation of “World Music”
name of Shabalala’s rural hometown,
The name isicathamiya is of relatively
as a music industry marketing genre.
Black refers to oxen, the strongest of
recent origin, and is inseparable from
all farm animals, and Mambazo, the
Joseph Sabalala’s impact on the shap-
Zulu word for axe, is a symbol of the
ing of the style over the last thirty years.
group’s vocal ability to “chop down” all
Joseph Shabalala is not only the most
competition. Their collective voices were
prolific living composer of isicathamiya
so tight and their harmonies so polished
music; he is also the style’s foremost
that they were eventually banned from
recording artist. (Ballantine 3,4)
31, 2009, Ladysmith Black Mambazo
While a radio broadcast in 1970 opened
Arbor,Michigan.
isicathamiya competitions, although
they were welcome to participate strictly
as entertainers.
the door to their first record contract,
Though a vital and popular contempo-
duced to an international audience in
rary song-and-dance style, isicathamiya
the mid-1980s when Paul Simon traveled
has roots in older Zulu musical and
to South Africa and met Joseph Shabalala
Ladysmith Black Mambazo was intro-
Since then, Ladysmith Black Mambazo
has gone on to its own successful international career, performing worldwide,
recording over fifty albums, andwinning
several Grammy awards. On January
will perform at Hill Auditorium in Ann
Sources: http://imnworld.com/artists/detail/24/ladysmith-blackmambazo
Ballantine, Chirstopher. “Joseph Shabalala: Chronicles of an
African Composer.” British Journal of Ethnomusicology, Vol. 5
(1996), pp. 1-38.
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ABOUT
ENSEMBLE HISTORY
LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO is
goat for their efforts and, of course, the
any one religious orientation. “Without
regarded as a cultural emissary at home
adoration of their fans. These competi-
hearing the lyrics, this music gets into
and around the world representing the
tions are held even today in assembly
the blood, because it comes from the
traditional culture of South Africa. For
halls and church basements throughout
blood,” he says. “It evokes enthusiasm
more than forty years, Ladysmith Black
Zululand South Africa.
and excitement, regardless of what you
Mambazo has married the intricate
rhythms and harmonies of their na-
In the late 1950’s Joseph Shabalala took
follow spiritually.”
advantage of his proximity to the urban
Their musical efforts over the past four
sprawl of the city of Durban, allowing
decades have garnered praise and ac-
him the opportunity to seek work in a
colades within the recording industry.
factory. Leaving the family farm was not
Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s discography
easy, but it was during this time that
currently includes more than forty record-
Joseph first showed a talent for sing-
ings, garnering three Grammy Awards
ing. After singing with several groups in
and fifteen nominations, including one
Durban he returned to his hometown
for their most recent recording Ilembe:
of Ladysmith and began to put together
Honoring Shaka Zulu. In addition to
suppressed in the old South Africa.
groups of his own. He was rarely satis-
their work with Paul Simon, Ladysmith
fied with the results. “I felt there was
Black Mambazo have recorded with
The traditional music sung by Ladysmith
something missing. I tried to teach the
numerous artists from around the world,
music that I felt but I failed, until 1964,
including Stevie Wonder, Josh Groban,
when a harmonious dream came to me.
Dolly Parton, Sarah McLaughlin, Em-
I always heard the harmony from that
mylou Harris, Natalie Merchant, Mavis
dream and I said ‘This is the sound that
Staples, Ry Cooder and Ben Harper. They
I want and I can teach it to my guys’.”
have appeared in film, soundtracks and
Joseph recruited family and friends. He
commercials. A film documentary titled
taught the group the harmonies from his
On Tip Toe: Gentle Steps to Freedom,
dreams. With time and patience Joseph’s
the story of Ladysmith Black Mambazo,
work began to gel into a special sound.
was nominated for an Academy Award
tive South African musical traditions to
the sounds and sentiments of Christian
gospel music. The result is a musical and
spiritual alchemy that has touched a
worldwide audience representing every
corner of the religious, cultural and
ethnic landscape. To many, they are a national treasure of the new South Africa in
part because they embody the traditions
Black Mambazo is called isicathamiya.
It was born in the mines of South Africa.
Black workers were taken by rail to work
far away from their homes and their
families. Poorly housed and paid worse,
they would entertain themselves, after
a six-day week, by singing songs into
the wee hours every Sunday morning.
Cothoza Mfana they called themselves,
“tip toe guys”, referring to the dance
steps choreographed so as to not disturb
the camp security guards. When miners
returned to the homelands, the tradition returned with them. There began a
fierce, but social, competition held regularly and a highlight of everyone’s social
calendar. The winners were awarded a
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Shabalala says his conversion to Christianity, in the ‘60s, helped define the
group’s musical identity. The path that
the axe was chopping suddenly had
a direction: “To bring this gospel of
loving one another all over the world,”
he says. However, he is quick to point
out that the message is not specific to
for Best Documentary. The group has also
performed at two Nobel Peace Prize Ceremonies, a performance for Pope John
Paul II, the South African Presidential inaugurations, the 1996 Summer Olympics,
and many musical award shows from
around the world.
Amid extensive worldwide touring, the
icons lending their support to the South
of the group, Joseph has enlisted the tal-
ambitious recording schedule and the
African anthem “Shosholoza,” including
ents of his four sons,the next Mambazo
numerous accomplishments and acco-
Hugh Masekela, Vusi Mahlasela, Lucky
generation. They bring a youthful energy
lades, tragedy struck the group in 2002
Dube, Nokukhanya and others.
to the group, ensure the preservation of
when Nellie Shabalala, Joseph’s wife of
thirty years, was murdered by a masked
Two years later, the group paid tribute
gunman outside their church in South
to Shaka Zulu, the iconic South African
Africa. “At the time that this happened,
warrior who united numerous regional
I tried to take my mind deep into the
tribes in the late 1800s and became the
spirit, because I know the truth is there,”
first king of the Zulu nation. Ilembe:
Shabalala recalls. “In my flesh, I might
Honoring Shaka Zulu was released in
be angry, I might cry, I might suspect
January 2008. The newest offering from
somebody. But when I took my mind into
the group is Ladysmith Black Mambazo
the spirit, the spirit told me to be calm
Live! (HUDV 7149), a DVD set for release
and not to worry. Bad things happen,
in January 2009. The visual feast captures
and the only thing to do is raise your
fourteen songs performed on the stage
spirit higher.”
of EJ Thomas Hall at the University of
Akron in Akron, Ohio, as well as forty
Out of this dark chapter came Raise
minutes of in-depth interviews with Sha-
Your Spirit Higher -Wenyukela, Black
balala and other members of the group.
Mambazo’s brilliant debut recording on
Heads Up International, released in 2004
Meanwhile, traditional life in South Africa
to coincide with the 10-year anniversary
continues to change. Cable television,
of the end of apartheid. The album was
MTV, the internet and other international
Shabalala’s message of hope and unity
influences are taking its toll on tradition,
to a troubled world. “When the world
and Joseph sees the wonder and the peril
looks at you and finds the tears in your
in this progress. Always a man to find
eyes,” says Shabalala, “but you smile in
faith in his dreams, Joseph’s life ambition
spite of the tears, then they discover that,
now is to establish the first Academy for
‘Oh, he’s right when he says you must be
the teaching and preservation of indig-
strong, because many things have hap-
enous South African music and culture in
pened to him, and he still carries on with
South Africa.
the spirit of the music.’”
Ladysmith Black Mambazo celebrated
twelve years of democracy in the Republic of South Africa with the January 2006
release of Long Walk to Freedom, a
collection of twelve new recordings of
classic Mambazo songs with numerous special guests, including Melissa
Etheridge, Emmylou Harris, Taj Mahal,
Joe McBride, Sarah McLachlan, Natalie
Merchant, and Zap Mama. Also appearing on this monumental recording are a
number of South African international
the teachings and the traditions of the
South African.
The group has devoted itself to raising
consciousness of South African culture.
Attracting the financial and moral support of many, including Danny Glover
and Whoopi Goldberg, was just the
beginning. Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s
continues to spread the word of Joseph’s
dream of preservation through education, while encouraging all those who
can to give their support.
Compiled from the following sources:
http://imnworld.com/artists/detail/24/ladysmith-blackmambazo
www.rockpaperscissors.biz/index.cfm/fuseaction/current.bio/
project_id/245.cfm
www.mambazo.com/biography.html
www.concordmusicgroup.com/artists/Ladysmith-BlackMambazo/
Joseph continues teaching young children
the traditions of his his elders. Joseph’s
appointment as an associate professor
of ethnomusicology at the University of
Natal has given him a taste of the life
of a scholar. “It’s just like performing,”
says Joseph, beaming. “You work all day,
correcting the mistakes, encouraging the
young ones to be confident in their action. And if they do not succeed, I always
criticize myself. I am their teacher. They
are willing to learn. But it is up to me to
see they learn correctly.” Over the years,
with the retirement of several members
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PEOPLE
MEET THE SINGERS
Photo: Rajesh Janeilal
JOSEPH SHABALALA
THULANI SHABALALA
ALBERT MAZIBUKO
Soprano
Bass
Tenor
THAMSANQA SHABALALA
MSIZI SHABALALA
ABEDNEGO MAZIBUKO
Alto
Tenor
Bass
SIBONGISENI SHABALALA
RUSSEL MTHEMBU
NGANE DLAMINI
Bass
Bass
Bass
THE PERSONNEL of Ladysmith Black
1970s were recruited for their profes-
engu White Mambazo that was formed
Mambazo has changed many times
sional qualities. Abednego Mazibuko
by Joseph in the 1970s. Long-time mem-
over the years. the original group was
joined the group in 1974 and Russel
ber Jockey Shabalala died in his home in
composed of Joseph Shabalala, his
Mthembu in 1975, both as bass voices.
Ladysmith on February 11, 2006. He was
brothers Headman and Enoch; in-laws
After alto voice Milton Mazibuko was
62, and was a member of the group for
Albert, Milton, and Joseph Mazibuko;
murdered in 1980, the group took a
almost forty years. Thamsanqa Shabalala
and close friend Walter Malinga. Aside
few months offbefore returning the
will take over as the leader of the group
from Joseph Shabalala, Albert Mazibuko
following year with two new members,
after his father’s retirement.
is the only original member left in the
Inos Phungula and Geophrey Mdletshe.
group. Altogether, the group has had
Another long hiatus ensued after the
The members of the group currently re-
over 30 different members over the past
murder of Joseph’s younger brother
side in Kloof, just outside of the coastal
forty-five years.
Headman on December 10, 1991. The
city of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal -
group stopped singing for a while be-
though due to their heavy performance
Even though the early line-ups of the
fore Joseph recruited four of his six sons.
schedule, the group spends only brief
group contained mostly relatives from
Joseph Shabalala’s sons Thamsanqa,
periods at home.
Shabalala’s family, many of the members
Sibonnngiseni, Thulani, and Msizi joined
that joined the group after the mid-
the group in 1993, moving up from Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s junior choir, Msh-
14
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Sources: Wikipedia “Ladysmith Black Mambazo”
Erlmann, V: “Nightsong”, brief history of Ladysmith Black
Mambazo (page 93). The University of Chicag Press, 1996
PEOPLE
JOSEPH SHABALALA
Joseph Shabala, Photo: R. Hoffman
THE FOLLOWING EXCERPTS from “Jo-
his dreams every night by a choir “from
revolving chair in the middle of a circle
seph Shabalala: Chronicles of an African
above” who sang to him. It was, he
of twenty-four wise old men: “I used to
Composer” by ethnomusicologist Chris-
says, just like a nightly show in which
call them the senior, the golden oldies
topher Ballantine are included to give
he was the only listener. “I’m sleeping
married men-the old ones with white
the reader insight into Shabalala’s ap-
but I’m watching the show. I saw myself
hair.” Each of them was to address him
proach to music composition. Ballantine
sleeping but watching just like when
with one question, and if he answered
looks at Shabalala’s education, methods,
you are watching TV.” Shabalala com-
the questions satisfactorily, the circle of
and asthetics in composition includ-
pares this experience to that of going to
elders would declare him fit to be “a
ing some of Shabalala’s written notes.
music school. (5)
leader of musicians.” (6)
Ballantine creates a sketch of Shabalala’s
If the dreamtime encounters were for
For Zulu traditionalists,dreams are not
creative procedures to “begin to gain
Shabalala the equivalent of going to a
only a pathway for communication be-
a deeper understanding of the creative
music school, a later dream assumed
tween “the survivors and the shades,”
musical process itself” (37).
the significance of a final examination
are also a vital, purposeful activity in
and graduation ceremony, giving him
the lives of Zulu people. Joseph Sha-
How did Shabalala learn to compose?
the confidence and authority to become
balala and other traditionalists believe
His answer was startling: for a period
the composer-leader of an isicathamiya
that dreams can be a way of reaching
of six months in 1964, he was visited in
group. He dreamt he was sitting on a
focused insight and a means of self-
Through conversations with Shablala,
empowerment. (7)
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Shabalala does not immediately produce
COMPOSITIONAL THEMES
ing a performance, he will humorously
finished compositions. The ideas need to
encourage them to give a little more (or a
be worked on, fleshed out, refined. And
little less) by gesturing in the direction of
though this work can be carried out at
any time, Shabalala attributes by far the
largest and most important part of it to
processes that occur while he is asleep.
“When I’m sleeping”, he says, “my spirit
does the work. Sometimes at night when
I’m sleeping,I will discover my wife shaking me- ‘Hey what’s going on? Are you
the bellies of one or more of his singers.
MUSIC FOR PEACE
“Music is for peace. When you sing,
you feel like you want people to
come together and love each other
and share ideas.” And this has always
driven him. (13)
gests that he is turning up (or down) the
volume control on an amplifier.
A little more freedom is granted to the
group when they have performed a song
many times and are very familiar with it;
however such liberties are underpinned
singing now?’ So that’s why I say: When
by a belief that individual freedom and ex-
my flesh is sleeping, it’s daytime in my
spirit.” When he awakes, he can recall
With a movement of his hand, he sug-
DO SOMETHING NEW
the dream. He then either makes notes
about it, or if it is vivid enough, he may
One demand Shabalala always makes
go directly to his group and teach them
of himself as a composer [is] to try to
what he has learned.
do something new. At one level, this
means nothing more than that he seeks
pression should not jeopardize the identity
or the coherence of the group. (16, 17)
E D U C AT I O N
How does he compose the parts of
to satisfy his audiences’ appetite for
a song and choreograph the dance
new Ladysmith Black Mambazo songs.
Shabalala is committed to the notion
steps? Shabalala composes each piece
At another level, though, is the injunc-
that his compositions should go out
entirely on his own, working it out and
tion Shabalala places on himself to be
into the world and make a difference.
singing all the various choral parts. His
original, to surpass himself, to do what
He holds that he must share his com-
own soloistic leading part, however, he
has never been achieved before within
positional knowledge, insight, and
treats differently: this will be improvised,
the isicathamiya style. Indeed, it is his
experience. The principal beneficiaries
once the group has learned the song.
sense that he is capable of originality that
of such sharing are other composers
Almost invariably, the last important
keeps him going. (15)
in the isicathamiya tradition, but this
detail to be composed is the intricate
activity also reaches various other musi-
and characteristic choreography that
cians, students, and so on. Since about
normally erupts in the cyclical final sec-
1992, Shabalala has begun trying to
tion of a song. (11)
consolidate and summarize, in written
I M P R O V I S AT I O N
When this dance section is present
in Shabalala’s compositions, he takes
Only Shabalala’s solo part is normally
special care with it. A meaningful
improvised and he maintains that neither
match of music and dance has been a
he nor the group know in advance the
real concern of his since his youth, and
details of what he is going to do. The
became one of the topics addressed in
only thing of which he is certain is that
the dream visits of his celestial choir.
he will improvise, and the ability to do so
In any case, he finds that the task of
will come from an inspirational force that
choreographing comes easily to him.
he calls “the spirit.” Beyond the arena
This is partly a matter of self-confidence:
of his own solo part, Shabalala permits
Joseph knows he is an outstanding
the members of his group to improvise
dancer. The members of his group know
within strict limits and under specific
this too, and they proudly regard him,
conditions. “I’m the only one who’s free
he says, as their dance teacher.
all the time!” he says. Sometimes dur-
16
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form, the knowledge and principles
he believes may be of most help to the
composers who seek his assistance. (21)
Compiled from source:
Ballantine, Chirstopher. “Joseph Shabalala: Chronicles of an
African Composer.” British Journal of Ethnomusicology, Vol.
5 (1996), pp. 1-38 www.jstor.org/stable/3060865 Accessed:
12/11/2009
EXPLORE
FURTHER RESOURCES
WE B
WATCH
READ
Ladysmith Black Mambazo (2009) Live.
NIGHTSONG
www.mambazo.com
[DVD]. Heads up video.
The Introduction to Veit Erlmann’s book
Ladysmith Black Mambazo. (1999). In
Harmony. [DVD]. Gallo Record Company.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo. (1997). The
L I ST E N
Best of [DVD]. Gallo Record Company.
Nightsong was written by Shabalala and
first given as a speech at the University of
Cape Town. This introduction can be accessed for free at the Google books site
below. See pages 3-9.
www.npr.org/templates/story/story.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo. (1988). Jour-
Erlmann, Veit. Nightsong: Performance,
php?storyId=93391815
ney of Dreams. [DVD]. ILC Ltd.
Power, and Practice in South Africa. University of Chicago Press, 1996.
•
Jazzset With Dee Dee Bridgewater:
Ladysmith Black Mambazo And
Hugh Masekela: Carrying South
Africa
Ladysmith Black Mambazo. (2004). On
Tiptoe: Gentle Steps to Freedom. [DVD].
New Video Group.
Paul Simon. (1997). Classic Albums -
php?storyId=1672483
•
Graceland. [DVD]. Harcourt Films/Isis
Productions Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Live In
Studio 4a: Group Celebrates A Decade Of South African Freedom
php?storyId=1186957&ps=rs
•
Musicians In Their Own Words:
Joseph Shabalala
UMS 09-10
17
ABOUT SOUTH AFRICA
18
UMS 09-10
Ladysmith Townhall
GEOGRAPHY
SOUTH AFRICA
SOUTH AFRICA IS IN THE southern tip of Africa where, two great oceans meet, warm weather lasts most of the year, and big
game roams just beyond the city lights. This is where humanity began: fossilised footprints 80,000 years old and the world’s oldest
rock paintings can still be seen in South Africa.
Today, South Africa is the powerhouse of Africa, the most advanced, broad-based economy on the continent, with infrastructure
to match any first-world country. About two-thirds of Africa’s electricity is generated here. Around 40% percent of the continent’s
phones are here. Over half the world’s platinum and 10% of its gold is mined here. And almost everyone who visits is astonished at
how far a dollar, euro or pound will stretch.
Who lives in South Africa?
What languages do people speak?
Is South Africa a democracy?
South Africa is a nation of over 47-mil-
There are 11 officially recognised lan-
South Africa is a vigorous multi-party
lion people of diverse origins, cultures,
guages, most of them indigenous to
democracy with an independent judiciary
languages and beliefs. Around 79%
South Africa. Around 40% of the popu-
and a free and diverse press. One of the
are black (or African), 9% white, 9%
lation speak either isiZulu or isiXhosa.
world’s youngest - and most progres-
«coloured» - the local label for people of
You don’t speak either? If your English
sive - constitutions protects both citizens
mixed African, Asian and white descent -
is passable, don’t worry. Everywhere you
and visitors. You won’t be locked up for
and 2.5% Indian or Asian. Just over half
go, you can expect to find people who
shouting out your opinions, however
the population live in the cities.
speak or understand English.
contrary. (But be careful about smoking
Two-thirds of South Africans are Chris-
English is the language of the cities, of
tian, the largest church being the indig-
commerce and banking, of government,
enous Zion Christian Church, followed
of road signs and official documents.
by the Dutch Reformed and Catholic
Road signs and official forms are in Eng-
Up until 1994, South Africa was known
churches. Many churches combine Chris-
lish. The President makes his speeches in
for apartheid, or white-minority rule. The
tian and traditional African beliefs, and
English. At any hotel, the receptionists,
country’s remarkable ability to put cen-
many non-Christians espouse these tra-
waiters and porters will speak English.
turies of racial hatred behind it in favour
ditional beliefs. Other significant religions
Another major language is Afrikaans, a
of reconciliation was widely considered
–though with much smaller followings–
derivative of Dutch, which northern Euro-
a social miracle, inspiring similar peace
are Islam, Hinduism and Judaism.
peans will find surprisingly easy to follow.
efforts in places such as Northern Ireland
cigarettes in crowded restaurants!)
What about apartheid?
UMS 09-10
19
and Rwanda. Post-apartheid South Africa
How is it divided up?
has a government comprising all races,
and is often referred to as the rainbow
South Africa has nine provinces. Gau-
nation, a phrase coined by Nobel Peace
teng, the smallest and most densely pop-
Prize winner Desmond Tutu.
ulated, adjoins Limpopo, North West and
Mpumalanga in the north. The Northern
What’s the weather like?
Cape, the largest province with the smallest population, is in the west. The Free
Summery, without being sweltering. In
State is in the middle of the country. And
Johannesburg, the country’s commer-
the coastal provinces of KwaZulu-Natal,
cial capital, the weather is mild all year
the Eastern Cape and the Western Cape
round, but can get cool at night. Durban,
lie to the south.
the biggest port, is hot and sometimes
humid, a beach paradise. And in Cape
What are the big cities?
Town, where travellers flock to admire
one of the world’s most spectacular
South Africa has two capitals. Cape
settings, the weather is usually warm,
Town, the oldest city, is the legislative
though temperamental. If you’re visit-
capital, where Parliament sits. Pretoria,
ing from the northern hemisphere, just
1 500 kilometres to the north, is the
remember: when it’s winter over there,
executive capital, where the government
it’s summer over here. Bring sunglasses
administration is housed. Next door to
and sunscreen.
Pretoria, and close enough that the outer
suburbs merge, is the commercial centre
Is it a big country?
of Johannesburg, once the world’s greatest gold mining centre, now increasingly
To a European, yes. The country straddles
dominated by modern financial and
1.2-million square kilometres, as big as
service sectors. The second-biggest city
several European countries put together.
is Durban, a fast-growing port on the
To an American, maybe not - it’s an
eastern coast, and the supply route for
eighth the size of the US. Still, it’s more
most goods to the interior.
than a day’s drive down the highway
from Johannesburg in the north to Cape
Is it true that there are robots on the
Town in the south (if you’re driving sensi-
street corners?
bly), with the topography ranging across
the spectrum from lush green valleys to
Yes, there are. In South Africa, traffic
semi-desert.
lights are known as robots, although no
one knows why. A pick-up truck is a bakkie, sneakers are takkies, a barbeque
is a braai, an insect is a gogga and an
alchoholic drink ins a dop.
courtesy of: www.southafrica.info/
20
UMS 09-10
H I S T O RY
SOUTH AFRICA: A TIMELINE
The timeline that appears in this section is focused on events in the history of South Africa
and Apartheid with a few other relevant dates included.
1919
1910
1652
Dutch settlers establish a colony on the
ollowing a series of wars, the British
The Industrial and Commercial Workers’
Cape of Good Hope, taking land from
colonies and Boer republics merge into
Union of South Africa was formed.
indigenous tribes and bringing slaves
the Union of South Africa, with shared
from Asia.
political power between the two white
1795
groups.
1934
South Africa becomes independent from
1911
Great Britain.
Great Britain takes control of the colony.
1833
The British abolish slavery. Seeking
political freedom and new indigenous
1944
The African National Congress (ANC)
forms to protect the rights of black South
Africans.
The ANC Youth League was formed.
Nelson Mandela was its secretary.
1913
1948
laborers, the Dutch, or “Boers,” migrate
The Native Land Act limits property
inland.
1866
Diamonds discovered in Kimberly, South
Africa.
1891
The Indian community, also suffering
under viciously racist treatment was
expelled from the Orange Free State
altogether.
ownership by blacks. “As against the European the native stands as an eight year
old against a man of mature experience,”
1914
The Indian poll tax in Natal is removed
after a mass strike in which a number of
Indians were killed.
1918
ized racial segregation, or “apartheid.”
1950
The Population Registration Act identifies
four racial classifications, in order of superiority: white, Asian, coloured (mixed
heritage) and black. The Group Areas
Act designates specific homelands for
each race, and hundreds of thousands of
blacks, coloureds and Asians are forcibly
relocated. Blacks, comprising over 70%
of the population, are restricted to 13%
Mahatma Ganfhi arrives in South Africa
One million black mine workers go on
as a young lawyer and goes on to be-
strike for higher wages.
come a leading figure in Indian resistance
in South Africa.
power on a platform of systemized, legal-
argues Boer politician JBM Hertzog.
Mahatma Gandhi leaves the country.
1892
The Boers’ National Party is elected to
ANC constitution refers to ANC as a
“Pan African Assosiation.”
of the land.
1952
The Pass Laws Act requires blacks to carry
identification booklets at all times.
UMS 09-10
21
1990
1966
1960
In the town of Sharpeville, white police
BJ Vorster became prime minister after
F.W. de Klerk lifted restrictions on 30
open fire on a group of black protesters
the assasignation of Verwoerd. Segrega-
oposition groups including the ANC.
burning their pass books. To suppress fur-
tion became even more strictly enforced.
ther resistance, The ANC and other black
1969
political organizations are banned.
After 27 years in prison, Nelson Mandela
is released. Meetings between De Klerk
and Mandela begin a four-year negotia-
Realing under the blow of the “Rivonia
tion process to abolish apartheid. “Today
Trial,” the ANC continued to operate
we have closed the book on apartheid,”
A wing of the ANC led by Nelson Man-
regrouping at the Morogoro Confrence
De Klerk declares.
dela threatens violence as a last resort.
in Tanzania
1961
Mandela is arrested and imprisoned the
following year. “a democratic and free
society in which all persons live together
in harmony and with equal opportunities…is an ideal which I hope to live for
and to achieve,” Mandela tells the court.
“But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I
am prepared to die.”
1992
1973
The white electorate of South Africa enLadysmith Black Mambazo released their
dorsed de Klerk’s stance in a referendum
first album, Amabutho, which was the
ending white minority rule.
first album by a black musician or group
1994
in South Africa to receive gold status.
1976
South Africa holds its first democratic
election with universal suffrage; the
South Africa became a republic and
June 16, in the black township of Sowe-
leaves the Commonwealth.
turnout is so substantial that voting lasts
to, students take to the streets to protest
three days. ANC leader Nelson Man-
forced tuition in Afrikaans; Police fired on
dela is elected president and joins with
them. 575 people are killed.
the National Party in a Government of
1962
The UN condemns South African apartheid policy and passes an arms embargo
the following year.
Madela was arrested and sentenced to a
three-year sentence for incitement.
1963
In July a police raid on the Rivonia farm
Lilliesleaf led to the arrest of several of
Mandela’s senior ANC colleagues. Mandela was brought from prison to stand
trial with them. They were charged with
sabatoge.
Mandela and colleagues were all sentenced to life in prison and taken to
Robben Island.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo is formed.
UMS 09-10
As civil unrest increases and labor strikes
threaten the economy, Prime Minister
P.W. Botha declares a state of emergency
and implements martial law. Over the
next four years thousands of blacks are
killed and thousands more detained.
Media access is also restricted.
1986
The collaboration of Paul Simon and
Ladysmith Black Mambazo produces the
album Graceland.
1964
22
1985
1989
F.W. De Klerk succeeds Botha as Prime
Minister; in his opening address to Parliament, he announces a plan to desegregate public facilities and unban the ANC.
National Unity.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo sings at Nelson Mandela’s inaugaration ceremony
Sources:
www.longwharf.org/off_homeTime.html
www.southafrica.info
www.sahistory.org.za
GEOGRAPHY
THE PROVINCES
SOUTH AFRICA HAS nine provinces, each with its own government, landscape, population, economy and climate.
Before 1994, South Africa had four provinces: the Transvaal and Orange Free State, previously Boer republics, and Natal and the
Cape, once British colonies. Scattered about were also the grand apartheid “homelands”, spurious states to which black South
Africans were forced to have citizenship.
Under South Africa’s new democratic constitution, the four provinces were broken up into the current nine, and the “homelands”
blinked out of existence. The Cape became the Western Cape, Northern Cape, Eastern Cape and the western half of North West,
while the Transvaal became Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Gauteng and the eastern half of North West. Natal was renamed KwaZulu-Natal, incorporating the “homeland” of KwaZulu, and the Orange Free State became simply the Free State.
A map of South Africa before 1994, showing the original four provinces of the Cape, Orange Free State, Natal and Transvaal, as well as the grand apartheid “homelands” (Image:
South African History Online
Map used with permission from: http//www.SA-Venues.com
UMS 09-10
23
GEOGRAPHY
P O P U L AT I O N
South Africa is a nation of over 47-million people of diverse origins, cultures, languages and beliefs.
Courtesy of: www.southafrica.info
*
S O U T H A F R I C A’ S P O P U L AT I O N B Y R A C E
AFRICANS ARE IN the majority at just over 38-million, making up 79.6% of the total population. The white population is estimated at
4.3-million (9.1%), the coloured population at 4.2-million (8.9%) and the Indian/Asian population at just short of 1.2-million (2.5%).
While more than three-quarters of South Africa’s population is black African, this category is neither culturally nor linguistically homogenous. Africans include the Nguni people, comprising the Zulu, Xhosa, Ndebele and Swazi; the Sotho-Tswana people, comprising the Southern, Northern and Western Sotho (Tswana); the Tsonga; and the Venda.
24
UMS 09-10
Khoisan is a term used to describe two separate groups, physically similar in being light-skinned and small in stature. The Khoi,
who were called Hottentots by the Europeans, were pastoralists and were effectively annihilated; the San, called Bushmen by the
Europeans, were hunter-gatherers. A small San population still lives in South Africa.
South Africa’s white population descends largely from the colonial immigrants of the late 17th, 18th and 19th centuries:Dutch,
German, French Huguenot and British. Linguistically, it is divided into Afrikaans- and English-speaking groups, although many small
communities that have immigrated over the last century retain the use of other languages.
The majority of South Africa’s Asian population is Indian in origin, many of them descended from indentured workers brought to
work on the sugar plantations of the eastern coastal area then known as Natal in the 19th century. They are largely English-speaking, although many also retain the languages of their origins. There is also a significant group of Chinese South Africans.
*The label “coloured” is a contentious one, but still used for people of mixed race descended from slaves brought in from East
and central Africa, the indigenous Khoisan who lived in the Cape at the time, indigenous Africans and whites. The majority
speak Afrikaans.
S O U T H A F R I C A’ S P O P U L AT I O N B Y L A N G U A G E
Nine of the country’s 11 official languages are African, reflecting a variety of ethnic groupings which nonetheless have
a great deal in common in terms of background, culture, and descent.
UMS 09-10
25
ABOUT
THE ZULU PEOPLE
Zulu Warriors, Photo: Library of Congress
ISIZULU IS THE LANGUAGE of South
Mofolo’s classic novel Chaka, which was
rural concentration of Zulu people is in
Africa’s largest ethnic group, the Zulu
completed in 1910 and published in 1925,
Kwa-Zulu Natal.
people, who take their name from the
with the first English translation produced
chief who founded the royal line in the
in 1930. The book reinvents the legend-
16th century. The warrior king Shaka
ary Zulu king Shaka, portraying him as a
raised the nation to prominence in the
heroic but tragic figure, a monarch to rival
early 19th century. The current monarch
Shakespeare’s Macbeth.
the Cape to Zimbabwe and is charac-
is King Goodwill Zwelithini.
IsiZulu is South Africa’s most widely
spoken official language. It is a tonal
language understood by people from
terized by many ‘clicks’. In 2006 it was
LANGUAGE, CULTURE AND BELIEFS
determined that approximately nine
A tonal language and one of the coun-
The Zulu language, of which there are
million South Africans speak Xhosa as a
try’s four Nguni languages, isiZulu is
variations, is part of the Nguni language
home language
closely related to isiXhosa. It is probably
group. The word Zulu means ‘Sky’ and
the most widely understood African lan-
according to oral history, Zulu was the
guage in South Africa, spoken from the
name of the ancestor who founded the
Cape to Zimbabwe but mainly concen-
Zulu royal line in about 1670. Today it is
trated in the province of KwaZulu-Natal.
estimated that there are more than forty-
The writing of Zulu was started by missionaries in what was then Natal in the
19th century, with the first Zulu translation of the Bible produced in 1883. The
first work of isiZulu literature was Thomas
26
UMS 09-10
five million South Africans, and the Zulu
people make up about approximately
22% of this number. The largest urban
concentration of Zulu people is in the
Gauteng Province, and in the corridor of
Pietermaritzburg and Durban. The largest
Its oral tradition is very rich but its
modern literature is still developing. J.L
Dube was the first Zulu writer (1832)
though his first publication, a Zulu story
was written in English titled ‘A Talk on
my Native Land’. In 1903, he concentrated on editing the newspaper ‘Ilanga
LaseNatali’. His first Zulu novel ‘Insila
kaShaka’ was published in 1930. We see
a steady growth of publications especially
novels from 1930 onwards’.
The clear-cut distinction made today
kings and the high achievers in life) are
Women had domestic responsibilities and
between the Xhosa and the Zulu has no
becoming part of popular culture. The
raised crops, usually grains, on land near
basis in culture or history, but arises out
Zulu, especially those from rural areas,
the household.
of the colonial distinction between the
are known for their weaving, craft-
Cape and Natal colonies. Both speak
making, pottery, and beadwork. The Zulu
very similar languages and share similar
term for “family” (umndeni) includes
customs, but the historical experiences
all the people staying in a homestead
at the northern end of the Nguni culture
who are related to each other, either by
area differed considerably from the his-
blood, marriage, or adoption. Drinking
torical experiences at the southern end.
and eating from the same plate was and
The majority of northerners became part
still is a sign of friendship. It is customary
of the Zulu kingdom, which abolished
for children to eat from the same dish,
circumcision. The majority of southern-
usually a big basin. This derives from a
ers never became part of any strongly
‘share what you have’ belief which is part
centralised kingdom, intermarried with
of ubuntu (humane) philosophy.
Khoikhoi, and retained circumcision.
Many Zulu people converted to Christian-
Source: www.sahistory.org.za/pages/artsmediaculture/culture%20&%20heritage/cultural-groups/zulu.htm
ity under colonialism. Although there are
many Christian converts, ancestral beliefs
have not disappeared. There is now a
mixture of traditional beliefs and Christianity. Ancestral spirits are important
in Zulu religious life,and offerings and
sacrifices are made to the ancestors for
By the late eighteenth century, a process
of political consolidation among the
groups was beginning to take place. A
number of powerful chiefdoms began to
emerge and a transformation from pastoral society to a more organised statehood
occurred. This enabled leaders to wield
more authority over their own supporters, and to compel allegiance from
conquered chiefdoms. Changes took
place in the nature of political, social,
and economic links between chiefs of
these emerging power blocks and their
subjects. Zulu chiefs demanded steadily
increasing tribute or taxes from their sub-
ORIGINS Archaeological evidence
jects, acquired great wealth, commanded
shows that the Bantu-speaking groups,
large armies, and, in many cases, subju-
ancestors of the Nguni, migrated
gated neighbouring chiefdoms.
down from East Africa as early as the
eleventh century.
Military conquest allowed men to
achieve status distinctions that had
protection, good health, and happiness.
Long ago, before the Zulu were forged
become increasingly important. This
Ancestral spirits come back to the world
as a nation, they lived as isolated family
culminated early in the nineteenth
in the form of dreams, illnesses, and
groups and partly nomadic northern
century with the warrior-king Shaka
sometimes snakes. The Zulu also believe
Nguni groups. These groups moved
conquering all the groups in Zululand
in the use of magic. Ill fortune such as
about within their loosely defined
and uniting them into a single powerful
bad luck and illness is considered to be
territories in search of game and
Zulu nation, that made its influence felt
sent by an angry spirit. When this hap-
good grazing for their cattle. As they
over southern and central Africa. Shaka
pens, the help of a traditional healer is
accumulated livestock and supporters,
ruled from 1816 to 1828, when he was
sought, and he or she will communicate
family leaders divided and dispersed in
assassinated by his brothers.
with the ancestors, or use natural herbs
different directions, while still retaining
and prayers, to get rid of the problem.
family networks.
The Zulu are fond of singing as well as
The Zulu homestead (imizi) consisted
own novel warrior tactics. His military
dancing. These activities promote unity
of an extended family and others at-
campaign resulted in widespread violence
at all the transitional ceremonies such as
tached to the household through social
and displacement, and after defeat-
births, weddings, and funerals. All dances
obligations. This social unit was largely
ing competing armies and assimilating
are accompanied by drums and the
self-sufficient, with responsibilities di-
their people, Shaka established his Zulu
men dress as warriors . Zulu folklore is
vided according to gender. Men were
nation. Within twelve years, he had
transmitted through storytelling, praise-
generally responsible for defending the
forged one of the mightiest empires the
poems, and proverbs. These explain
homestead, caring for cattle, manufac-
African continent has ever known. The
Zulu history and teach moral lessons.
turing and maintaining weapons and
Praise-poems (poems recited about the
farm implements, and building dwellings.
Shaka recruited young men from all over
the kingdom and trained them in his
UMS 09-10
27
Zulu empire weakened after Shaka’s
Witwatersrand. Zulu workers organized
The capital of KwaZulu was Ulundi and
death in 1828.
some of the first black labour unions in
its government was led by Chief Man-
the country. For example, the Zulu Wash-
gosuthu Buthelezi, leader of the Inkatha
ermen’s Guild, Amawasha, was active in
Freedom Party (IFP), who established a
Natal and the Witwatersrand even before
good relationship with the ruling National
the Union of South Africa was formed
Party. He also distanced himself from the
in 1910. The Zululand Planters’ Union
African National Congress (ANC), with
COLONIALISM AND APARTHEID One
organized agricultural workers in Natal in
whom he had had a close relationship.
of the most significant events in Zulu
the early twentieth century.
Source: www.sahistory.org.za/pages/artsmediaculture/culture%20&%20heritage/cultural-groups/zulu.htm
history was the arrival of Europeans in
Natal. By the late 1800s, British troops had
invaded Zulu territory and divided Zulu
land into different chiefdoms. The Zulu
never regained their independence. Natal
received ‘Colonial government’ in 1893,
and the Zulu people were dissatisfied about
being governed by the Colony. A plague
of locusts devastated crops in Zululand and
Natal in 1894 and 1895, and their cattle
were dying of rinderpest, lung sickness,
and east coast fever. These natural disasters
impoverished them and forced more men
to seek employment as railway construction workers in northern Natal and on the
mines in the Witwatersrand.
The last Zulu uprising, led by Chief
Bambatha in 1906, was a response to
harsh and unjust laws and unimaginable
actions by the Natal Government. It was
sparked off by the imposition of the
1905 poll tax of £1 per head, introduced
to increase revenue and to force more
Zulus to start working for wages. The
uprising was ruthlessly suppressed.
The 1920s saw fundamental changes
in the Zulu nation. Many were drawn
towards the mines and fast-growing cities as wage earners, and were separated
from the land and urbanized. Zulu men
and women have made up a substantial
portion of South Africa’s urban work
force throughout the 20th century, especially in the gold and copper mines of the
28
UMS 09-10
The government offered Buthelezi and
The dawn of apartheid in the 1940s
KwaZulu the status of fully ‘indepen-
marked more changes for all Black South
dent homeland’ several times during the
Africans, and in 1953 the South African
1980s. He continually refused, saying he
Government introduced the “home-
wanted the approximately four million
lands”. In the 1960s the Government’s
residents of the homeland to remain
objective was to form a “tribal authority”
South African citizens. Nonetheless,
and provide for the gradual development
Buthelezi claimed chief ministerial privi-
of self-governing Bantu national units.
leges and powers in the area.
The first Territorial Authority for the Zulu
people was established in 1970 and the
Military prowess continued to be an
Zulu homeland of KwaZulu was defined.
important value in Zulu culture, and this
In March 1972, the first Legislative Assem-
emphasis fueled some of the political vio-
bly of KwaZulu was constituted by South
lence of the 1990s. Buthelezi’s nephew,
African Parliamentary Proclamation.
Goodwill Zwelithini, was the Zulu monarch in the 1990s. Buthelezi and King
The homeland of KwaZulu (or place of
Goodwill won the agreement of ANC
the Zulu) was granted self-government
negotiators just before the April 1994
under apartheid in December 1977. Ac-
elections that, with international media-
cording to the apartheid social planners
tion, the government would establish a
ideal of ‘separate development’ it was
special status for the Zulu Kingdom after
intended to be the home of the Zulu
the elections. Zulu leaders understood
people. Although it was relatively large,
this special status to mean some degree
it was segmented and spread over a
of regional autonomy within the province
large area in what is now the province of
of KwaZulu-Natal.
KwaZulu-Natal.
In 1994, KwaZulu became a part of
Chief Mangosutho (Gatsha) Buthelezi, a
South Africa when it merged with the
cousin of the king, was elected as Chief
former Natal to become KwaZulu-Natal.
Executive. The town of Nongoma was
temporarily consolidated as the capital, pending completion of buildings at
Ulundi. The 1970s also saw the revival of
Inkatha, later the Inkatha Freedom Party
(IFP), the ruling and sole party in the selfgoverning KwaZulu homeland.
Sources: www.sahistory.org.za/pages/artsmediaculture/culture%20&%20heritage/cultural-groups/zulu.htm
www.sahistory.org.za/pages/places/villages/kwazuluNatal/kzn.htm
H I S T O RY
ILEMB
HONORING SHAKA ZULU
An 1824 Sketch of Shaka (1781-1828), the great Zulu king, four years before his death.
By James King, it is the only known drawing of Shaka (Image: South African Government Online)
LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO has re-
“accorded white traders most favored
is a great deal that we do not know, and
leased at least two records bearing Shaka
treatment, ceded them land, and permit-
never will know,” he says.
Zulu’s name: Shaka Zulu in 1987 and
ted them to build a settlement at Port
Ilemb: Honoring Shaka Zulu in 2008.
Natal” (now Durban). This image, along
With that in mind, it is worth looking at
with the general history of Shaka Zulu,
the history of the warrior king.
is a disputed topic. For example, take a
One history of Shaka Zulu is available
online at www.sahistory.org.za/pages/
people/bios/zulu-shaka.htm.
The image of Shaka Zulu portrayed in this
account is of a brutal warrior who united
the Zulu nation through force and who
look at the book Myth of Iron: Shaka
in History, by Dan Wylie, an academic at
Dr. Wylie argues that Shaka Zulu, the
19th-century warrior king dubbed Africa’s Napoleon, was not the bloodthirsty
military genius of historical depiction
[…] His reputation for brutality was
South Africa’s Rhodes University.
concocted by biased colonial-era white
Dr. Wylie described his book as an “anti-
ers who turned the man into a myth.
biography” because the material for an
(source www.guardian.co.uk/world/2006/
accurate biography did not exist. “There
may/22/rorycarroll.mainsection)
chroniclers and unreliable Zulu storytell-
UMS 09-10
29
Although the history of Shaka Zulu
Nearly two centuries after Shaka Zulu’s
is disputed and his heroic status is
passing the messages of peace, unity,
somewhat ambiguous, nevertheless,
social harmony and national pride tran-
Ladysmith Black Mambazo has chosen
scend their points of origin and resonate
to honor Shaka.
throughout the globe. “There have been
The ensemble’s official website offers
the following story in the promotion of
their album Ilemb: Honoring Shaka
Zulu (2008):
In the late 1700s, Shaka Zulu, a charismatic and cunning young warrior, united
the Zulus with various neighboring tribes
into a single powerful force that helped
give birth to a proud nation. Today, Shaka Zulu is regarded as one of the greatest
leaders in African history. His combination of warrior discipline, visionary leadership, innate creativity, and unshakable
belief in a united nation continues to
resonate to this day in South Africa. He
is revered as the single figure that gave
birth to the indomitable fighting spirit of
the Zulus – the same spirit that enabled
South Africans to persevere amid the
European domination of their homeland
for nearly two centuries of apartheid.
Ilembe: Honoring Shaka Zulu celebrates
not only Shaka Zulu but the sense
of perseverance, creativity and pride
that he has inspired in generations of
descendants. “He was a warrior, an
athlete, a singer, a dancer, a visionary,
he was so many things,” says Joseph
Shabalala,…“He was a diplomat too. He
could talk about differences in a civilized
way, but he was also very proud. If you
said, ‘No, I’m not going to cooperate,’
then he would say, ‘Alright, let us see
who is the boss.’”
30
UMS 09-10
so many generations that have come and
gone since Shaka was king of the Zulus,
but there are still many hearts and minds
to be conquered,” says Shabalala, who
balances his spiritual convictions with his
cultural roots. “There are still many people who need to be filled with the spirit
of unity and hope that Shaka embodied.
We are trying to remind people of the
importance of what this man did. That
was my purpose, to bring the people
back to the roots of their culture.”
Source www.mambazo.com/
EXPLORE
FURTHER RESOURCES
SOUTH AFRICA
L I ST E N
MANDELA: AN AUDIO HISTORY
2004 NPR SPECIAL SOUTH AFRICA, 10
TIMELINE OF APARTHEID LEGISLA-
YEARS LATER
TION
www.npr.org/news/specials/mandela/
www.sahistory.org.za/pages/chronology/
•
www.radiodiaries.org/mandela/
A five-part radio series documenting the
struggle against apartheid through rare
sound recordings, including the voice
of Nelson Mandela himself. The series
includes:
•
A recording of the 1964 trial that
resulted in Mandela’s life sentence
•
special-chrono/governance/apartheid-
This includes:
•
•
•
Legacy of the U.S. Anti-Apartheid
Movement
ART AND RESITANCE APARTEID
South Africa’s Rocky Road to De-
www.sahistory.org.za/pages/artsmedi-
mocracy
aculture/protest_art/index.htm
South Africa: Truth and Reconciliation
SOUTH AFRICAN HISTORY ONLINE
Cornel West Commentary: U.S.-
www.sahistory.org.za/
South African Relations
•
legislation.html#1920
Michael Eric Dyson Commentary: 10
Years After Apartheid
A visit between Mandela and his
U.S. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS SA
COUNTRY STUDY
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/zatoc.html
family secretly recorded by a prison
guard
•
•
•
Marching songs of guerilla soldiers
Government propaganda films
Pirate radio broadcasts from the
WEB
African National Congress
•
Interviews with former ANC activists,
FRONTLINE: THE LONG WALK OF National Party politicians, army gen-
NELSON MANDELA
erals, Robben Island prisoners, and
www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/
ordinary witnesses to history
shows/mandela/
MORE DETAILED HISOTRY TIMELINES
OF SOUTH AFRICA:
www.sahistory.org.za/pages/chronology/
chronology.htm
UMS 09-10
31
ABOUT THE MUSIC
32
UMS 09-10
ABOUT
SOUTH AFRICAN MUSIC
From the earliest colonial days until the present time, South African music has created itself
out of the mingling of local ideas and forms with those imported from outside the country,
giving it all a special twist that carries with it the unmistakable flavor of the country.
BEGINNINGS In the Dutch colonial
added impetus by the travelling min-
traditional to the pop-infused sounds of,
era, from the 17th century on, indig-
strel shows of the 1880s. The tradition
for instance, former pop-singer Rebecca
enous tribes people and slaves imported
continues to the present day with the
Malope.
from the east adapted Western musical
great carnival held in Cape Town every
instruments and ideas. The Khoi-Khoi,
New Year.
for instance, developed the ramkie, a
Gospel, in its many forms, is one of the
best-selling genres in South Africa today,
guitar with three or four strings, based
MISSIONARIES AND CHOIRS The
with artists who regularly achieve sales of
on that of Malabar slaves, and used it to
penetration of missionaries into the inte-
gold and platinum status. The missionary
blend Khoi and Western folk songs. The
rior of South Africa over the succeeding
emphasis on choirs, combined with the
mamokhorong was a single-string violin
centuries also had a profound influence
traditional vocal music of South Africa,
that was used by the Khoi in their own
on the nation’s musical styles. In the late
and taking in other elements as well, also
music-making and in the dances of the
1800s, early African composers such
gave rise to a mode of a capella singing
colonial centre, Cape Town, which rapidly
as John Knox Bokwe began composing
that blend the style of Western hymns
became a melting pot of cultural influ-
hymns that drew on traditional Xhosa
with indigenous harmonies. This tradition
ences from all over the world.
harmonic patterns. In 1897, Enoch Son-
is still alive today in the isicathamiya
tonga, then a teacher, composed the
form, of which Ladysmith Black Mam-
Western music was played by slave
hymn “Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika” (God Bless
bazo are the foremost and most famous
orchestras (the governor of the Cape,
Africa), which was later adopted by the
exponents. This vocal music is the oldest
for instance, had his own slave orchestra
liberation movement and ultimately be-
traditional music known in South Africa.
in the 1670s)and travelling musicians
came the national anthem of democratic
It was communal, accompanying dances
of mixed-blood who moved around the
South Africa.
or other social gatherings, and involved
elaborate call-and-response patterns.
colony entertaining at dances and other
functions, a tradition that continued
The missionary influence, plus the later
into the era of British domination after
influence of American spirituals, spurred
Though some instruments such as the
1806. In a style similar to that of British
a gospel movement that is still very
mouth bow were used, drums were
marching military bands, coloured (mixed
strong in South Africa today. Drawing
relatively unknown. Later, instruments
race) bands of musicians began parading
on the traditions of churches such as
used in areas to the north of what is
through the streets of Cape Town in the
the Zion Christian Church, it has expo-
now South Africa, such as the mbira or
early 1820s, a tradition that was given
nents whose styles range from the more
thumb-piano from Zimbabwe, or drums
UMS 09-10
33
or xylophones from Mozambique, began
to find a place in the traditions of South
African music-making. Still later, Western
instruments such as the concertina or the
guitar were integrated into indigenous
musical styles, contributing, for instance,
to the Zulu mode of maskanda music.
The development of a black urban proletariat and the movement of many black
workers to the mines in the 1800s meant
that differing regional traditional folk
musics met and began to flow into one
another. Western instrumentation was
used to adapt rural songs, which in turn
started to influence the development of
new hybrid modes of music-making (as
well as dances) in South Africa’s developing urban centers.
MINSTRELS In the mid-1800s, travelling
minstrel shows began to visit South Africa. At first, as far as can be ascertained,
these minstrels were white performers in
“black face”, but by the 1860s genuine
black American minstrel troupes had begun to tour the country, singing spirituals
of the American South and influencing
many South African groups to form
This excerpt is from www.southafrica.info/about/arts/music.
htm. For more information on other styles Marabi, Kwela,
Mbaqanga, Jazz in South Africa, Pop Rock & crossover, and
Bubblegum to Kwaito.
NGUNI MUSIC Nguni is the name applied collectively to the Zulu, Swazi and
Xhosa peoples of south-eastern Africa,
the largest indigenous group in the
country. Their languages and cultures are
closely related, and their traditional music
is more vocal than instrumental, with
polyphonic dance-songs being particularly important.
although ankle rattles and hand-clapping
were sometimes added, the basis of
their collective music-making was the
unaccompanied dance-song. War-shields
were sometimes used percussively by
warriors in earlier days, and oxhides were
beaten at Xhosa boys’ initiation ceremonies. Drums were not, however, entirely
unknown. Medicine men sometimes
used them, and a type of friction drum
was employed at girls’ coming-of-age
ceremonies among the Zulu. Improvised
drums and wooden clappers are now
Nguni languages belong within the Bantu
used in certain neo-traditional art forms,
language family, but they show certain
such as modern Zulu ingomadancing.
features adopted from the neighbour-
Essentially, however, it is clear that in
ing Khoikhoi (or Hottentots, now almost
the past the Nguni have specialized in
extinct), most notably in their use of
developing vocal polyphony rather than
three ‘click’ consonants, written as ‘c’, ‘q’
instrumental ensembles or rhythmic
and ‘x’. As with other Bantu languages,
complexity.
speech-tones influence the shape of
vocal melody. A characteristic of the
A striking feature of traditional Nguni
Nguni that is rare elsewhere in Africa (but
choral dance-songs is the principle of
present in Chinese and German) is the
non-simultaneous entry of voice parts,
pitch-lowering effect of voiced conso-
and the intricacy of their polyphonic
nants, which in song often produces
interaction. There are always at least
rising on-glides.
two voice parts with different startingpoints; their phrases frequently overlap,
As with other southern Bantu peoples,
but there is usually no common cadence
the traditional economy of the Nguni is
point where the parts achieve a com-
composite; it comprises cattle-rearing,
bined resolution. Instead, each voice
the monopoly of men and boys, and
returns to its starting-point as in a round
agriculture, which is women’s work.
(though the parts are not identical),
that continues to this day in South Africa.
Men used also to do a certain amount
and the process is continually repeated.
of hunting. Since the early 19th century,
Variations commonly occur in the leading
This tradition of minstrelsy, joined with
with the advent of missionaries and set-
voice part, while the chorus maintains a
other forms, also contributed to the
tlers, the Nguni have increasingly come
constant ostinato.
development of isicathamiya, which
under Western influence. Indigenous
had its first international hit in 1939 with
culture survives only sporadically in some
Through European contact during the
“Mbube.” This remarkable song by Solo-
of the remoter rural areas.
past century and a half, many West-
themselves into similar choirs.
Regular meetings and competitions between such choirs soon became popular,
forming an entire sub-culture unto itself
mon Linda and the Evening Birds was an
adaption of a traditional Zulu melody, and
has been recycled and reworked innumerable times, most notably as Pete Seeger’s
hit “Wimoweh” and the international
classic “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.”
34
UMS 09-10
ern musical elements and ideas have
Strange as it may seem for an African
been adopted by the Nguni. Traditional
people, the Nguni have no history of
instruments are almost extinct, surviving
drums or percussion ensembles as a basis
only in some of the remoter rural areas.
for their communal dancing. Dancers
Traditional Nguni folk music survives
always sang their own dance music, and
only where social life retains a traditional
basis. For the past century or more,
has inspired the celebration of ethnic
missionaries and teachers have greatly
identities and cultural roots and has
influenced musical taste. A Zulu hymn-
led to the re-emergence of traditional
book with European tunes was printed in
performing practices, values and beliefs,
1862. The first Xhosa songbook, Amac-
providing the basis for ethnically based
ulo aseLovedale(‘Songs of Lovedale’),
social programmes and political parties
appeared in 1884. The tonic sol-fa
(Meintjes, p.9).
system was widely taught, and traditional
music was increasingly displaced by
source: www.oxfordmusiconline.com:80/subscriber/article/
grove/music/43028
Western choral music, sacred and secular.
Educated Africans also began composing
pieces for four-part choir with vernacular
words. Outstanding Xhosa pioneers in
this field were the Rev. John Knox Bokwe
(1855–1922) and Benjamin John Peter
Tyamzashe (b 1890); and among the
FURTHER READING
Zulu, Reuben Tholakele Caluza (b 1895)
V. Erlmann. African Stars: Studies in Black
and Alfred Assegai Kumalo (1879–1966).
South African Performance.Chicago, 1991.
A well-known Xhosa hymn, Nkosi Sikelel’
iAfrika(‘God bless Africa’), composed in
1897 by the Rev. Enoch Sontonga, is now
L. Meintjes. Mediating Difference: Producing
the national anthem of South Africa; its
Mbaqanga Music in a South African Studio.
tune was also adopted for the national
Diss., U. of Texas, 1997.
anthems of Tanzania and Zambia.
Isicathamiya, a male a cappellamusical
genre developed by Zulu migrant workers
at the turn of the 20th century, along
with the elaborate network of weekly
competitions that helps to define the
genre, provides a space within which
black South Africans have been able to
reflect and act on their fractured world
(Erlmann, p.10). Zulu ingoma dances,
once associated with ‘tribal’ dance
competitions on the Witwatersrand gold
mines, and linked to the political history
and ideology of the apartheid government, are now fostered in the schools,
and performed at meetings of independent trade unions and important state
functions. Ingoma dance troupes perform
at weekends in competitions organized
at the hostels and mines, and in staged
musicals such as the revived IpNtombi.
The post-1994 democratic South Africa
UMS 09-10
35
ABOUT
I S C AT H M I YA
Zulu men eating
The emergence of a distinctively African-European vocal music rooted in South African Bantu tradition was further enhanced by
the influences of English music hall, school concert, American minstrel and light operatic traditions of touring performance groups
in the latter half of the 19th century. In addition to a powerful, broadly based tradition of hymnography, black South African choirs
developed popular genres that remain important in their performance contexts and musical influence. The isicathamiya of Natal’s
Zulu-speaking migrant workers, thoroughly researched by Erlmann (1991, 1996) and Coplan (1985), is an example of these popular genres. The tours of the Durban-based Ladysmith Black Mambazo that followed their participation in the successful Graceland
concert tour, video, and album with American popular composer Paul Simon have made this genre familiar to audiences throughout the world.
“In Zulu singing there are three major sounds,” Shabalala explains. “A high keening ululation; a grunting, puffing sound that we
make when we stomp our feet; and a certain way of singing melody. Before Black Mambazo, you didn’t hear these three sounds in
the same songs. So it is new to combine them, although it is still done in a traditional style. We are just asking God to allow us to
polish it, to help keep our voices in order so we can praise Him and uplift the people.”
Though isicathamiya,particularly through Ladysmith Black Mambazo,has recently enjoyed considerable popular and commercial
success, the style is still predominantly the domain of migrant-workers hostels and their all night isicathamiya competitions. The
groups who enter these competitions normally consist of between about 10 and 25 men; each group will have its own formal
dress style (frequently involving jackets, ties, and white gloves); and in each group the vast majority will be basses, with normally
one or more tenors, one alto, and a leader whowill sing a freer and more soloistic part. (Ballentine, 3-4)
sources: www.oxfordmusiconline.com:80/subscriber/article/grove/music/43028
http://music.aol.com/artist/ladysmith-black-mambazo/biography/1002785 J. poet All Music
36
UMS 09-10
EXPLORE
FURTHER RESOURCES
Seroff , Doug. “A Brief Introduction to
the Zulu Choirs.” Black Music Research
L I ST E N
READ
Journal, Vol. 10, No. 1 (Spring, 1990),
pp. 54-57. www.jstor.org/stable/779532
NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO: “ZULU’S
ARTICLES Ballantine, Christopher. “A
‘TIP-TOE’ CHOIR COMPETITION.”
Brief History of South African Popular
Music.” Popular Music, Vol. 8, No. 3,
Shoup, John. “Pop Music and Resistance
php?storyId=1847340
African Music (Oct., 1989), pp. 305-310
in Apartheid South Africa” Alif: Journal
www.jstor.org/stable/931280
of Comparative Poetics, No. 17, Litera-
Accessed: 12/11/2009
ture and Anthropology in Africa/ 1997),
THE NPR 100: GRACELAND
php?storyId=1076475&ps=rs
WAT C H
AMAZING ZULU ISICATHAMIYA CHOIRS
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWkIsSKWhWc
pp. 73-92 www.jstor.org/stable/521608
Erlmann, Veit. ““The Past Is Far and
the Future Is Far”: Power and Performance among Zulu Migrant Workers.”
Erlmann, Veit. Music, modernity, and
American Ethnologist, Vol. 19, No. 4,
the Global Imagination: South Africa
Imagining Identities: Nation, Culture,
and the West. Oxford University Press,
and the Past (Nov., 1992), pp. 688-709
1999.
www.jstor.org/stable/644914 Accessed:
29/11/2009 18:45
Erlmann, Veit. Nightsong: Performance,
Erlmann, Veit. “’Africa Civilised, Africa
Power, and Practice in South Africa.
Uncivilised’: Local Culture, World System
University of Chicago Press, 1996.
and South African Music.” Journal of
Southern African Studies, Vol. 20,
No. 2 (Jun., 1994), pp. 165-179. www.
Muller, Carol A. Focus: Music of South
Africa. Routledge, 2008.
jstor.org/stable/2637385 Accessed:
Lucia, Christine. The World of South
12/11/2009
African Music: a Reader. Cambridge
Erlmann, Veit. “Migration and Performance: Zulu Migrant Workers’ Isicathamiya Performance in South Africa,
1890-1950. Ethnomusicology, Vol.
Scholars Press, 2005 Drewett, Michael
and Martin Cloonan. Popular Music
Censorship in Africa. Ashgate Publishing,
Ltd., 2006.
34, No. 2 (Spring - Summer, 1990), pp.
199-220. www.jstor.org/stable/851683
UMS 09-10
37
CONNECTIONS
38
UMS 09-10
Photo: Mambazo Freedom
ENGAGE
A P P R E C I AT I N G T H E P E R F O R M A N C E
Grade Levels: K-12
ARTS STANDARD, CONTENT STANDARD
Arts Education 3: Arts in Context
Language Arts 3: Meaning and Communication
Social Studies II-1: People, Places, and Cultures
OBJECTIVE Students will gain increased appreciation for and understanding of Ladysmith Black Mambazo by observing the performance closely.
OPENING DISCUSSION Going to a live performance is different from listening to a CD. The audience gains visual cues and clues that can
enhance the music (or even detract from it). The following questions can help you feel more “tuned into” what is happening onstage.
ACTIVITY Encourage students to look for the following at the Youth Performance.
1. Who appears to be leading the vocalists? What is this person’s role called?
2. Does the director lead the melody, harmony, or rhythm? Does the same person lead each piece?
3. How does the director use his/her body to show the singers what he/she wants to hear?
4. Do the singers look at and listen to each other? How can you tell?
5. How are the musicians dressed? Tuxedo? T-shirt and jeans? Suits? How does their clothing affect how you respond to them as
people? As musicians?
UMS 09-10
39
6. Do the musicians use their bodies or faces to express how they’re feeling?
7. Do any of the musicians sing more than one part? Who? How are the sounds of those parts similar? Different?
8. Which singers seem to be the most important? The least? How did you determine how important they are? Do the leading and/or melody vocalists stay the same with each song or change?
9. Songs can convey different moods, emotions, stories, or feelings. Do most of the performed songs communicate similar feelings?
DISCUSSION/FOLLOW-UP Are you able to answer any of the above questions now that you’ve seen the performance? What was
your favorite part of the show? Is there anything you didn’t like about the show? Some of the songs were not sung in English, how
did that effect your experience? Could you still understand what the singers were trying to convey?
40
UMS 09-10
EXPLORE
F O R S T U D E N T S + E D U C AT O R S
NOTE: Although UMS previewed each web site, we recommend that teachers check all web sites before
introducing them to students, as content may have changed since this guide was published.
PBS AFRICA
www.pbs.org/wnet/africa/
Students can explore the regions of
WE B
UMS
www.ums.org
Africa and its current social issues with
information about the PBS series Africa,
teacher tools, and resources.
The official website of UMS. Visit the
AFRICA: K-12 ELECTRONIC GUIDE FOR
Education section (www.ums.org/education) for study guides, information about
AFRICAN RESOURCES
www.sas.upenn.edu/African_Studies/
community and family events, and more
Home_Page/AFR_GIDE.html
information about the UMS Youth Educa-
This guide assists K-12 teachers, librar-
tion Program.
ians, and students in locating on-line
KENNEDY CENTER
www.artsedge.kennedy-center.org
The nation’s most comprehensive web
site for arts education, including lesson
plans, arts education news, grant information, etc.
READ
this interactive website. Site also contains
resources on Africa that can be used in
the classroom, for research and studies. Includes sections on country-specific
information, multimedia, languages, the
environment, travel, and lesson plans.
PRIMARY + ELEMENTARY GRADES
Igus, Toyomi. I See the Rhythm. San Francisco, CA: Children’s Book Press, 1998. A
teacher’s guide for I See the Rhythm can
be found at:
www.childrensbookpress.org/our-books/
african-american/i-see-rhythm
Oluonye, Mary N. South Africa (Country
Explorers). Minneapolis,MN: Lerner Publications, 2008.
UPPER MIDDLE + SECONDARY
KENEDEY CENTER ARTS EDGE: GRADES
AFRICAN ODESSY
Rosmarin, Ike and Dee Rissik. South
http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/aoi/
Africa (Cultures of the World). New York:
history/ao-guide.html
Benchmark Books, 2 edition 2004.
UMS 09-10
41
EXPLORE
COMMUNITY
These groups and organizations can help you to learn more about dance performance styles
and African culture
HERITAGE WORKS
1554 Butternut Detroit, MI 48216
(313) 438-2800
[email protected]
www.africandanceworks.org
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AFRICAN STUDIES CENTER
1080 South University, Suite 2620 Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1106 USA
(734) 615-3027
www.ii.umich.edu/asc
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN CENTER FOR AFROAMERICAN AND AFRICAN STUDIES
4700 Haven Hall 505 S State St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109
(734) 764-5513
www.lsa.umich.edu/caas
ARTS LEAGUE OF MICHIGAN
7700 Second Avenue, 6th Floor Detroit, MI 48202
(313) 870-1600
[email protected]
www.artsleague.com
SHRINE OF THE BLACK MADONNA CULTURAL CENTER
and Book Store
13535 Livernois Detroit, MI 48238
(313) 491-0777
www.shrinebookstore.com
WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF AFRICANA STUDIES
5057 Woodward (11th Floor) Detroit, MI 48202
(313) 577-2321
www.clas.wayne.edu/africanastudies
42
UMS 09-10
ABOUT UMS
UMS 09-10
43
UMS
UNIVERSITY MUSICAL SOCIETY
UMS is committed to connecting audiences with performing artists from around the world in uncommon and engaging experiences. One of the oldest performing arts presenters in the country, the University Musical Society is now in its 131st season. With a
program steeped in music, dance, and theater performed at the highest international standards of quality, UMS contributes to a vibrant cultural community by presenting approximately 60-75 performances and over 100 free educational and community activities
each season. UMS also commissions new work, sponsors artist residencies, and organizes collaborative projects with local, national,
and international partners.
STAFF
INTERNS
DEPARTMENT MAILING ADDRESS
Kenneth C. Fischer
Emily Barkakati
100 Burton Memorial Tower
Claire C. Rice
881 North University Ave
Interim Director
Neal Kelley
Mary Roeder
Leonard Navarro
UMS EDUCATION &
AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT
UMS President
Mark Johnson
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1011
Residency Coordinator
Omari Rush
Education Manager
Carlos Palomares
Production Manager
44
UMS 09-10
Bennett Stein
UMS
U M S Y O U T H E D U C AT I O N P R O G R A M
10 THINGS TO KNOW
QUALITY
Every student deserves access to
ACCESSIBILITY
Eliminating participation barriers
“the best” experiences of world arts
Working directly with schools to
align our programs with classroom
• UMS subsidizes Youth Performance
and culture
K-12 SCHOOL PARTNERSHIPS
goals and objectives
tickets to $6/student (average subsidy:
• UMS presents the finest international
$25/ticket)
performing and cultural artists.
Ann Arbor Public Schools and the Washt• When possible, UMS reimburses bus-
• Performances are often exclusive to
• Superintendent of Ann Arbor Public
• UMS Youth Education offers person-
Schools is an ex officio member of the
alized customer service to teachers in
UMS Board of Directors.
• UMS Youth Performances aim to
order to respond to each school’s unique
present to students the same perfor-
needs.
mance that the public audiences see (no
watered-down content).
enaw Intermediate School District.
sing costs.
Ann Arbor or touring to a small number
of cities.
• 13-year official partnerships with the
• UMS has significant relationships with
Detroit Public Schools’ dance and world
• UMS actively seeks out schools with
language programs and is developing
economic and geographic challenges to
relationships with other regional districts.
ensure and facilitate participation.
• UMS is building partnerships with or of-
DIVERSITY
Highlighting the cultural, artistic,
fering specialized services to the region’s
ARTS EDUCATION LEADER
independent and home schools.
and geographic diversity of the world
One of the premier arts education
• Programs represent world cultures and
programs in the country
mirror school/community demographics.
• UMS’s peer arts education programs: Car• Students see a variety of art forms: negie Hall, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center.
classical music, dance, theater, jazz, choral, global arts.
• UMS has the largest youth education
UNIVERSITY EDUCATION
PARTNERSHIPS
Affecting educators’ teaching practices at the developmental stage
program of its type in the four-state region
• UMS Youth Education is developing
• UMS’s Global Arts program focuses
and has consistent school/teacher participa-
a partnership with the U-M School of
on 4 distinct regions of the world—
tion throughout southeastern Michigan.
Education, which keeps UMS informed
Africa, the Americas, Asia, and the Arab
World—with a annual festival featuring
• 20,000 students are engaged each sea-
the arts of one region.
son by daytime performances, workshops
and in-school visits.
• UMS Youth Education was awarded
“Best Practices” by ArtServe Michigan
and The Dana Foundation (2003).
of current research in educational theory
and practice.
• University professors and staff are
active program advisors and workshop
presenters.
UMS 09-10
45
KENNEDY CENTER PARTNERSHIP
TEACHER ADVISORY COMMITTEE
• UMS Youth Education has been a
Meeting the actual needs of today’s
member of the prestigious Kennedy
educators in real time
Center Partners in Education Program
since 1997.
• Partners in Education is a national consortium of arts organization and public
school partnerships.
• UMS Youth Education works with a
50-teacher committee that guides program decision-making.
• The Committee meets throughout
the season in large and small groups
• The program networks over 100 na-
regarding issues that affect teachers and
tional partner teams and helps UMS stay
their participation: ticket/bussing costs,
on top of best practices in education and
programming, future goals, etc.
arts nationwide.
IN-SCHOOL VISITS & CURRICULUM
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
“I find your arts and culture workshops to be one of the ‘Seven Wonders of Ann Arbor’!”
–AAPS Teacher
DEVELOPMENT
Supporting teachers in the classroom
• UMS Youth Education places international artists and local arts educators/
teaching artists in classes to help educa-
• UMS Youth Education provides some
tors teach a particular art form or model
of the region’s most vital and responsive
new/innovative teaching practices.
professional development training.
• UMS develops nationally-recognized
• Over 300 teachers participate in our
teacher curriculum materials to help
educator workshops each season.
teachers incorporate upcoming youth
performances immediately in their daily
• In most workshops, UMS utilizes and
engages resources of the regional community: cultural experts and institutions,
performing and teaching artists.
46
UMS 09-10
classroom instruction.
UMS Youth Education Program
[email protected] | 734-615-0122 |
www.ums.org/education
SEND US YOUR FEEDBACK!
UMS wants to know what teachers and students think about this Youth Performance.
We hope you’ll send us your thoughts, drawings, letters, or reviews.
UMS YOUTH EDUCATION PROGRAM
Burton Memorial Tower • 881 N. University Ave. • Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1011
(734) 615-0122 phone • (734) 998-7526 fax • [email protected]
www.ums.org/education
UMS 09-10
47

ladysmith black mambazo - University Musical Society

Transcription

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