M9: South Africa

Where did the Indian and Asian population of South Africa come from?

Were originally indentured servants

Northern Africa has overlapped historically and culturally with...?

West Asia and Mediterranean culture (Islam, in particular, has had a very strong impact on the region both religiously and culturally)

South Africa borders which countries?

West to east they are Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Swaziland

Syncopation

Accenting of rhythms that would not normally be accented

Pretoria

Administrative capital of South Africa

Density

African cultures tend to have an aesthetic preference for dense sound quality; Result of interlocking and overlapping parts; African performers layer parts on top of each other so many sounds happening at once; Can be heard in the buzzy timbres of African instruments

What is it that teaches community members to participate meaningfully and effectively?

Experience (not formal training)

Cry Freedom

Film about anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko, starring Denzel Washington and Kevin Kline

South African dance

Closely associated with music-making; Significant way for people to join in; Usually learned through enculturation

Djembe

Conical drum / Goblet drum

What is the landscape of the center of Africa like?

Covered mostly with tropical rainforests

Population distribution of South Africa

~80% Native Africans (Bantu groups - Zulu, Xhosa, Sotho, Venda, Tswana, Tsonga, Swazi, and Ndebele), ~9% White Africans (British, Dutch, Portuguese, German, and French descent), ~9 "Coloureds" (mixed race), and ~2% Indian or Asian

Population of South Africa

~forty-seven million

Kalihari

Desert northwest of the Highveldon

What was discovered in South Africa in 1867?

Diamonds

The two most common associations Westerners have with African music are...?

Drums and complex rhythms

British infiltration of Dutch South Africa

During the end of eighteenth century British began infiltrating Dutch colony; By 1806 the British had officially taken Cape Town; 1820s British settlers expanded their territory north and east of the colony, continuing the wars with the Xhosa

Why did the Dutch war with the Xhosa?

Dutch gradually moved eastward and inland, encountering the Xhosa people; They disputed over land and started the Xhosa Wars; Started in 1779 and lasted a century

South African language

Eleven official languages in its constitution (English, Afrikaans, and nine languages indigenous to the South African people); English is language of commerce (spoken by ~8% of South Africans at home); Afrikaans spoken by ~13%; Two most commonly spoken languages in South African homes are Zulu (24%) and Xhosa (18%)

African Union

Established in 2001; Consists of all of Africa's countries except Morocco; Established to deal with issues the African people face

Boer Republics

Established in the northern and eastern regions of South Africa

Which African cultures have primarily drumming musical traditions?

Ewe of western Africa

Axatse

Ewe rattle with net of beads around outside of gourd

When did South Africa have it's first multiracial elections and who won?

Held in 1994; African National Congress won by a landslide and Nelson Mandela elected president

What problems arise because African country borders were established by Europeans?

Historically warring groups have been forced to reside within the same boundaries; Some boundaries were established intentionally to divide native culture groups and weaken their power

Stamping Tubes

Hollow tubes with an open end to sound when struck against the ground

Talking drum

Hourglass drum

Different shapes of drums

Hourglass; Conical/Goblet; Cylindrical/Barrel; Bowl

Who were South Africa's first inhabitants?

Hunter-gatherer societies, probably early KhoiSan (ancestors of modern-day Kalahari Bushmen)

Positive changes happening in modern-day, post-apartheid South Africa

Implementation of affirmative action policies; Growing middle class including increasing numbers of Black, Coloured, and Indian people

Cape Town

Legislative capital of Aouth Africa

What is the landscape of the northern half of Africa like?

Primarily of deserts and arid land

What is the landscape of southern Africa like?

Primarily savanna plains

If one is looking for a distinctly traditional African musical culture, where must one look?

Primarily to the rural black South Africans; In the urban areas new traditions have arisen that blend traditional African music with elements of other musical cultures (jazz, Western popular, and other types of world music)

Musical bow

Simplest string instrument; Look like bows used to shoot arrows; Usually plucked or struck with a stick; Either use gourd or mouth cavity as resonator

Ways people are oppressed for either social or political reasons

Slavery, class systems, racial segregation, sexism, and religion

How many illegal immigrants live in South Africa?

~5 (most from Zimbabwe)

South African climate

Similar to the Mediterranean on the southwest side, while the east is very tropical

When was South Africa discovered by Europeans?

1487

When did the British establish the Union of South Africa?

1910

Currently how many countries are in Africa?

53

National Party

Afrikaner-backed; Came into power in 1948; Implemented apartheid. Apartheid allowed the White minority to secure their power over the Black African majority. As part of the apartheid policy, black South Africans were regarded as second-class citizens and were segregated in ten different "homelands" (similar to Native American reservations in America). In many cases, families were separated because they were determined to be of different races. Black laborers often migrated to the cities for employment, where they were forced to live outside the main area of the city in townships (for example, Soweto). The wealth generated first in the gold and diamond mines and later through industrialization, primarily through the labor of the native people, benefited only the white minority. Meanwhile the black majority faced poverty and poor education, housing, and health. Life in the townships was often very difficult, as was portrayed in Cry Freedom, a film about anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko, starring Denzel Washington and Kevin Kline. In 1961 South Africa broke its bonds with Britain and declared itself a Republic with a State President. It was around this time that anti-apartheid protests were becoming more common and were increasingly repressed with governmental force. As the oppression of the black people by the South African government became known outside the country, this led to sanctions by other nations, including an international boycott called for by U.N.E.S.C.O. In 1990 the ban on the African National Congress was lifted, and its leader Nelson Mandela (b. 1918) was released after 27 years of imprisonment, signaling a softening of the heart by the South African government. Apartheid legislation was starting to be dismantled. In 1992 a referendum was approved for a new multiracial rule (which is particularly noteworthy because it happened at a time when only white South Africans were allowed to vote). In 1994 South Africa had its first multiracial elections, the result of which was that the African National Congress won by a landslide and Nelson Mandela was elected president.

What did the original Dutch settlers call themselves?

Afrikaners or Boers ("farmers")

How does music give voice to people who are otherwise overlooked or suppressed?

Allows them to communicate with others; Provides a sense of community when a community might otherwise be suppressed; Performed "behind closed doors" or in public places but imbued with hidden meanings; Seen as mere entertainment to some but very powerful to others who know the genre more intimately (insiders in the culture); Songs have layers of meaning; Music can give people hope and solace

Hocket

Alternating pitches or phrases of one part with those of another to create one whole melody

Afrikaans

An Indo-European language derived from Dutch spoken by Afrikaners

Call and Response

An entire song, melodic or rhythmic, is divided between a leader and a response group

What two wars broke out after the discovery of diamonds and gold in South Africa?

Anglo-Boer Wars between the Boers and British (1880-1881 and 1899-1902); By 1902 the British had defeated the Boers

Highveld

Approximately a third of South Africa's topography; Large interior plateau; Tropical savannah

What and when was the most significant migration of native African people into South Africa after the KhoiSan?

Bantu-speaking people (ancestors of modern-day Nguni) sometime between 200 and 500 C.E.

European colinization of Africa

Began in the fifteenth century; Reached highest point ~ turn of 20th century (most of Africa colonized by European countries); Since 1950s nearly all of African nations have established their independence; Current national boundaries were determined by Europeans who established boundaries without regard to native African cultural groups

When did South Africa declare itself a Republic with a State President?

Broke bonds with Britain in 1961

Three capitol cities of South Africa

Cape Town, Pretoria, and Bloemfontein,

Enculturation

Children learn when, where, how, and why to make music and dance from their parents and society

How was South Africa first discovered by Europeans?

Portuguese explorer landed there en route to India; Named area on which they landed the Cape of Good Hope (today Cape Town)

Interlocking

Fitting pitches or beats of different instruments or voices together by filling in the gaps of the other person's part; Can occur in several ways in African music; Most basic is call and response; Both parts fairly large, but both needed to complete the entire song; Parts either vocal or instrumental; Can occur between pitches or beats; Rhythmically two relatively simple parts can be fit together to create a more complex sounding rhythm

Rhythmic complexity

Found on many levels in African music; Rhythms sound complex because several layers of different rhythmic patterns being played on top of each other (polyrhythm); Even if the individual patterns are relatively simple, the overall sound is very complex; African musicians do not tend to adhere to strict framework (Put together rhythmic patterns not constrained by meter)

What problems plague South Africa today?

Frequent famines and widespread malnutrition due to difficult weather conditions and poor distribution systems for food and water; Still overwhelming number of black South Africans living in poverty; Still appalling disparity between average white and average black household earnings; AIDS has reached epidemic proportions in South Africa (infection rate among adults around 20%); South African government criticized for failure to redistribute wealth to compensate for impact of apartheid on Black South Africans and for its failure to address the AIDS epidemic; Crime and corruption problematic; Large number of shanty town protests protesting the living conditions of thousands of South Africans

What was discovered in South Africa in 1884?

Gold

Important revenue sources for South African economy

Gold, diamonds, and other metals and minerals, agriculture, especially corn, fruits, sugar, and wine; Tourism has been a great boon

Jali / Jeli / Griot

Praise singers; Compose songs to praise patrons; Keep the history and genealogy of a community

Click languages

Include clicking sounds as part of their vocal production

Kingdom of Lesotho.

Independent enclave in the middle of South Africa

Thumb pianos

Instruments with metal tongues that are plucked with the fingers

General characteristics of African Music (almost every culture has at least two)

Interlocking, Ostinato, Density, and Rhythmic complexity

Tonal language

Intonation factors in the meaning of the words; Same word can have different meaning based on whether you raise the pitch of your voice for the second syllable or lower it (Ex languages: Zulu, Swazi, Xhosa, etc.)

Bloemfontein

Judicial capital of South Africa

Which African cultures have primarily narrative song musical traditions, accompanied by melodic instruments?

Mande people of western Africa

Which African cultures have primarily vocal musical traditions?

Mbuti of central Africa

How can songs have layers of meaning?

More than just words (also melody, rhythm, and texture) as; Ability to carry codes and meanings; Sometimes easily apparent and sometimes known only within a given context or society

African Drums

Most prevalent category of instruments in Africa; Come in a large variety of sizes and shapes; Usually made from single piece of wood (a single tree); Sometimes constructed like a barrel with slats of wood and hoop; Important in African culture and typically have great religious significance; Drums themselves sacred; Rhythms played on drums are sacred; Used to communicate with others, from village to village, person to person, or natural to supernatural

Four main influences of Isicathamiya

Native Nguni music, Christian hymns, Touring minstrel shows, and Urban music

In most African cultures music is performed by...?

Non-specialists and the community at large (African cultures encourage community members to participate)

Africa is separated into two large regions. What are they?

North of the Sahara and sub-Saharan Africa

How long has South Africa been inhabited for?

Over 100,000 years

How many languages are spoken in Africa?

Over 1000 languages

Population of Africa

Over 920 million people (second-most populated continent in the world)

Isicathamiya Influence: Native Nguni music

Polyphonic vocal tradition; Traditionally performed a cappella or accompanied by a musical bow; Most vocal parts sing ostinato patterns; Additional parts usually double main two or three parts at a fourth or fifth above (same as Highland bagpipe drones); Soloist usually sings top part, departing from the ostinato to sing in an improvisatory manner; Soloist traditionally alternates with the group in a call and response fashion but at the same time overlapping; No two parts begin or end at the same time; Tonal languages (Zulu, Swazi, Xhosa, etc.) also contribute to the sound; Singers glide on syllables containing voiced consonants (such as d, b, etc.); Glide up on initial consonants and glide down on final ones; Some Nguni languages also click languages; Energetic and forceful steps and gestures used

Isicathamiya

Pronounced "is-cot-a-me-ya"; Aka mbube; Arose among class of black, mostly Zulu-speaking migrant laborers around the urban areas of South Africa; Word cannot be directly translated into English; Derived from the Zulu word cathama meaning to "walk softly" or "tread carefully" (likely refers to dance steps that accompany the music); Featured style at song contests held on Saturday nights in migrant labor camps (contests were important diversion for men who formed singing groups to compete); Typical sound is a cappella male voices (though some female isicathamiya groups; Music is typically in four-part harmony (Western-influenced) with voice parts singing repeating ostinato patterns; Emphasis on the lowest voice (characteristic of traditional Nguni polyphony) with a heavy doubling of the bass part; Soloist sings the top voice in more improvisatory manner and sometimes in falsetto; Favors call and response form in which voices overlap (No two voices begin/end phrase at the same time, creating overlap effect); Use glissando; Texts usually in Zulu or another South African language; Often address real-life experiences, sometimes criticizing or protesting current events; Arose around 1915 in Durban with groups like The Crocodiles and The Durban Evening Birds; Popular throughout South Africa by 1930s

Percussion Instruments (NOT drums)

Rattles, bells, cymbals, rhythm sticks, xylophones, stamping tubes, and thumb pianos; These types of instruments differ in their construction from culture to culture; Each has its own name in the different cultures of Africa

In 1652 the Dutch East India Company founded a...?

Refreshment post at the Cape of Good Hope

How is music used in South Africa?

Religion; Display of wealth; Record genealogy and history; Entertainment; Bridge between natural and supernatural worlds; iIvoke ancestors, spirits, or gods to interact with the human world

Ostinato

Repeated or cyclical rhythmic or melodic patterns; Basic foundation of most African performances; Patterns can be short or long depending on the type of music: Usually provide the backbone of musical works; Many patterns incorporate small, gradual variations as the piece progresses; Sometimes melody or improvisatory line is performed over ostinato; Other times patterns will lead into brief sections of improvisation

Why have a number of white South Africans left the county in recent years?

Rising crime rate and employment issues (though many British have moved in to take their place)

Symbolism in "Swing Low"

River Jordan means any body of water that had to be crossed on road to freedom (i.e. Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio River, or Atlantic Ocean); Going "home" refer to afterlife with God or going back home to family in Africa

Apartheid

Segregation policy; Allowed the White minority to secure power over the Black African majority; Black South Africans regarded as second-class citizens and segregated in ten different "homelands"; Families separated because they were determined to be different races; Black laborers migrated to the cities for employment because they were forced to live outside the main area of the city in townships (i.e. Soweto); Labor wealth (gold, diamonds, industry) benefitted only the white minority; Black majority faced poverty and poor education, housing, and health; Life in townships difficult (portrayed in Cry Freedom); Anti-apartheid protests became more common and increasingly repressed with governmental force in 1960s; Sparked international boycott called for by U.N.E.S.C.O.; Ban on African National Congress lifted in 1990 and its leader Nelson Mandela (b. 1918) released after 27 years of imprisonment; Referendum approved for a new multiracial rule in 1992 (noteworthy because happened at time when only white South Africans could vote)

South Africa is characterized as what climate?

Semi-arid (but actually has climactic zones ranging from subtropical to desert)

Karoo

Semi-desert region surrounding the Highveldon to the southwest

Hosho

Shona gourd rattle with seeds inside

Which African cultures have musical traditions with complex melodic instruments that interlock parts?

Shona people of Zimbabwe

Kora

Somewhere between a lute and a harp; Usually have sound boxes made form gourds; Often have skins stretched across the front for the face (like banjo)

Lute (not African)

Strings run parallel to the soundbox and a neck

Harp (not African)

Strings run perpendicularly to the resonating soundbox

Drakensberg mountain range

Surroundeds the Highveld on the east and southeast

Glissando

Technique of glide up on initial consonants and glide down on final ones

Where is the economic wealth most centrally located?

Urban areas such as Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Durban, Pretoria, and Johannesburg (most rural areas are still impoverished)

African Horns/Trumpets

Usually made from animal horns or metal

African Flutes

Usually made from plant products like cane

A cappella

Voices alone with no accompaniment