The present Reader is a selection of texts on South African music which are chosen not only for their importance or the frequency of citations, but with the express purpose of providing the reader with a deep understanding of the music itself. Consequently, there are readings that are chosen because they have been influential, but there are also many which, though published, have not enjoyed very wide circulation. There are those which are of obvious historic interest, and others which speak to contemporary issues. Among other things, the volume provides an excellent sense of the varying ideologies and approaches that determine the relationship between author and subject. The reader is indispensable to scholars and enthusiasts of South African music and it is of great interest to ethnomusicologists more generally. It is also an excellent resource for those who do not have immediate access to harder-to-find articles, and is perhaps most vital to those who are looking to find a way into the world of South African music.

Mzilikazi Khumalo (1932-2021), an iconic figure in choral music in South Africa, rose to prominence as one of Africa's leading composers of art music. This is a work of music history. Biographical essays on Khumalo's major works, including those for choir, orchestra, and opera are complemented by contextual studies of his compositions and arrangements as well as reflections on his roles as editor, conductor, and music director. Specifically in the context of South Africa's cultural and political transition from Apartheid to democracy, Khumalo's key role in establishing the Nation Building Massed Choir Festival, a multi-racial institution that forged an inclusive space for music, in the 1980s is discussed as evidence of his importance and relevance in South African culture. Khumalo's major works are studied in relation to contemporary art music, choral composition, and traditional song. These are UShaka KaSenzangakhona (1996), an African epic, and Princess Magogo KaDinuzulu (2002), one of the first indigenous African operas. Khumalo's artistic collaborators provide insight into their experiences working on these major projects, documenting the relationships the composer cultivated with his peers. This volume addresses a lacuna in the literature on South African art music which until recently tended to focus on works in the classical tradition and shows that Khumalo is a composer without peer in his synthesis of classical and choral, traditional and contemporary.

Ben Temkin, Buthelezi's biographer, had the full co-operation of Chief Buthelezi in the writing of this book. There were interviews and discussions in KwaZulu and in Johannesburg, in offices, at the airport, in hotels, in private homes and even while they travelled between centres in KwaZulu.

Forty great South Africans celebrate their mothers and grandmothers. Leaders from the worlds of politics, business, music, sport, education and literature pay homage to the women who have influenced and inspired them to lead exceptional lives. Mac Maharaj remembers how his mother served everyone with unfailing courtesy and recognition of their dignity. Desmond Tutu hopes he can resemble his mother spiritually and emulate her generosity and kindness, while Pam Golding shares her mom?s good advice: ?Keep dancing and you?ll stay out of trouble!? Who was it that raised the likes of Sibongile Khumalo or Antjie Krog to extraordinary achievement? Or Nelson Mandela, Lukas Radebe, JM Coetzee, Helen Suzman, Pieter-Dirk Uys, Miriam Makeba, Elana Meyer, Ahmed Kathrada and many more? Much of the answer lies in these heart-warming tributes.

African women’s history is a vast topic that embraces a wide variety of societies in over 50 countries with different geographies, social customs, religions, and historical situations. Africa is a predominantly agricultural continent, and a major factor in African agriculture is the central role of women as farmers. It is estimated that between 65 and 80 percent of African women are engaged in cultivating food for their families, and in the past that percentage was likely even higher. Thus, one common thread across much of the continent is women’s daily work in their family plot. This second edition of Historical Dictionary of Women in Sub-Saharan Africa contains a chronology, an introduction, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 700 cross-referenced entries on individual African women in history, politics, religion, and the arts; on important events, organizations, and publications; and on topics important to women in general (marriage, fertility, employment) and to African women in particular (market women, child marriage, queen mothers). This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about the Women in Africa.

Musical Bows of Southern Africa brings together current scholarly research that documents a rich regional diversity as well as cultural relationships in bow music knowledge and contemporary practices. The book is framed as a critical appraisal of traditional ethnomusicological studies of the region – complementing pioneering studies and charting contexts for a contemporary engagement with bow music as an exchangeable cultural practice. Each contribution is written by an expert in the field and collectively demonstrates the multidisciplinary potential of bow music, highlighting the several fields of knowledge that intersect with bow music including ethno-organology, applied ethnomusicology, composition, music literacy, social development, cultural economics, history, orality, performance and language.

The two volumes together offer readers a new window into the communicative importance of design."--Jacket.

During 2007, language-related issues were sources of acrimonious conflict in South Africa. In Durban, the eThekwini Municipality embarked on a street-renaming process that sparked widespread controversy. In Pretoria and Potchefstroom, Afrikaner activists continued their campaign against the renaming of their hometowns as ‘Tshwane’ and ‘Tlokwe’. In Ermelo, a high school decided to take the provincial education department to court in an attempt to regain its Afrikaans-only status.

Singers generating cultural identity from K-Pop to Beverly Sills Around the world and across time, singers and their songs stand at the crossroads of differing politics and perspectives. Levi S. Gibbs edits a collection built around the idea of listening as a political act that produces meaning. Contributors explore a wide range of issues by examining artists like Romani icon Esma Redžepova, Indian legend Lata Mangeshkar, and pop superstar Teresa Teng. Topics include gendered performances and the negotiation of race and class identities; the class-related contradictions exposed by the divide between highbrow and pop culture; links between narratives of overcoming struggle and the distinction between privileged and marginalized identities; singers’ ability to adapt to shifting notions of history, borders, gender, and memory in order to connect with listeners; how the meanings we read into a singer’s life and art build on one another; and technology’s ability to challenge our ideas about what constitutes music. Cutting-edge and original, Social Voices reveals how singers and their songs equip us to process social change and divergent opinions. Contributors: Christina D. Abreu, Michael K. Bourdaghs, Kwame Dawes, Nancy Guy, Ruth Hellier, John Lie, Treva B. Lindsey, Eric Lott, Katherine Meizel, Carol A. Muller, Natalie Sarrazin, Anthony Seeger, Carol Silverman, Andrew Simon, Jeff Todd Titon, and Elijah Wald