UMS Teacher Resource Guide - Ladysmith Black Mambazo

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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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 33 Further Resources ABOUT THE MUSIC 35 South African Music 38 Isicathamiya 39 Further Resources

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

UMS 09-10 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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LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO

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ABOUT

OVERVIEW LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO

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-

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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) UMS 09-10

15

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-

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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 LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO

WE B

WATCH

READ

LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO

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 -

www.npr.org/templates/story/story. php?storyId=1672483 •

Graceland. [DVD]. Harcourt Films/Isis Productions

Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Live In Studio 4a: Group Celebrates A Decade Of South African Freedom

www.npr.org/templates/story/story. php?storyId=1186957&ps=rs •

Musicians In Their Own Words: Joseph Shabalala

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17

ABOUT SOUTH AFRICA 18

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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?

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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

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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.

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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.

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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

courtesy of: www.southafrica.info/

Map used with permission from: http//www.SA-Venues.com

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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

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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.

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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

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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

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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 courtesy of: www.southafrica.info/

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

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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.’”

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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.

courtesy of: www.southafrica.info/

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

www.npr.org/templates/story/story.

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 www.npr.org/templates/story/story. php?storyId=1076475&ps=rs

WAT C H AMAZING ZULU ISICATHAMIYA CHOIRS www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWkIsSKWhWc

Accessed: 12/11/2009

pp. 73-92 www.jstor.org/stable/521608 Erlmann, Veit. ““The Past Is Far and

Accessed: 12/11/2009

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 Accessed: 12/11/2009

UMS 09-10

37

CONNECTIONS

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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?

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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 info@heritageworks.org 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 info@artsleague.com 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

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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

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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.

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UMS 09-10

classroom instruction.

UMS Youth Education Program umsyouth@umich.edu | 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 • umsyouth@umich.edu www.ums.org/education

UMS 09-10

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