A giant of South African music has passed on. Joseph Shabalala founded the world famous group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, which sang isicathamiya, a traditional Zulu genre of South African a cappella. Led by Shabalala, the group achieved international renown, lifting Grammy awards and raising standing ovations at venues across the world. But, as Akhona Ndzuta writes, Shabalala was much more than an inspiring purveyor of traditional Zulu sounds. His songs were a balm to soothe a nation wounded by mining, migration and the brutality of apartheid. It’s with a heavy heart that South Africans have bid farewell to this songwriter of the people.
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Akhona Ndzuta, University of Fort Hare
The passing of music giant Joseph Shabalala rests heavy on South African hearts - he told the story of black migrants within the apartheid system in a way no-one else did - and achieved global fame.
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Chuka Onwumechili, Howard University
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Oludayo Tade, University of Ibadan
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Jacob Nyarko, University of Cape Coast
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Franz Krüger, University of the Witwatersrand
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Femke Holwerda, Utrecht University
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Adam Hartstone‐Rose, North Carolina State University
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Andrej Čerňanský, Comenius University, Bratislava
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Ozayr Patel, The Conversation
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