South Africa
Zulu Music
Heritage Day - September 24
Meet the Artist: Bongi and Tshidi
Reflection:
What kind of music is featured in the Lion King musical?
What is South African music known for?
What instrument is Zulu music based on?
Zulu Music
Zulu is a dominant culture in South Africa, the home of 10–11 million Zulu people. The music played by Sbongiseni “Bongi” Duma and Tshidi Manye combines deeply rooted Zulu traditions with more contemporary Zulu styles—all of which hinge on harmony. In many African traditions, melodies are sung in unison; in Zulu music, harmony emerges naturally whenever people sing together.
One of the first popular South African songs to incorporate this harmonic tradition was “Mbube” (“Lion”), recorded by Solomon Linda in 1939. Linda’s harmonic approach came to be known as mbube. His hit song, first adapted and popularized in the United States by Pete Seeger as “Wimoweh” (a mistaken transliteration of uyimbube, meaning, “You are a lion”), further evolved to become “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” which students might know from The Lion King.
Bongi and Tshidi met in the cast of The Lion King on Broadway more than a dozen years ago and continue to perform in the show today. Both were born in South Africa and grew up singing songs from the Zulu tradition. Tshidi has focused her career on musical theater; Bongi is also a composer and songwriter who performs his own original music with his band.
Learning "Thula Mntwana" / "Nampaya Omame
Bongi has created a two-part song by joining together two complimentary songs: "Thula Mntwana," a lullaby, and "Nampaya Omame," a well-known folk song sung by generations of South African children. Together the two songs tell a story: A child goes to sleep, awaiting the mother's return. In the morning, the mother brings gifts in her goody basket; the child's joy is expressed in the music.
"Thula Mntwana" / "Nampaya Omame" music and lyrics
Reflection:
What story does Thula Mntwana tell?
What story does Nampaya Omame tell?
Zulu Language
The Zulu people are the largest ethnic group in South Africa, numbering between 10 and 11 million people. Zulu is one of the country’s official languages and has three distinctive percussive sounds.
Explore Percussive Sounds in the Zulu Language
Zulu was an entirely oral language until Europeans came and started writing it down using their alphabet. Most of the letters used in the language make the same sounds as in English.
What they could not notate were three unique clicking sounds, found on the letters “C,” “Q,” and “X,” that are a form of mouth percussion.
“C” is like the sound you make when you’re disappointed (“tsk, tsk”). You place your tongue loosely against the roof of your mouth near your front teeth and pull it away. Try it out with this word:
“Iculo” means song.
“Q” is a hard clucking sound, like a knock on the door. You place your tongue tightly against the roof of your mouth near your front teeth and pull it away. Try it out with this word:
“Inqola” means a moving vehicle—wagon, cart, car, or really anything that moves.
“X” is like the sound you make when you tell a horse to “giddy up.” You place your tongue tightly against your side teeth and pull it away. Try it out with this word:
“Ixoxo” means frog.
Sound out the following words that have the three clicking sounds.
“C”
“Uchingo” means wire.
“Icala” means case.
“Q”
“Iqhude” means rooster.
“Uphaqa” means flip-flop shoe.
“X”
“Uxolo” means peace.
“Ingxoxo” means conversation.
Celebration
Herigate Day
September 24
September 24 is a public holiday in South Africa celebrating the cultural diversity of the country. This day pays tribute to King Shaka Zulu who played an important role in uniting different Zulu tribes into one cohesive Zulu nation.
Learning "Inqola"
The song "Inqola" speaks of the relationship between human and nature. "Inqola" means any type of moving vehicle, and this song honors the idea that we go through many phases in life, always moving, just like nature has its phases.
Inqola Music and Lyrics
