The role of music in African societies lives was and still is unimaginably important. Music had the power to create a resistance movement that needed to be done in efforts to tackle Apartheid. Not only was music soothing to the ears, but it had a much bigger purpose. Music spoke to the souls of African societies, upbringing communication amongst each other. Music helped black South Africans obtain what they deserved. It also brought people closer to their spiritualties. By singing with those surrounding one another, people felt a sense of connection to their creators and to their peers. Through music, people were able to indulge in their own power by making statements such as “…here comes the black man” and “watch out Verwoerd”. Music created jobs for people and allowed them to use their gift to survive. It was an escape for some because it took them to another world where all feelings were understood. Music to African societies were expressed by political momentum, meaning each time something happened politically it rallied them up and created new songs and new voices. Music was also a sense of freedom. Through the use of lyrics, people liberated themselves. The role music played was beyond anything else and helped mobilize and strengthen those who were irrational and outraged during this resistance movement against the apartheid system. In this paper, I will discuss the background of the Apartheid system, and provide examples on how Apartheid affected people’s lives and how music was used as a guide to accomplish African societies main goal – freedom.
Apartheid broke many families, costed many lives, and outraged many people. Apartheid by definition is a policy of segregation on race.1 Black citizens of South Africa were robbed of their rights and stripped of their freedom. Its main purpose was to belittle black South Africans power and to put up a barrier between South Africans white minority from the non-white majority. According to Hendrik Verwoerd, the father of Apartheid, it was a policy of good neighbourliness. Verwoerd was the creator of Apartheid that existed from 1948 to 1994.1 People of South Africa would sing “watch out Verwoerd” to gain power over him and to show dominance that he should watch his back.1 By singing such lyrics, people were united and willing to do what it took to make a change. Africans of colour were strangers to their own land. They were stripped of freedom because they were essentially kicked out of their homes and placed in racial segregated housing. Apartheid did not happen overnight and was set in stages. This process was known as “cleaning up”.1 They had no say in anything and basically breathed the same air, which was no life to live; hence, the reasoning for the resistance movement. To Africans of colour, laws were created for them to be executed.1 According to the movie, during Apartheid the environment could be described as hostile, everyone was in denial and lies were everywhere.
The system had a way of causing destruction in South Africans lives that lead to losses of family members, limitations, and little freedom. There were many explicitly shown references to how Apartheid affected indigenous black south Africans in the movie Amandla! A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony.1 One example that I felt strongly about was among racial segregation in a woman’s field of work. A black South African nanny who put her heart and soul into a child’s life, just for the child to turn around and be taught that she was the outcast. He/She would be taught to treat black South Africans differently and call them names.1 This segregation and racial scenario is one of many that black citizens face to this day. Children of white minority were taught this way due to Apartheid being in place. Another example from the movie was when the mother and her daughter let a bus pass right by them. In the movie, the sign read “whites only”.1 Black South Africans were limited to what they can and cannot do during apartheid which created inequality. The bus was completely empty, but because of their colour they were not allowed to enter and had to wait. Pass laws were also a part of the Apartheid system and affected many lives of indigenous black South Africans. Pass laws were used to control African societies and degrade their power as well as set limitations. One law, which was an amendment to the Natives (Urban Areas) Act, ordered strict regulations to all urban areas such as a black person had only seventy-two hours, upon entering an Urban Area, to find employment before being arrested. The movie showed many more examples of how lives were affected such as children being shot (Sharpeville massacre), housing segregation, and division of labor; however, through these horrific times, music gave black South Africans the power to put an end to this madness.
The way African societies utilized music through Apartheid was one of the many unique ways to overcome such a dark time. In the film, we see black South Africans coming together using music to communicate the rights they will gain back. African societies were outraged by the death of Vuyisile Mini. Mini was a black South African singer and a African National Congress member who was killed by apartheid. He was sentenced to be hung, but on his way to this horrible act of crime he sang. His powerful voice sang for freedom which he was best known for. His fans sing for him through Apartheid which is one of their ways of using music to cope with this time and to bring justice to Mini. Black South Africans describe this time as freedom or death, and their songs carried words of outrage about killing. They didn’t always use music out of rage though, they also used prayers and anthems to connect with one another such as Nkosi Sikelel'i. The Meadowlands was also a way for black South Africans to communicate via lyrics as a “code”. Meadowlands was a place for black Africans from Sophiatown. Sophiatown was home to many black Africans before it was destroyed by the government because of apartheid. Meadowlands the song, was a protest song that tricked the government with its lyric translations, making them think they were in support of relocating from Sophiatown. In the film, two woman laugh and interpret some of the lyrics. They explain that the government thought they sang so beautifully, when in reality they talked about those relocating them dying a slow death and being shot.1 Music, in this scenario, was used as an escape or as an undercover second language during the “we don’t move” period. I think in many ways, Meadowlands was the song that kept many black South Africans alive all while protesting because the government had no clue of the actual interpretation and their underlying plans.
This film contained many inspiring, unique songs that served many important purposes. One I was specifically intrigued with was the opening song performed by Vusi Mahlasela (3:37).1 This a Capella, solo song was filled with heart and soul. Mahlasela’s song would be categorized as a monophony. His instrument choice that is only strummed a handful of times was the guitar, which is a chordophone in the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification. What is interesting about his song is that Mahlasela is a poet as well and his song shows that characteristic. At times it is almost as if he is singing a verse from a poem. Another song I felt compelled to speak about was by Hugh Masekela (25:38) called “Stimela”.1 Masekela’s vocal melodic textures consisted of high and low pitched and polyphonic. Within his song, he uses a cowbell to create a rhythmic beat. A cowbell is part of Hand Percussion and also classified an as idiophone. What lead me to choose this song of the whole movie was his use of sound iconicity. Masekela made sounds that resembled a train blowing its horn which is a form of sound iconicity. This song reacted as a call and response where he explained to the people about the trains in South Africa. He used kinetic orality to preach his opinions to engage his audience. Lastly, another form of music I chose from the film was a musical performance of black South Africans performing Toyi-Toyi (1:15:37).1 Toyi-Toyi was performed and used to combat with the enemy. During apartheid, there were two sides white minority, and non-white majority and to the non-white majority, the white minority where their enemy. This performance was used as a call and response, but was often shut down with heavy weaponry. There are no instruments with Toyi–Toyi, but instead the use of body percussion is performed. This musical performance helped them push through apartheid or as they would say “charge!”1
The amount of protest music in the world today is endless especially with so many voices being herd. After doing research through external sites, I found a particular song performed by Robert B Connelly, that was in effort to protest against American imperialism. His small album consisted of 14 songs. These songs, in my opinion, related heavily to the film Amandla! A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony. In every song, but specifically his first “White man's burden”, Connelly is preaching his beliefs on the politics of American imperialism. In the film, each song was used as communication to speak to one another; whereas with Connelly, he is using his songs to communicate with the world, not as a group. The films music is also used to communicate with the world, but you see more of unification in the film, whereas Connelly is expressing his single beliefs. Apartheid and imperialism have similar meanings where they each focus on cultural control.
All in all, the film Amandla! A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony has stimulated a sense of awareness on Apartheid and my opinions about music’s role in it. Music was the catalyst that made resistance possible. Without their unique codes and upbringing music, they would’ve been worn down from the constant battle. Music pushed people through this time period and ignited them to fight for their rights and freedom. Amandla! A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony is categorized as aural visual communication that should be shown in efforts to be educated on the life South Africans lived over 60 years ago. Without music, we would not be where we are today, and we would not have herd as many voices today without the power black South Africans showed through apartheid and in Amandla.