In order to prevent the song from being heard, the South African Broadcasting Corporation also tried to educate their audiences not to engage with any political troublemakers.
Record Companies
There were only a few record companies in the early twentieth century. (eg. Pathe, HMV, Columbia, Decca, Brunswick, and Polydor). But they produced very little amount of recordings of African traditional music. The only scholar interest in black African artists was Hugh Tracey who was British-born South African.
The South African Broadcast Corporation (SABC) also took charge of the recording of local traditional music. However, they put most of their efforts into recording Afrikaans folk music. Thereby, they put the pressure on the record companies with the ideology of apartheid. Also, the record companies in turn, pressurized the musicians. As a result, the musicians were forced to compose their music without a political message. Otherwise, record company profits would be decline (12). This meant that anti-apartheid protestor could not produce their music through African recording companies. Therefore, they built up a little studio together in a caravan (13). The idea came from Lloyd Ross (Shifty Records). The term of ‘Shifty’ means it could shift from here to there. A few locations they were often to go. One of them was Lesotho, a small mountain kingdom completely landlocked by South Africa (14). Warrick Sony, one of the founders of ‘Shifty’ was born in Port Elizabeth. Africa Kalahari Surfers was formed in 1982 which was essentially a string of studio projects realized by Warrick Sony at Shifty Records during the 1980's.
Their original name of ‘Shifty’ was reduced to safeguard sometimes in order to avoid the prosecution of government (15). The first album 'Own Affairs' was released in 1984 which
(12)Carol A. Muller, South Africa Music, A century of Traditions in Transformation, (California, 2004), Chapter one
(13) Lecture Note from Music in the struggle to end apartheid by Simone Kruger
(14) Lecture Note from Music in the struggle to end apartheid by Simone Kruger
(15) http://www.kalaharisurfers.co.za/ (Access date 3 Jan, 2007)
was produced at home and he distributed it personally. Besides, Barry Gilder produced his music in the same way. They seemed to bypass the large company sales for the internal released press instead. Their work was too sensitive to political in fact, so some of the record companies refused to presses their music on their labels.
Nevertheless, they had to find some funding or sponsors to support their works. The only way open them was the overseas sponsors in exchange for selling their products in countries around the world. Thereby, they had more freedom to transfer their political message through the music, e.g. Jennifer Ferguson(16).
One other way which the black African musicians used to promote their idea and music was that they changed the subtle renditions of their songs by keeping the political context of the tunes and lyrics as well. For example ‘These Boots were Made for Walking’ was retitled ‘Song for Magnus’ (the apartheid regime’s Minster of Defence, Magnus Malan). Surfers injected a new meaning in some old songs in order to let the audience know what the situation was in South Africa (17).
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(16) Lecture Note from Music in the struggle to end apartheid by Simone Kruger
(17)Roger Lucey, Stopping the music: censorship in apartheid South Africa, Shoot the Singer!, edited by Marie Korpe, (London, 2004), Chapter 10
Self-censorship
Shifty Records and ‘Third Ear Music’ were Independent record companies with clear stance against apartheid. However, they still practice their own self-censorship. In 1983, Shifty turned down the lyrics of Bernoldus Niemand’s “Hou my vas Korporaal” (Hold me tight, corporal”). The reason was that the broadcast of the song was unsuccessful. Dave Marks of ‘Third Ear Music’ also turn down the album of “The Road Is Much Longer” by Roger Lucey because of his lawyer claimed that the lyrics and sentences could lead to a long and severe term in prison (18). Thus it can be seen the force of apartheid was very strong and so difficult to oppose. Musicians attempted to break through this situation on one side. While on the other side, they focus on the profit. For instance, their life had been threatened by the military forces.
Another group of musicians came together in avoiding the political messages emerged on their music because they were under regime of broadcasting. According to Joseph Shabalala, leader of Lady Smith Black Mambazo, “If something is contentious they don’t play it, and then it wouldn’t be anyway (19).
On the other hand, the anti-apartheid supporters passed the message concerning the South African situation and the many convictions through the symbols and innuendo such as that found in the song by Steve Kekana, “The Bushman,”.
(18)Michael Drewett, “Music in the struggle to end apartheid”, Policing Pop, Edited by Martin Cloonan and Rebee Garofals, (Temple University Press, 2003)
(19)Michael Drewett, “Music in the struggle to end apartheid”, Policing Pop, Edited by Martin Cloonan and Rebee Garofals, (Temple University Press, 2003)
Apart from direct or indirect way restriction, Trevor Huddleston called for a cultural boycott of apartheid South Africa in 1954. The cultural boycott however would not allow the musicians to play their music outside South Africa. Besides, they prevented South Africa musicians from performing, recording or releasing their music whatever political stance they had. Moreover, they censored all the musician and even the antiapartheid musicians were included. For example, the ‘British Musicians Union’ did not allow Johnny Clegg and Savuka from playing in the concert to mark Nelson Mandela’s 70th birthday (20).
From this essay, we can see the serious struggle that appeared between two forces, apartheid and anti-apartheid. On the one side, the anti-apartheid musicians used their lives to fight for racial freedom. On the other side, the supporters of anti-apartheid attempting to suppress, restrict and control the musicians by what they could or what they could not do in order to reduce the power of other nation. At first, the government might have an intended to build up the white society in the black African community. Later on, the human ambitious started to growth from possession to invading. The government preserved the white traditions by attempting to separate the White people from other nations. As a result, the South African protestors were willing to sacrifice their lives to protect their nation.
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(20)http://www.johnnyclegg.com/, Lecture Note from Music in the struggle to end apartheid by Simone Kruger
Musicians also did what they could. They passed the anti-apartheid message through the song and hoped that more people would come to know what the situation in South African was like. Then the government used their power against to intervene and prevented them from doing so. It seemed as if it was non-stop political war. Music somehow has always been a very good way for people to express their own feeling. But in the South Africa, it seems that for a time, the function of the music was partly destroyed. Weak economic countries are still threatened by the rich economic countries even in the present day. Whereby we have a concept of who is the strong side and who will get more power and right. It could be interpreted further as only the strong side can be left in the world and the weaker should have no human right. But is this a healthy world community?
Freedom is a right for a people, if the freedom itself invades or occupies other people’s freedom, is that freedom at all?
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Bibliography
Book resources:-
- Carol A. Muller, South Africa Music, A century of Traditions in Transformation, (California, 2004)
- Michael Drewett, “Music in the struggle to end apartheid”, Policing Pop, Edited by Martin Cloonan and Rebee Garofals, (Temple University Press, 2003)
- Charles Hamm, Putting Popular Music In Its Place, (Cambridge, 1995)
- Roger Lucey, Stopping the music: censorship in apartheid South Africa, Shoot the Singer!, edited by Marie Korpe, (London, 2004)
Website resources:-
- http://education.yahoo.com/reference/factbook/sf/flag.html (Access date 12 Dec, 2006)
- http://www.worldflags101.com/s/south-africa-flag.aspx (Access date 3 Jan, 2006)
- http://www.steviewonder.org.uk/Albums/InSquareCircle.htm (Access date 2 Jan, 2007)
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Clegg_(musician) (Access date 3 Jan, 2007)
- http://www.3rdearmusic.com/ (Access date 3 Jan, 2007)
- http://www.rock.co.za/ (Access date 3 Jan, 2007)
- http://www.onepeople.com/intArtists/artists/sonytemp.html (Access date 3 Jan, 2007)
- http://www.kalaharisurfers.co.za/ (Access date 3 Jan, 2007)
- http://www.freemuse.org/sw4915.asp (Access date 3 Jan, 2007)
- http://juluka.free.fr/biography.htm (Access date 3 Jan, 2007)
Other resources:-
- Lecture Note from Music in the struggle to end apartheid by Simone Kruger
- Louise Meintjes, “Shoot the Sergeant, Shatter the Mountain: The Production of Masculinity in Zulu Ngoma Song and Dance in post – Apartheid South Africa, Ethnomusicology Forum, Volume 13 Number 2 November 2004
- Flag from World Flags 101.com
Written by Cheng Po Chun (Eva)@2007
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