Understanding South African House Music: Forms, Roots, and Evolution
Understanding South African House Music: Forms, Roots, and Evolution In South Africa, music has long served as a tool of survival, resistance, and celebration. During apartheid, a system of racial segregation enforced by the state from 1948 to the early 1990s, protest songs like Johnny Clegg's "Asimbonanga" were banned because they referenced Nelson Mandela and carried coded messages of defiance (Vershbow, 2010). Gospel choirs were used to uplift communities instead, and genres such as mbaqanga and marabi preserved indigenous languages and cultural identity within townships (Vershbow, 2010). Music was not just entertainment; it was a form of communication, cultural preservation, and resistance. When apartheid formally ended in 1994, South Africa transitioned into a democratic nation. Amidst this moment of social transformation, young people began to reshape sounds imported from around the world. House music was adopted from Chicago an...
