The Role of Music in the struggle against apartheid

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The Sound of Resistance

THE ROLE OF MUSIC

IN THE STRUGGLE AGAINST APARTHEID

Song of protest

Ndodemnyama we Verwoerd

Pasopa Nantsi ndodemnyama, Verwoerd

Pasopa Nantsi ndodemnyama, Verwoerd

Pasopa Nantsi ndodemnyama, Verwoerd

Pasopa Nantsi ndodemnyama, Verwoerd

Nantsi ndodemnyama, Verwoerd

Nantsi ndodemnyama, Verwoerd

Nantsi ndodemnyama, Verwoerd

Nantsi ndodemnyama, Verwoerd

Pasopa Nantsi ndodemnyama, Verwoerd

Pasopa Nantsi ndodemnyama, Verwoerd

Pasopa Nantsi ndodemnyama, Verwoerd

Pasopa Nantsi ndodemnyama, Verwoerd

Nkosi Sikelel’I Afrika

Nkosi Sikelel’ i Afrika

God bless Africa

Malupakam’ upondo Iwayo

Raise up her spirit

Yiva imitandazo yetu

Hear our prayers

Usi - sikelele

And bless us

Sikelel’ amadol’ asizwe

Bless the leaders

Sikelela kwa nomlisela

Bless also the young

Ulitwal’ ilizwe ngomonde

That they may carry the land with patience

Uwusiki lele

And that you may bless them

Sikelel’ amalinga etu

Bless our efforts

Awonanyana nokuzaka

Through learning and understanding

Uwasikelele

And bless them

Yihla Moya~ Yihla Moya!

Descend, Spirit! Descend, Spirit!

Yihla Moya Oyingcwele

Descend, Holy Spirit!

The Bushman

• Unlike the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, the

South African government was constantly banning music that they saw as offensive and against the beliefs of the country.

South African musicians had to change their lyrics and depended on people’s interpretations to see other meanings of their lyrics. Steve Kekana released his song called “The

Bushman” in 1982.

• The song’s literal translation is about a Bushman who teaches himself how to use a bow and arrow. “This fitted in well with apartheid notions of blacks as primitives and was consequently play on SABC, a local radio station” (Cloonan, M., “Policing

Pop”). People of South Africa used symbolism to understand the true meaning of the song. People considered the

“Bushman” to be the guerrillas of South Africa. Since their music was monitored, they depended on symbolism to convey the correct message and bring people together.

The Bushman

In nineteen twenty five

A Bushman came alive

Taught himself to shoot

With a bow and arrow

His will to stay alive

Was burning him inside

Day by day he'd hunt

In search of wildlife

Wo-ho, wo-ho, the Bushman

Wo-ho, wo-ho, the Bushman

He fights like a man should do

He strives like a man should do

He never cries

He never lies

He's just a simple man

Wo-ho, wo-ho, the Bushman

Wo-ho, wo-ho, the Bushman

He fights like a man should do

He strives like a man should do

He never cries

He never lies

He's just a simple man

All he wants to be is friendly

But nobody understands him

He's never seen the world

He's living in

It makes me so sad

He lives under a tree

Hides himself and sleeps

His mind is tuned

To be aware of danger

He never makes mistakes

Survival is his way

At night he plays a song

On a wooden kalimba

Wo-ho, wo-ho, the Bushman

Wo-ho, wo-ho, the Bushman

The sun was beating down

His feet were bare and strong

He'd walk for miles and miles

No heat exhaustion

Wo-ho, wo-ho, the Bushman

Toyi-Toyi

The Soweto uprising in

Stander -Un poliziotto scomodo (2003)

The Role of Music in South Africa's Anti-Apartheid Movemen

THE ROLE OF MUSIC:

THE INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE

The Nelson Mandela 70th

Birthday Tribute was a popular-music concert staged on June 11, 1988 at Wembley

Stadium, London and broadcast to 67 countries and an audience of 600 million. It was also referred to as

Freedomfest, Free Nelson

Mandela Concert and

Mandela Day.

Sting (introduced by Harry Belafonte ) – " If You Love Somebody Set Them

Free ", " They Dance Alone ", " Every Breath You Take ", " Message in a Bottle "

George Michael (introduced by Lenny Henry ) – "Village Ghetto Land", "If

You Were My Woman", " Sexual Healing "

Eurythmics (introduced by Richard Gere ) – " I Need a Man ", " There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart) ", " Here Comes the Rain Again ", " You Have

Placed a Chill in My Heart ", " When Tomorrow Comes ", " Sweet Dreams (Are

Made of This) ", "Brand New Day"

Graham Chapman - speech

Tracy Chapman (1st appearance) - "Why?", "Behind the Wall", " Talkin' Bout a Revolution "

Bee Gees - " You Win Again ", " I've Gotta Get a Message to You "

UB40 (introduced by Gregory Hines ) - " Rat in Mi Kitchen ", " Red Red Wine "

" I Got You Babe ", "Breakfast in Bed", "Sing Our Own Song"

Hugh Masekela / Miriam Makeba - "Soweto Blues"

Miriam Makeba - " Pata Pata "

Simple Minds (introduced by Emily Lloyd & Denzel Washington ) -

" Waterfront « " Summertime Blues « " Mandela Day ", "Sanctify Yourself",

"East at Easter", " Alive and Kicking "

Peter Gabriel , Simple Minds & Youssou N'Dour - " Biko "

Steven van Zandt , Simple Minds , Peter Gabriel , Meat Loaf , Jackson

Browne , Youssou N'Dour & Daryl Hannah - " Sun City "

Jerry Dammers , Simple Minds - " Free Nelson Mandela "

Whitney Houston (introduced by Corbin Bernsen and Jennifer Beals ) -

" Didn't We Almost Have It All ", " Love Will Save the Day ", " So Emotional ",

" Where Do Broken Hearts Go ", " How Will I Know ", "He/I Believe" (duet with her mother Cissy Houston ), " I Wanna Dance with Somebody ",

" Greatest Love of All "

Derek B - "Free Mandela"

Stevie Wonder - " I Just Called to Say I Love You ", speech, "Dark 'n Lovely"

Dire Straits featuring Eric Clapton (introduced by Billy Connolly ) - " Walk of

Life ", " Sultans of Swing ", " Romeo and Juliet ", " Money for Nothing ",

" Brothers in Arms ", " Wonderful Tonight ", "Solid Rock"

Jessye Norman - " Amazing Grace " (Finale)

September '77

Port Elizabeth weather fine

It was business as usual

In police room 619

Oh Biko, Biko, because Biko

Oh Biko, Biko, because Biko

Yihla Moja, Yihla Moja

-The man is dead

When I try to sleep at night

I can only dream in red

The outside world is black and white

With only one colour dead

Oh Biko, Biko, because Biko

Oh Biko, Biko, because Biko

Yihla Moja, Yihla Moja

-The man is dead

You can blow out a candle

But you can't blow out a fire

Once the flames begin to catch

The wind will blow it higher

Oh Biko, Biko, because Biko

Yihla Moja, Yihla Moja

-The man is dead

And the eyes of the world are watching now watching now

It was 25 years they take that man away

Now the freedom moves in closer every day

Wipe the tears down from your saddened eyes

They say Mandela's free so step outside

Oh oh oh oh Mandela day

Oh oh oh oh Mandela's free

It was 25 years ago this very day

Held behind four walls all through night and day

Still the children know the story of that man

And I know what's going on right through your land

25 years ago

If the tears are flowing wipe them from your face

I can feel his heartbeat moving deep inside

It was 25 years they took that man away

And now the world come down say Nelson Mandela's free

The rising suns sets Mandela on his way

It's been 25 years around this very day

From the one outside to the ones inside we say

25 years ago

What's going on

And we know what's going on

Cos we know what's going on

Free Nelson Mandela

21 years in captivity

Shoes too small to fit his feet

His body abused, but his mind is still free

You're so blind that you cannot see

Free Nelson Mandela

Visited the causes at the AMC

Only one man in a large army

You're so blind that you cannot see

You're so deaf that you cannot hear him

Free Nelson Mandela

Free Nelson Mandela

Free free

Free free free Nelson Mandela

21 tears in captivity

You're so blind that you cannot see

You're so deaf that you cannot hear him

You're so dumb that you cannot speak

Free Nelson Mandela

We're rockers and rappers united and strong

We're here to talk about South Africa we don't like what's going on

It's time for some justice it's time for the truth

We've realized there's only one thing we can do

I ain't gonna play Sun City

Relocation to phony homelands

Separation of families I can't understand

23 million can't vote because they're black

We're stabbing our brothers and sisters in the back

I ain't gonna play Sun City

Our government tells us we're doing all we can

Constructive Engagement is Ronald Reagan's plan

Meanwhile people are dying and giving up hope

This quiet diplomacy ain't nothing but a joke

I ain't gonna play Sun City

Boputhuswana is far away

But we know it's in South Africa no matter what they say

You can't buy me I don't care what you pay

Don't ask me Sun City because I ain't gonna play

I ain't gonna play Sun City

It's time to accept our responsibility

Freedom is a privilege nobody rides for free

Look around the world baby it can't be denied

Why are we always on the wrong side

I ain't gonna play Sun City

Relocation to phony homelands

Separation of families I can't understand

23 million can't vote because they're black

We're stabbing our brothers and sisters in the back

The children got a letter from the master

It said, no more Xhosa, Sotho, no more Zulu

Refusing to comply they sent an answer

That's when the policemen came to the rescue

Children were dying, bullets flying

The mothers screaming and crying

The fathers were working in the cities

The evening news brought out all the publicity

Just a little atrocity, deep in the city

Soweto blues, soweto blues

Soweto blues, soweto blues

Benikuphi ma madoda

(Where were the men?)

Abantwana beshaywa

(When the children were throwing stones)

Ngezimbokodo mabedubula abantwana

(When the children were being shot)

Benikhupi na

(Where were you?)

There was a full moon on the golden city

Looking at the door was the man without pity

Accusing everyone of conspiracy

Tightening the curfew, charging people with walking

Yes, the border is where he was awaiting

Waiting for the children, frightened and running

A handful got away but all the others

Hurried their chain without any publicity

Just a little atrocity, deep in the city

Soweto blues, soweto blues

Soweto blues, abu yethu a mama

Soweto blues, they are killing all the children

Soweto blues, without any publicity

Soweto blues, oh, they are finishing the nation

Soweto blues, while calling it black on black

Soweto blues but everybody knows they are behind it

Soweto blues, without any publicity

Soweto blues, they are finishing the nation

Soweto blues, god, somebody, help

Soweto blues

(Abu yethu a mama)

Soweto blues

www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WqJ1k43NAA

Well Jo'anna she runs a country

She runs in Durban and the Transvaal

She makes a few of her people happy, oh

She don't care about the rest at all

She's got a system they call apartheid

It keeps a brother in a subjection

But maybe pressure will make Jo'anna see

How everybody could a live as one

She got supporters in high up places

Who turn their heads to the city sun

Jo'anna give them the fancy money

Oh to tempt anyone who'd come

She even knows how to swing opinion

In every magazine and the journals

For every bad move that this Jo'anna makes

They got a good explanation

Gimme hope, Jo'anna Hope, Jo'anna

Gimme hope, Jo'anna 'Fore the morning come

Gimme hope, Jo'anna Hope, Jo'anna

Even the preacher who works for Jesus

The Archbishop who's a peaceful man

Together say that the freedom fighters

Hope before the morning come

Will overcome the very strong

I wanna know if you're blind Jo'anna

If you wanna hear the sound of drum

I hear she makes all the golden money

To buy new weapons, any shape of guns

While every mother in black Soweto fears

Can't you see that the tide is turning

Oh don't make me wait till the morning come

The killing of another son

Sneakin' across all the neighbours' borders

Now and again having little fun

She doesn't care if the fun and games she play

Is dang'rous to ev'ryone

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fmf9ZJ_Yn0A&list=RDFmf9ZJ_Yn0A

The Sound of Resistance

THE ROLE OF MUSIC

IN THE STRUGGLE AGAINST APARTHEID

Nkosi sikelel' iAfrika

Maluphakanyisw' uphondo lwayo,

Yizwa imithandazo yethu,

Nkosi sikelela, thina lusapho lwayo.

The Sound of Resistance

The role of music in the struggle against apartheid

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