Polyphonies Zulù

The voice is actually the most important instrument in South African music cultures. This is also the case with the Zulus. Their typical vocal style has evolved from tradition through the fusion of different forms within the tribes with North American and Protestant influences. In dance (ukusina) the Zulus express their collective emotion. And those dances include dance songs. The Colenso Abafana… Benkokhelo (lit .: loyal boys from Colenso) sing a number of dance songs from the rich Zulu repertoire, especially those that arose in the 1940s at the time of the mass deportation of large parts of the population to mining areas. The abafana are originally diamond miners from Natal, the homeland of the Zulus. In 1983 they grouped around their charismatic foreman Victor Mkhizé. Their first album was released in 1987. Seven more followed. Their lively five-voice polyphony is shaped by the typical African call-and-response structure. (GO)more