Ladysmith Black Mambazo: A very influential singing group

Ladysmith Black Mambazo

            Ladysmith Black Mambazo is a male choral group from Durban, Kwazulu-natal, South Africa. Joseph Shabalala started this group in 1960. Joseph started the group to teach people about South Africa and it’s culture. The original group members included: Joseph Shabalala, Headman and Enoch Shabalala (Joseph’s brothers), Albert, Milton, Furokwakhe, Adednego, and Joseph Mazibuko (Joseph’s cousins), Matovoti Msimanga and Walter Malingo (good friends).

             The meaning of Mambazo is axe in the Zulu language. They used this in their name to show that they “chop down” their competition. The group sings in two singing styles which are: Isicathamiya, traditional Zulu music, and Mbube, a cappella. They received 3 Grammy Awards and many other smaller awards. To South Africans, they are known by being the most prolific recording artists in South Africa, receiving both gold and platinum disc honors on their albums. The first album was released in 1973 and soon after that they began competing in Isicathamiya competitions. Later, they began to do concerts throughout South Africa but occasionally got stopped by Police because of Apartheid.

            In January 1999, Joseph Shabalala started the Ladysmith Black Mambazo Foundation. This was made to teach young South Africans about traditional culture and music, which was Isicathamiya. At the moment, a Ladysmith Black Mambazo Foundation Center is being built. This center will include: a rehersal hall, multiple teaching areas, and professional recording studios.

            This group is a very well rounded group of guys that don’t just want to make it big in the music industry but also want to teach people around the world and in their country their culture and traditions. They are all great roll models that could lead all young people to become wonderful people. They also can relate to older people because they are teaching about old traditions and culture. Therefore, they are a great group for everyone. I recommend that everyone should listen to at least one of their songs because they are not only nice sounding but deep and thoughtful, unlike most of the music that is on the radio nowadays.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFQ1TSzdpRA

Abby M
English 2A

Lady Blacksmith Mambazo; Anna M.

            Grammy award winning South African musical group, Lady Blacksmith Mambazo, was founded in the early 1960’s, and took the name due to many contributing factors. Ladysmith is the name of Joseph’s hometown, about 3 hours east of Johannesburg; Black being a reference to the oxen, the strongest of all farm animals; and Mambazo being the Zulu word for chopping axe, a symbol of the group’s ability to “chop down” any singing rival who might challenge them. Their collective voices were so well composed, and their harmonies were so perfected, that by the end of the 1960's, they were banned from competitions, although they were welcome to participate as entertainers.

            They became famous, however, due to a radio broadcast featuring their music. Their musical style derives heavily from a customary music called isicathamiya (is-cot-a-ME-Ya), which developed in the mines of South Africa, where black workers were taken by rail to work far away from their homes and families. Given below par housing and payment, the mine workers would entertain themselves for six days a week, singing songs into the early hours of Sunday morning. When the miners were finally reimbursed to their homes, this musical flair returned with them.

            Lady Blacksmith Mambazo’s role in the abolishment of apartheid was as tremendous as the popularity of their group. They were asked in 1994 personally by Nelson Mandela to accompany him to his Nobel Peace Prize awards ceremony. This made their name more famous among South Africans, especially those who benefited from the bringing down of of apartheid. With this credibility, Lady Blacksmith Mambazo received offers from many famous singers/songwriters to perform together. The offers that they accepted include ones from Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, Dolly Parton, Sarah McLachlan, Josh Groban, Emmylou Harris, and Melissa Etheridge.

            However, their work is not limited to singing alone. They have been numerously featured in films such as Michael Jackson’s “Moonwalker” video and Spike Lee’s “Do It A Cappella”. They have been featured in soundtracks for multiple movies, including Disney’s “The Lion King, Part II”, as well as Eddie Murphy’s “Coming To America”, Marlon Brando’s “A Dry White Season”, Sean Connery’s “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen”, James Earl Jones’ “Cry The Beloved Country”, and Clint Eastwood's “Invictus”. They have a documentary of their own story, “On Tip Toe: Gentle Steps to Freedom”, which was nominated for an academy award.

            In 2014, Lady Blacksmith Mambazo will celebrate 50 years together of singing, harmonizing, and overall impacting South African society for the better. They provide hope for the general public, while providing a sense of comfort and hominess with their traditional musical style featured in a majority of their songs. Their collaborations with various artists show their influence on a wide scale, and overall continue to raise awareness even 50 years after being founded, and 20 years after apartheids abolishment. Raising awareness is of high importance, especially with the recent death of Nelson Mandela, who was a supporter of Lady Blacksmith Mambazo, and a leader among South Africa. They will hopefully continue to provide a sense of togetherness against oppression and racism in South Africa.

Citation:

"The Official Page for LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO | MAMBAZO.COM | Our Story." The Official Page for LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO | MAMBAZO.COM | Our Story. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2014. <http://www.mambazo.com/our_story/>.

Chandler Richards- Invictus

Chandler Richards

2A

My topic was the film “Invictus,” directed by Clint Eastwood. Invictus is a movie set in 1995; a year after Mandela became president. The gist of the story is that Mandela (played by Morgan Freeman) knew that the blacks and the whites South Africa were not going to be at peace with one another without something to bring them together. Mandela later realizes that the thing that would bring the two groups together is rugby, if the South African Rugby team wins, but their team sucks and hasn't won anything for a long time. Another problem is that the team, in the eyes of the blacks, represents apartheid because there are not blacks. And so, in the beginning of the movie we see them voting on whether or not to change the logo, name, and colors of their team. Mandela tells them that if he and the team can’t change then he can’t expect his country to change. He talks to Francois Pienaar (played by Matt Damon) who is the captain of the rugby team and tells him that he needs to motivate his team to win the world cup. Throughout the movie, we see how he and his team change and slowly realize what their role is in their country and what they are doing for their country as well as Nelson Mandela. At the end of the film, the only black man on the team leads the prayer that they say after they have won and Nelson Mandela meets Francois on the stage and give him the trophy. When he hands him the trophy, though, he says “Thank you for what you have done for your country.” Francois replies “No, thank YOU for what you have done for our country.”[1]

This was influential to South Africa and apartheid because the movie is a true story. The team was able to get everyone to put aside their differences, if even for one day, and come together in a time of extreme happiness and that is all Nelson Mandela wanted (for South Africa to be a country as a whole and not just Black South Africa and White South Africa.

I personally loved this movie. I think it gives you a glimpse at the dream of WHEN there will no longer be apartheid. I think it is very educational too, because it explains, in a way, what apartheid is and what it has done to South Africa, but also how it can be fixed. Roger Ebert (the Chicago Sun-Times) gave it three and a half stars out of four and said “It is a very good film. It has moments evoking great emotion.”[2] Jake Tomlinson, who is from Shave Magazine, said, “The strong themes of forgiveness, unity, and compassion make this much more than just a sports movie or a historical account. The movie can easily be regarded as inspirational at times.”[3]

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[1] Citation: Invictus 2009. Dir. Clint Eastwood. Perf. Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon. Warner Bros., 2009. DVD.

[2]Citation: Ebert, Roger. "Invictus." All Content. Chicago Sun-Times, 09 Dec. 2009. Web. 20 Dec. 2013. <http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/invictus-2009>.

[3] Citation: Tomlinson, Jake. "Online Men's Lifestyle Magazine." Shave Magazine, n.d. Web. 20 Dec. 2013. <http://www.shavemagazine.com/entertainment/reviews/091201>.

JustineJ

                For my project, I watched a movie called ‘Skin’. It is loosely based on a true story but much of the film focuses on apartheid. A young girl, Sandra, has a rare condition called atavism which is a genetic trait that causes you to “go back” down your family line. She had African ancestors, yet both of her parents are white. As she grows up, she attends a boarding school with her brother who does not have the same condition. She is discriminated against there because she is ‘different’. There is more to the story, a ‘love, side which is irrelevant to apartheid. I really enjoyed this film and would recommend it to Romeo and Juliet lovers or anyone interested in the segregation times we had in America for this film is quite similar to. 

Vuyisile Mini was a protest songwriter during apartheid, and a member of the African National Congress. Due to his joining of the activist group in 1951, he was in and out of jail until his execution in 1964. He only lived to the age of 44.

                                                           

Music is a very powerful thing and can band people together or give them strength. A good song can make you want to kick some butt. Or peacefully deal with things, however things need to be done. A lot of wars and movements and basically everything is built upon music. Music can move a person personally and you can relate to it on a level. Many different people can relate to one song and all have a different reason for liking it and that’s pretty amazing. I looked around for some music by Mini, but sadly couldn’t find anything on YouTube.

However, I did find a woman by the name of Miriam Makeba, who was also a Grammy award-winning singer, and a civil rights activist against apartheid. She was the first African to popularize African music around the world. She’s most well known for her song, “Pata Pata” which was originally recorded in 1957, and released in the U.S. in 1967. It’s the name of a dance that is done in Johannesburg is pretty much all I can gather from this song and I’m cool with that. The song is really catchy and upbeat, and while only parts of it are in English, I find it to be very relaxing to listen to and would suggest others to listen to it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zq5S5sH1Ikk

Miriam Makeba is nicknamed Mama Africa and she is a lovely woman and I wish I could understand the words she is speaking because wow she can sing. Makeba lived till she was about 76, she had a heart attack after one of her concerts in Italy.

I know this is supposed to be about Vuyisile Mini, but the internet gave me a sign that I should look at Miriam Mikeba instead. She is a strong woman and she has a super cool story! The government took away her passport in 1960 and her citizenship and right to return in 1963. She wasn’t able to return till 1990. This is a woman that was able to make a difference and bring some attention to things. And you know, woman are really important to things in history but are often overlooked or their accomplishments are covered up or simply just don’t get as much attention.

"The Sounds of Resistance: The Role of Music in South Africa's Anti-Apartheid Movement." RSS. Student Pulse, n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2013.

"Vuyisile Mini Biography." Vuyisile Mini Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2013.

"Official Miriam Makeba Website." Official Miriam Makeba Website. ZM Mikeba Trust, 2013. Web. 19 Dec. 2013.

Julia V. A1

Sharpeville Massacre

It was a bloodbath that day on March 21st,1960, in Sharpeville, South Africa.


What had started as a peaceful, non-violent protest, became a Massacre. The law of black


africans required to carry passbooks had been extended,  so that now women had too as


well. Passbooks were basically identification papers that said all the info about the Native,


and if you didnt carry one you could be fined or punished. The natives however hadn't been


to fond of this new rule so they decided to lead a protest, which ranged in 5000-7000


people, both men & women. The protest was held at a police station, and everyone


gathered outside it without their passbooks, as a way to prove they wouldn't follow such


unjust laws anymore. Shortly after the protest had started police tried to disperse the crowd


and break up the large group. When that hadn't worked police began to open fire onto the


people, anybody in the way was shot at and some killed. It is said that as many as 300


people were injured, and 69 killed. This event was influential because it started the armed


resistance in South Africa. Also when this event became internationally known, it helped


focus world wide critism on apartheid policies. In my personal opinion this was a really sad


event, but in a way it was nessecary for something like this to happen in their situation in


order for the wrong doings of apartheid to be noticed by other places. But then again this


whole thing could've been avoided if people weren't so crue, but instead fair. I think if you'd


like to further research this topic search for articles on the Web, watch video below, or


check a book out about  apartheid times from the library to learn more.


http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rVMPlVBm29Y&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DrVMPlVBm29Y



Sources: britannica.com  africanhistory.about.com   bbc.co.uk

-Cristina G. 1A

Boer Wars- Brok Oakley

        The Boer Wars were two long hard-fought wars between the English and Boers, or Afrikaans, who were Dutch descendants living in South Africa. It took place in the Orange Free State and Transvaal, South Africa. The first was between 1880-1881 and the second occurred in 1899-1902.
        Between 1835 and 1845 Afrikaans moved from the British cape colony to the inner tribal lands where they established two independent but peaceful republics, the Transvaal and the Orange Free State. However, the English discovered their lands to be rich with diamonds and gold which the English wanted control of as well as their greed for expansion all led to the war. There were four main battles in the first Boer War, the battles of Laingsnek, Bronkhorstspruit, and Schuinshoogte where the British took heavy losses and Majuba which was one of the British few wins but became the English rally cry during this two year war. The Boers won because their guerilla style warfare and knowledge of the terrain. The British who were not used to the mountainous land and used to a European style of war were made easy kills by the Akrikaans. The South African Republic regained it's independence and a peace agreement was made between the English and Afrikaans.
       The second Boer War between 1899-1902 was a very different story, dominated by British victories; however they had a lot of help from the Australians who had a similar style of war as the Boers and soon the British gained control of South Africa. This conflict led to the unequal discrimination between the different ethnicities and technically creating the apartheid. I think that these wars were kind of ridiculous and really just displays Britain's greed and lust for power and imperialism and resulted in the years of discrimination to come and are still continuing today.

Sources:
http://www.sahistory.org.za/south-africa-1806-1899/first-anglo-boer-war-1880-1881
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/victorians/boer_wars_01.shtml
http://www.sahistory.org.za/south-africa-1652-1806/south-african-war-1899-1902-second-anglo-boer-war
http://www.historynet.com/second-boer-war.htm