Music
Selection of albums available via Alexander Street Press [BU log-in required]:
- South Africa: Zulù Polyphonyproduced by Josepha Martelli; performed by The Colenso Abafana Benkokhelo (Buda Musique, 2000), 44 mins, 11 page(s)
- Shaka Zulu - Songs of King Shakaproduced by Robin Hogarth, 1948-; performed by Amagugu Akwazulu and Abalendeli Bengoma (ARC Music Productions), 59 mins, 32 page(s)
- Zulu hymns and ceremonial songs(ILAM, 1955), 18 mins
- Sounds of a South African Homestead(Folkways Records, 1956), 47 mins
Also available in the Music Library, CD collection (F 6151 )
Styles of Zulu Music
Acappella singing that began among migrant Zulu communities in urban areas of South Africa
A type of Zulu folk music that centers around an acoustic guitar played with a rhythmic picking pattern.
A modern version of the Maskandi style of music. Made famous by Johnny Clegg and his bands, Savuka and Juluka
- "South Africa's Kwaito Generation" A documentary from 90.0 WBUR on South Africa's Kwaito music, a genre of music that has arisen and defines the generation of people who grew up post-apartheid. Includes a documentary, sound clips, photographs, a time line of South African history for context, etc.
Films & Visual recordings
TV Programs and Film in Zulu:
- YouTube
- Ex. African Mop Pictures (YouTube Channel)
Films available via Krasker Video and Film Services:
- Looking For Busi (Subtitled) (For viewing on site or at the request of the professor) 2001. This part of the series STEPS FOR THE FUTURE is the story of a fifteen-year-old's journey to take control of her life. Abandoned by her mother when she becomes pregnant, even before testing positive for HIV, she must depend on the help of extended family and friends. Life starts to look up when Busi is chosen both for a mother-to-child drug trial and to be the subject of a TV documentary. But after the television programme is aired on South African TV exposing her HIV status to the worl, she disappears. The filmmaker Robyn Hofmeyr and her best friend go looking for her. English, Sesotho and Zulu dialog with English subtitles.
- James' Journey to Jerusalem (Subtitled) Note: To be viewed on-site or at the request of professor. 2003. In this poignant satire by director Ra'anan Alexandrowicz, a Christian African, James (Siyabonga Melongisi Shibe), discovers the rough realities of the Western world during his spiritual pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Yearning to become a pastor, James leaves his small village for Jerusalem, but he is denied entrance into the city and is locked in a cell with other immigrants. A new journey begins when James is bailed out by a stranger who introduces the boy to the corruptions of capitalism. The DVD print contains the following special features: U.S. theatrical trailer; original music video for "Jerusalem" performed by Marry Kusi and Kate Asner; English, Hebrew and Zulu dialog with English subtitles.
From Kanopy (online streaming; BU log-in required):
- Mapantsula [The Hustler] Mapantsula was the first anti-apartheid feature film by, for and about black South Africans. Filmed inside Soweto, scored to the urban beat of "Township Jive," Mapantsula has been called a South African The Harder They Come. Mapantsula tells the story of Panic, a petty gangster who inevitably becomes caught up in the growing anti-apartheid struggle and has to choose between individual gain and a united stand against the system. Mapantsula will give viewers an insider's tour of township life and a foretaste of the vibrant popular cinema promised by the new, democratic South Africa. Includes dialog in: English, Afrikaans, Sotho and Zulu.
- Nabantwa Bam' (With My Children) This film is a fascinating case study of the emergence of social classes even within the same South African family. Two brothers live with their successful and ambitious mother, a market researcher, in a comfortable, middle class Soweto home. The older brother Nhlanhla has suffered a head injury which may be debilitating. In any case, he had no time in the tumultuous decade preceding the end of apartheid to receive an education that would let him take advantage of the opportunities offered by the new South Africa. Street-wise instead, he spends his time hanging out with his home boys, and, in his own words, "mostly taking care of the dog." His younger brother, Miles, is a 'born free,' the first black student at his all white school and now a programmer with a promising career at Microsoft. Though fond of his brother, his life is in complete contrast to Nhlanhla's. Miles has very clear goals and deadlines for himself; his strong motivation shows what a difference it makes to know that there is no ceiling on one's ambitions. (In Zulu & English)
- Zulu Love Letter The Truth and Reconciliation Commission could not heal all the wounds left behind by the apartheid era. Thandeka, a journalist, is still traumatized by the murder of a schoolgirl, which she witnessed years before.... [In English and Zulu]
- The Swenkas: A Male Fashion Show in South Africa In post-Apartheid South Africa there's a small group of working Zulu men who every Saturday night leave their grimy overalls behind and wear their best Carducci or Pierre Cardin suits to impress the weekly selected judge. The men are called the Swenkas, and they have run this fashion show for so many years that no one remembers exactly when - or even why - it all began. The youngest Swenka, Sabelo, is in the most turbulent time of his life. He has to bury his father just a week before Christmas - and only a week before his own wedding. But Sabelo's father was also 'father' of the Swenkas, and now Sabelo and his fellow Swenkas find themselves in a state of incertitude. The Swenkas are the film's direct entry to the darkest downtown of contemporary Johannesburg, one of the most violent cities on earth. But the Swenkas are about to tell a totally different story from within that very place - a story of hope. Even though the Swenkas openly long for the days of Apartheid they haven't given up hope for a better future.
Radio Stations in Zulu
- VumaFM (Durban) From website: "Commercial Radio Station in Kwazulu Natal, braodcasting 90% in isiZulu and 10% in English."
- Izwe Lomzansi FM From the website: "siZulu is our language of operation with 15% of all other 11 official languages incorporated where the need arise."
Multimedia Language Learning
- Zulu Pronunciation: vowels, consonants, clicks Sound clips for improving pronunciation of vowels, consonants, clicks, etc.
- The 200 Word Project: isiZulu (BU African Language Program) BU African Studies Center Project - a tool for learning vocabulary and pronunciation.
- IsiZulu with Dingani 13 lessons, including video clips of conversations, video clips of instruction, vocabulary words, etc. A resource for learning Zulu at the elementary level.
Head, African Studies Library
Beth Restrick
Contact:
African Studies Library
6th floor, Mugar Memorial Library
Mon-Fri, 9am- 5pm
6th floor, Mugar Memorial Library
Mon-Fri, 9am- 5pm
617-353-3726
Subjects: African Studies