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The view from the Toposcope: talking to the Xhosa Genealogy
Get PDFIt is now more than forty years since the publication of my first book, The House of Phalo (1981), during which time I have done a little more research and discovered many more mistakes. A revised edition is in the pipeline (but it’s a very long pipeline), and I greatly appreciate the kind opportunity offered by the Lower Albany Historical Society to air some of my revisions via PowerPoint, which I will now attempt to clarify and substantiate. I append a short Bibliography for readers who would like to investigate further and, rather than lumping everything together into one long and tedious chronological narrative, propose to present you with a sort of highlights package, which you should be able to follow with the assistance of Margaret Snodgrass’s excellent genealogical table
Sound Fragments: From Field Recording to African Electronic Stories
No full textReview of: Sound Fragments: From Field Recording to African Electronic Stories. Noel Lobley, 2022. Middletown, Connecticut: Wesleyan University Press. 16 illustrations, bibliography, index. 348 pages. ISBN: 978-0-8195-8077-
Mgwali Mission and Tiyo Soga (c. 1829-1871)
Get PDFMgwali Mission and Tiyo Soga traces the intertwined history of the Eastern Cape’s Mgwali Mission and the life of Reverend Tiyo Soga—the first black South African to be ordained as a Christian minister and to study overseas. The narrative situates Soga’s pioneering achievements within the turbulent colonial frontier context of the 19th century, highlighting his role in securing Mgwali’s land title and establishing schools, including South Africa’s first boarding school for black girls. The article also explores Soga’s intellectual and theological contributions, his efforts to reconcile Xhosa traditions with Western education, and his early articulation of a form of Black Consciousness. His life and work embodied both the promise and pain of cultural duality under colonialism. The later history of Mgwali—its resistance to apartheid-era forced removals and the decline of its mission heritage—is presented as a testament to enduring resilience and community identity in rural South Africa
The Bathurst Defence Complex 1820-1864: Magazine, Star Forts on Battery Hill and St John’s, “The Citadel”
Get PDFThis article examines the Bathurst Defence Complex, a crucial but geographically flawed military and civilian refuge on the Cape frontier, operational from its establishment in 1820 until its abandonment in 1864. Initiated by Acting Governor Sir Rufane Donkin as a township and administrative centre to protect the settler line, Bathurst\u27s location in dense thicket was later criticised as highly unfavourable for defence against the Xhosa. The complex, which comprised the 1820 Powder Magazine and barracks, the two Star Forts (or redoubts) built on Battery Hill in 1835 following the Sixth Frontier War, and the fortified St John\u27s Church (dubbed "The Citadel"), proved essential during multiple frontier conflicts, offering safety to settler families. The narrative details the complex\u27s construction, key figures involved (including Donkin, Lord Charles Somerset, Henry Somerset, Sir Benjamin D\u27Urban, and Charles Michell), and its role during the 1834–35 and 1846 Frontier Wars, ultimately highlighting how the combined military and civilian structures formed a life-saving defensive system until shifting colonial security priorities led to its closure
HYBRIDITY IN MODERN NIGERIAN MUSIC: THE CASE OF IGBO CHORAL ART MUSIC
Get PDFIgbo choral art music is a Nigerian genre that exhibits interesting musical hybridity as it combines a notated choral part with an un-notated orchestral part into a final musical artwork. The notated choral part is produced by the composer through a synthesis of Igbo traditional music and European classical music, while the orchestral part, based on Igbo traditional music practices, is produced by the choral director. For over five decades scholarly discussions on Igbo choral art music have focused on the notated choral part and how composers blend European classical music and Igbo traditional music principles. Although the choral part is significant, my more than two decades of participation in the genre as well as interviews with leading practitioners reveal that without the orchestral part, a composition is considered incomplete by both the practitioners and the audience. Such a critical aspect of the genre has received little to no academic attention. This article is an autoethnographic report on the orchestration principles of Igbo choral art music, its relationship with Igbo traditional music, and how such orchestration contributes to hybridity as a fundamental resource in the genre’s development
CONTESTING NORMS: EMERGING TRENDS IN YORUBA ISLAMIC MUSIC IN NIGERIA
Get PDFContemporary Islamic music in southwestern Nigeria has changed in the last decade and Yoruba Muslim listeners are experiencing music in new ways. This article explores various trends in contemporary Yoruba Islamic music in southwestern Nigeria. The Yoruba are predominantly in southwestern Nigeria and extend to parts of central Nigeria and the West African coast of the Republic of Benin. The article draws on purposefully selected, recorded compositions of Yoruba Islamic artists produced on compact discs between 1979 and 2020, YouTube Videos and in-depth interviews to yield a comprehensive view of the music. It employs Vejlgaard’s (2018) trendspotting theory as a theoretical framework to analyse the texts. It examines the tendencies that shape the re-articulation of religion through the “Muslim sound” and problematises an understanding of the direction of change in contemporary Islamic music. The article argues that contemporary Islamic music in southwestern Nigeria is a product of the quest for Islamic identity and the commodification of musical and social values. This argument puts in context the many dynamics behind the transformations in contemporary Islamic music in Nigeria. Muslim singers draw on the strength of Nigeria’s thriving urban culture industry by adopting production, circulation, and marketing strategies that sustain the commercially successful Nigerian entertainment industry. This development is part of a global reality of social change and modernity transforming Islamic consciousness
Ethical imperatives in community engagement
Get PDFAs the impetus for community engagement (CE) grows in higher education, it is imperative that such growth takes place within a sound ethical framework. While research-related ethics and norms are well developed, there is now a need for the development of ethical guidelines to underpin CE initiatives. We begin by framing the discussion of ethics within policy and theoretical frameworks underpinning CE in higher education in South Africa. Core concepts and values emerging from these frameworks, such as social responsibility, Ubuntu and interconnectedness, are important starting points for ethics in CE. As CE involves the exercising of leadership by universities and community partners, we explore key ethical concepts to underpin established frameworks for governance and leadership, such as the King IV report. We highlight core ethical principles such as sustainable development, integrity, and accountability. We further consider that value propositions must not narrowly focus on value to stakeholders, but also to broader systems. The discussion then narrows to the application of ethics to the specifics of CE. We apply the “four principles” of Beauchamp and Childress (non-maleficence, beneficence, justice, and autonomy), considering each of these principles in turn. We discuss their application in practical terms to university CE initiatives. Finally, we consider the way forward in relation to the integration of these ethical imperatives into higher education CE policies and processes. Recommendations include: the inclusion of ethical frameworks in CE policies of universities; the establishment of ethics committees/forums to guide CE; and the need to heighten ethical consciousness among CE practitioners
Necessary Noise: Music, Film, and Charitable Imperialism in the East of Congo
No full textReview of: Necessary Noise: Music, Film, and Charitable Imperialism in the East of Congo. Chérie Rivers Ndaliko, 2016. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. 30 b/w illustrations, bibliography, index, filmography, companion site, 285 pages
Critical community engagement and the Latin American ethos: contributions to a Global South dialogue
Get PDFThe advancement of the concept of community engagement as a reference for university-society relations invites us, particularly those of us from the Global South, to reflect on our history and traditions. We understand community engagement as a disputed concept throughout history that can potentially house an ethical-political-pedagogical project that questions traditional university models. Observing its historical development and tensions in Latin America invites us to go beyond particular projects, giving an account of a regional movement that continues to inspire university reform processes connected to projects for transforming society. This article presents the history that constitutes the Latin American community engagement ethos, its prevalence in critical community engagement, and some experiences that illustrate a living paradigm still under construction that responds to the continent’s needs. It concludes with an invitation to review the critical traditions of community engagement and promote the dialogue of experiences in the Global South